AEON’s Foundational Ideals
Pursuing peace, respecting humans, and contributing to local communities, always with customers as our starting point.
AEON firmly believes that retailing is an industry to promote peace, humanity, and local communities. To remain a thriving corporate group that fulfills this mission, we are committed to continuous innovation, with customers as our starting point. Peace cannot be achieved without active and conscious engagement, whether it be in recovering from war and disaster or in maintaining and promoting living in peace. Our conviction is grounded in the real-life experience of Takuya Okada, Honorary Chairman and Senior Advisor to the President. After the Second World War, Mr. Okada witnessed a customer in line at a store, holding a flyer and weeping tears of joy, saying, 'The war is really over,' and he came to realize that the existence of retailing was a symbol of peace. From this realization, he decided that peace was a prerequisite for retailing to exist, and that retailing must contribute to the maintenance of peace.Peace is more than just the absence of war and violence. It encompasses not only peace of mind but also resilience in the face of wars, disasters, and other hardships. Even in the 21st century, we continue to witness wars and face natural disasters such as earthquakes and extreme weather events more frequently than ever. This calls for us to rethink the value of peace now. Peace cannot be given by itself. Peace can only be maintained through our active and conscious engagement.AEON will never do anything that contradicts peace. AEON will never take part in any such actions or activities. Our aim is to make a positive contribution to peace. As for humans, by believing in and respecting each person, their abilities and aspirations will flourish, and by connecting with others, they feel much happier in their lives.Honorary President Okada called the retailing sector a 'humanistic industry.' This means respecting the 'human way,' which includes having respect for each person’s individuality, dignity, and autonomy. It also means believing in their potential and encouraging them to grow and become better humans through work and learning. However, it is difficult for humans to grow alone, and it is through 'human connections' that we can become better humans together with others. It is both a realization of happiness and a pursuit of norms among people. In short, retailing is an industry of people’s happiness and norms. Enriching local communities requires us to respect the diversity and independence of each region, and to constantly meet and care for their specific needs. Retailing is by nature a region-based industry that flourishes with the local communities. To maintain the richness and well-being of regions and the local communities within them, it is vital to take care of them continuously. This is one of the important roles of retailing. As regions and local communities increasingly become more important in the future, AEON will actively contribute to their prosperity by developing products tailored to each region and promoting the welfare of the local people. AEON is committed to actively engaging in peace efforts, supporting human happiness and norms, and contributing to the prosperity of local communities. These ideals form the foundation of putting 'customers as our starting point,' which places the needs and preferences of our customers first at the center of our operations. Putting our customers first means that we do not put ourselves first, that is, we do not think and act for our own convenience. On the contrary, we always put our customers first and act with the highest standards of integrity, which is the foundation of AEON. We will use this as a mirror to reflect ourselves and as the standard for every decision and action made by all AEON People. Even when it becomes tempting to prioritize our company's or personal interests or convenience, we must firmly resist and overcome such temptations to preserve our unwavering dedication to our customers.To achieve this, AEON must be a corporate group that continues to innovate. Ensuring a company’s growth and survival is of paramount importance, but without constant innovation, it will decline and eventually perish. Even if maintaining the status quo is stable and comfortable, a company should not be complacent but continuously change and improve itself. Having the foresight and insight to constantly look ahead to changes in our customers and various social changes, it is essential for us to continue innovating. All AEON People are dedicated to anticipating the evolution and changes in our customers’ lifestyles and the needs of society.AEON has transformed from a family business to a corporation, and then to an industry. It has always preserved a dynamic corporate culture. However, as society changes faster and faster, we are most worried about losing the required innovative and entrepreneurial spirit and becoming stagnant like many large companies. We understand that static equilibrium, where the status quo continues without change, will not last at all. The only way to avoid being overtaken by newer innovators is for AEON to remain the largest and most advanced innovator. It is our firm determination to be an organization that constantly renews itself by keeping its founding spirit and staying ahead of its time. AEON will act with the firm belief that by embodying and practicing these ideals, we can contribute to the maintenance and development of peace, humans, and local communities.