It bothered me that just one woman was on stage at the general meeting of shareholders. Ms. Hatano, what is your stance on female inclusion in the workplace, and where is the company heading in regard?
For example, the Deputy General Manager of our Human Resources Division is an American woman. The COO of Ricoh Europe is female. Women account for 15% of the number of regular employees on our domestic payroll. They represent around 4% of our managers. We aim to lift that percentage to 10%.
受访者：
Ms. Mutsuko Hatano
Answer:
老实说,我认为理光是高度承诺providing employment opportunities for women in Japan and overseas. Ricoh's female researchers are active among academic societies and other organizations. And we are cultivating females as candidates for directorships down the track.
问题4：
Ricoh.maintains an outstanding R&D program, and has secured countless patents. How is it leveraging these capabilities in its business?
受访者：
豪舒·松苏拉先生
Answer:
We undertake research and development in keeping with our growth strategies. With printing technologies under Growth Strategy #1, we are broadening our capabilities in industrial printing. Our R&D efforts look further into the future through applied printing and other initiatives. Our R&D efforts extend to the medical, pharma, and other arenas. These markets offer tremendous growth potential. Under Growth Strategies #2, we seek to broaden the scope of digital services from offices to also encompass frontlines sites and society itself. We are accordingly working on applied technologies for the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence.
受访者：
Mr. Yoshinori Yamashita
Answer:
I'd like to add that we're taking approaches that differ completely from those for core businesses to explore new ways to launch new businesses. We have created a dual system setup in-house in which we leverage different approaches to pursue open innovation and undertake venture initiatives.
问题5：
我假设需求将扩展为社会景观的各个方面都提供服务的安全摄像机。Ricoh在这方面的努力是什么努力？
受访者：
Mr. Kunihiko Satoh
Answer:
Ricoh.'s strengths encompass such areas as optics, image recognition, and sensors. We are working in an array of fields, from real estate, construction, and other industries to vehicular and production site automation and in social infrastructure.
In May, you announced the transfer of some of your shares in Ricoh Logistics to SBS Holdings, and employees worry that there will be a restructuring. Why did you make this transfer?
An article in a weekly magazine this week ranked corporate heads. Mr. Yamashita scored 80 points in disclosure aspect and placed 172nd in total ranking. What's your take on this?
We consider cash flows and investments in determining dividends, and aim to return retained earnings to shareholders. I think that prioritizing growth over stable dividends is a valuable suggestion.