100 Tents Donated as Emergency Supplies

【July 16th】

A severe earthquake of Magnitude 7.8 hit China on May 12th with epicenter in Sichuan Province, which causes catastropic disaster with many casualties.

RBA International received an emergency request directly from Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries with whom RBA International has been working closely for international cooperation, to ship emergency tents for victims of the disaster. To this end, RBA International immediately procured 100 sets of tents, which were scarce in Japan also, and delivered successfully to Chinese Red Cross in the suffering district with the help of China Embassy in Tokyo, Air China, China Red Cross, etc.

Original Author: Nobuhiro Kume  Text ・Illustration: Senya Shiratori

Modified B4  24 pages

【July 8th】

To disseminate broadly among lay people the philosophy of RBA International that is to leave an earth which is a better place to live for the generation three hundred years from now, a story originally written by Chairman Kume was converted into a picture story. With Ms. Senya Shiratori in charge of illustration and text, this book depicts linkage between mankind and animals living on the Earth. After the publication, we have received many great responses; "It is readable for both parents and children", "It's educative for tackling issues of global environment” and “We want to purchase more to distribute them to our clients for broader propagation". The book is released from Soueisha and Sanseid.

"What Bees Saw" book cover

Illustrations

The largest participating teams of 61

【May 13th】

Lottery for the 20th RBA Baseball Tournament took place in the evening of May 13th at Tokyo Hilton Hotel, where the details of match-up was decided. This year, RBA baseball tournament falls on auspicious 20th anniversary since the first one held in the 1st year of Heisei, the imperial era name in Japan. Participated were the larfest ever: 61 teams. The very first game of Wednesday block started on June 11th, while Sunday block started on June 15th respectively.

Mr. Kume, Chairman of RBA Baseball Tournament delives an opening speech

Asahikasei Homes wins 2 straight years, 7th overall championship in their career

【April 22nd】

The overall final match of the 19th RBA Baseball Tournament was played in the evening of April 22nd at Tokyo Dome Stadium, and Asahikasei Homes, the winner of Wednesday block won the champion cup at 9−4 against Ken Corporation, the winner of Sunday block, after a rough-and-tumble fight. Asahikasei Homes raised the championship flag achieving 2 straight years of win and the 7th championship in their career. Ken Corporation caught up in the later innings of the game; however the losses incurred in the early innings proved unbearable. Ken Corporation ended up with five-straight years of a runner-up, and unfortunately the 69th birthday of the president Kensuke Tanaka of Ken Corporation, which fell coincidently on April 22nd could not be emblazoned with the champion cup.

After the game, Thai Ambassador's Cup was bestowed on Ken Corporation, the winner of Sunday block; Mongolian Ambassador's Cup on Asahikasei Homes, the winner of Wednesday block; and Chinese Ambassador's Cup on Asahikasei Homes as also the champion of the year. The victory flag, testimonials and commemorative gifts were presented to them by Chairman Kume.

The victorious Asahikasei Homes team

Accepting Internship from Saitama Prefectural Koshigaya Comprehensive Technical High School

【February 6th & 26th】

In 2008 continuing on from the previous year, RBA International offered internship program (in-company familiarization training) to Saitama Prefectural Koshigaya Comprehensive Techinical High School as one of their social educational development program. A special lecture by Chairman Nobuhiro Kume: before and after the internship were planned and delivered to all 280 students in the 2nd year of Saitama PKCT High School. This idea came about after discussing with the school to not let this program be a one-off "event" to be forgotten by students.

While calling upon Daisan Kikaku, Inc. for the places of practical training for internship, RBA International received 2 students from the electronic machinery department, 1 student from information technology department - total of 3 students - from the school. They experienced “work” at the headquarter, sales branches and at printing factory of Daisan Kikaku, Inc.

A lecturing scene

Students at Daisan Kikaku, Inc.

Edited by Nobuhiro Kume

A5 190 pages

【January 23rd】

A book was published, highlighting “persons” of real-estate buying and selling mediation industry, to revitalize the industry currently in a slump. Chapter 1 consists of 25 articles of selected personsis who appeared in serialized columns titled “Vitality-marked persons and companies” in RBA Times (periodically published by Daisan Kikaku, Inc.), Chapter 2 is of cross-sectional analysis of the industry by Mizuho Research Institute, and Chapter 3 reveals the desired qualities and potentials structured by companies. Documentations are added to introduce RBA International as many persons taken up in the book also play active roles as RBA baseball players and managers.
Top executives of leading six companies in the industry contributed the book with articles titled “On the occasion of publication”, which help spread the philosophy of RBA International across the industry. The book is released from Shoeisha and Sanseido.

Message from Chairman

It is no exaggeration to say that the events occurring within the realm of human society originate in the words and deeds of individual members of the human race. Simply stated, all aspects of human society are both created and conducted by each one of us, human beings. There is also no doubt that we are the individual units that comprise the very essence of this process.

In this way, the history of humanity is the evolution of the relationships between individual human beings. This is because, as social creatures, people cannot continue to live and prosper without maintaining constant linkage with others.

Within the 2006 edition of the Public Opinion Poll on Citizens Lives, an annual survey conducted by the Cabinet Office, one of the questions posed was: “What significance does the home hold for you?” The top four replies to this query were (in order): “A place for family harmony” (66.5 percent); “A place for rest and relaxation” (61.5 percent); “A place to strengthen family bonds” (54.9 percent); and “A place for parents and children to grow together” (38.5 percent).

Compared to the results of the previous poll in this series, increases were recorded in all four of these categories: “A place for family harmony” was up by 5.4 percent, “A place for rest and relaxation” was up by 6.0 percent, “A place to strengthen family bonds” was up by 8.7 percent, and “A place for parents and children to grow together” was up by 2.7 percent. The implications of this trend can be said to furnish proof of the accelerating importance of human relationships in people’s lives.

The substance of the family, the smallest unit of these human ties, is none other than the fruits, realized at certain points in time, of mutual cooperation undertaken by the individual members of those units. Life is in constant flow, and so is the family. For this very reason, steadfast efforts to sustain the health and progress of the family unit are critical to say the least.

Upon its foundation, RBA International proclaimed the following fundamental guiding spirit: “Individual growth and stability leading to growth and stability for the family, expanding to growth and stability for the society, and ultimately to the nation, the world, and the entire human race.” Rooted in this philosophy, over the past year we vigorously advanced a full slate of activities structured to support the individual members of each family unit. All of these efforts are subscribed to the “Equation of Growth and Stability”, as we strive to exert inspiration and influence through the actions of each and every individual involved in our activities.

As we enter the new year of 2008, RBA International is confident that there are those who will continue to lend a keen ear to our fervent efforts to contribute to progressive change, and be moved and motivated by our words and actions. Taking this support to heart, we pledge to carry on our pursuit of the virtues and the mission inherent in the aforementioned “Equation of Growth and Stability” throughout the year.

January 2008

Specified Nonprofit Corporation RBA International

Nobuhiro Kume, Chairman