Reflecting on 2025

As 2025 draws to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the year.

Looking back, it is clear that society is at a major turning point. The rapid spread of AI has accelerated the digital shift, Japan has entered an inflationary environment not seen for many years, and cities have been transformed by growing inbound tourism demand. Amid rising uncertainty and an ever-increasing pace of change, we find ourselves operating in a business environment where the future is difficult to predict.

Under such circumstances, 2025 was a year that demanded both “speed and quality”, as well as “decisive action and a willingness to take on challenges”. Therefore, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone concerned for taking on these challenges together, with us, and for helping us steadily build results through continuous transformation.

Looking Back on 2025

For Mitsue-Links, 2025 was a year of turning transformation into reality and driving growth. In January, through a company-wide, employee-participation process, we formulated a three-year mid-term management plan starting in 2025. We initiated organizational reforms and restructured our operations by service lines - Development, UX, Accessibility, Solutions, and Maintenance & Operations - bringing together expertise that had previously been dispersed. This enabled us to strengthen each service area in a more strategic and systematic manner. In addition, we established a new organization called X-Tech, bringing together internal experts to research and explore next-generation development technologies. Led by our CTO Taku Fujita, this team is advancing R&D initiatives in AI-driven development and next-generation CMS capabilities. Furthermore, we also significantly reinforced our sales division – thereby enhancing the quality of our customer engagement.

At the same time, we updated Mitsue-Links’ “operating systems” through initiatives such as defining clearer career path models, reforming our HR systems (including work-life balance, more flexible working options, and evaluation and compensation frameworks), and revising our accounting systems. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all employees who advanced these reforms while continuing to carry out their day-to-day responsibilities. As a result of these efforts, new ideas for services and solutions are beginning to emerge from the front lines. We are truly feeling that our company is evolving into one that creates solutions for the coming era through the strength and collective will of its people.

All of above-mentioned reforms are directly aligned with the core principle of our mid-term management plan: customer-centricity. To remain a trusted and healthy partner to our clients, we are committed to being a company that provides an environment where employees can build their careers with confidence, while continuously delivering new services supported by responsible and reliable execution frameworks.

Looking Ahead to 2026

As we steadily advance the reforms outlined above and deliver their results to our clients, we also have ambitious plans for the coming year. In the next fiscal year, we will further deepen personnel collaboration with the Dentsu Group, expand our participation in large-scale projects, and strengthen our delivery capabilities. We also plan to fully integrate AI into our web development processes. By accelerating forward-looking investments, enhancing employee development and engagement, and continuously refining our corporate culture, we will carry forward our founding philosophy - “to sustainably grow our clients’ businesses through quality and technology” - into the next generation. In the year ahead, we will continue to listen carefully to the voices of our clients, partners, and employees, and move forward without fear of change.

In Closing

Our year-end and New Year holidays will run from December 27 through January 4, 2026, and business operations will resume on January 5.

We wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year.