OSP HOLDINGS CO., LTD. (Head office: Tennoji-ku, Osaka City, President: Matsuguchi Tadashi), a member of the OSP Group, is pleased to announce that it will make a donation to the "Kobe Gakuin University Matsuguchi Tadashi Memorial Ukrainian Studies Center" established on the campus of Kobe Gakuin University (Location: Chuo-ku, Kobe City) and the "Honorary Consulate of Ukraine in Kobe" to financially support their activities. We believe that deepening understanding of Ukrainian history and culture will lead to long-term, stable support for the country and its people, which will in turn contribute to the development of exchanges between Japan and Ukraine in a wide range of fields, including the economy and education.

The center's director and honorary consul is Professor Yoshihiko Okabe of Kobe Gakuin University (PhD in History and Economics, hereafter referred to as Professor Okabe). The center opened this spring and, after a preparation period, began full-scale operations on Tuesday, October 1st. The "Kobe Gakuin University Matsuguchi Tadashi Memorial Ukrainian Studies Center" is the first center in the Indo-Pacific region specializing in Ukrainian studies, with a wide range of research themes including the country's politics, economy, culture, and history. Donations will be used for the center's operations, research activities, hiring of researchers, hosting symposiums, and the general operations of the "Ukrainian Honorary Consulate in Kobe."

■ Overview of the "Kobe Gakuin University Matsuguchi Tadashi Memorial Ukrainian Studies Center" and the "Honorary Consulate of Ukraine in Kobe"

• Location: 1-1-3 Minatojima, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture (Kobe Gakuin University Port Island Campus)

• Director and Honorary Consul: Professor Yoshihiko Okabe, Kobe University

• Donation: Not disclosed

■ Background to this donation

The Matsuguchi Scholarship Foundation (Headquarters: Tennoji-ku, Osaka City; Chairman: Matsuguchi Tadashi), a shareholder of OSP Holdings, provides scholarships to domestic and international students who aspire to contribute internationally in order to develop human resources who will be active globally. Due to a connection with a student from Ukraine at Kobe Gakuin University among the scholarship recipients, a lecture by Professor Okabe entitled "The Real Ukraine: Past, Present, and Future" was held in March 2023. Based on the idea of "equal opportunities to learn" of OSP Group CEO Matsuguchi, the donation was made to support researchers and students who will lead the future of Ukraine across borders so that the promotion of exchanges between Japan and Ukraine will not be a one-time event.

■Achievements of the Matsuguchi Scholarship Foundation

It was established in 2012 with the aim of educating domestic and international talent who will contribute to peace, prosperity, and cultural improvement in Japan and the Southeast and East Asian regions. As mentioned above, the Matsuguchi Scholarship Foundation has been providing scholarships since 2015, and has supported the education of 117 students to date.

■Professor Okabe, a leading expert on Ukraine

Kobe Gakuin University has been actively engaging in exchanges with Ukrainian research institutes since before 2022, and is committed to supporting Ukraine by accepting visiting professors and evacuated students. Professor Okabe is a professor at the university, director of the International Exchange Center, and chairman of the Ukraine Studies Association. He has long been researching Ukrainian politics, economy, society, and environment, and is a leading expert with 22 published papers. He has visited the country more than 35 times and deepened his interactions with important people, and for his energetic efforts he has been awarded the Ukrainian Cabinet Medal of Honor, Foreign Member of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Ukraine, and the Medal of the Supreme Soviet of Ukraine.

■OSP Holdings Company Profile

• Company name: OSP HOLDINGS CO., LTD.

• Address: 6-8 Ajihara Honmachi Tennoji-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture

• Representative: Matsuguchi Tadashi

• Founded: 1969

• Business description: Business planning and management of the corporate group and related operations

• URL: https://www.osp-holdings.co.jp/

■ Overview of Matsuguchi Scholarship Foundation

• Address: Obasecho-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture

• Representative: Matsuguchi Tadashi

• Established: June 2012 (Certified as public interest in 2014)

• Objectives of the program: To carry out educational activities widely throughout Southeast and East Asia, as well as within Japan, and to foster talented individuals both at home and abroad who will contribute to world peace, prosperity, and cultural advancement.

• URL：https://www.matsuguchi-sf.or.jp/

Founded in 1927, the OSP Group is a comprehensive packaging company with a total of 15 companies (9 domestic and 6 overseas), and has 18 production bases nationwide to fulfill its mission of social infrastructure, mainly food distribution. Since its founding, the company has expanded its business scope in response to changes in the times, such as customer needs and the social environment. Currently, the company provides products and services that enrich society and the lives of customers through the planning, design, and manufacturing of stickers and labels, Carton Package, and promotional materials. In order to achieve high quality and stable supply, the group also operates in a wide range of areas, from material procurement, development and manufacturing of sticker and label printing base paper and printing peripherals, to designing and research and development of labeling systems.