Dentsu Inc. (President: Yutaka Narita; Head Office: Tokyo; Capital 58,967.1 million yen) held its annual New Year's Back-to-Work Ceremony at the Company's Tokyo Head Office and other venues from 9:50 a.m. on January 4. President Narita delivered his New Year's message at the ceremony held in the auditorium on the 13th floor of the Tsukiji Head Office Building.

Following are highlights of the speech.

"On November 30, 2001, Dentsu became a public company after listing its shares on the 1st section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The timing of this giant leap from being a privately held company to a publicly traded one coincided with Dentsu's centennial anniversary. Our progress will be boosted further by the completion of the Company's new head office building scheduled for this fall. I am truly delighted to be able to witness this series of significant events immediately after the turn of the century as a member of the Dentsu Group.

"The IPO has allowed the Dentsu Group to achieve more diversity in funding sources, which in turn has given Dentsu an extremely strong financial foundation. Looking ahead, the Dentsu Group will leverage its solid base in an attempt to realize its vision, which 'aims at being a corporate group that relays dreams and vitality to people, delivers optimal Total Communications Services in both domestic and overseas markets, helps clients to create brand value, offers solutions to a range of social problems and does its share to promote the cultural enrichment of society.'

"In order to realize this vision, the Group plans to focus on five core objectives to drive further managerial reforms. These are 'Reinforcement of Group-Based Management,' in an effort to keep pace with the new era of consolidated management; 'Increased Emphasis on Global Services to Clients'; 'Reform of Human Resources,' to carry out a drastic and comprehensive review of human resources policies; 'Fundamental Managerial Reform,' which will help us adopt globally accepted accounting standards and financial strategies, in light of possibly listing on the New York Stock Exchange in the future; and 'Reform of Corporate Governance' to build trust among our shareholders.

"I firmly believe that the Dentsu Group should serve as a venue where each and every one of you can work to your best ability to create outstanding value, while at the same time taking pride in yourselves as true professionals. Dentsu, through its extensive resources, offers a golden opportunity for each individual to expand his or her horizon and lead a rich life full of meaning and challenge. It is my sincere hope that you all take advantage of this. Let's work together to move forward to build our Group not only in 2002, but in the new century."