Project to Protect the Woodlands of Tokyo

Yokogawa participates in "Tokyo Greenship Action", a collaborative effort among the city of Tokyo, and local NPOs and businesses to preserve and revive the woodlands in the hilly areas of Tokyo, and to contribute to biodiversity. Yokogawa has been a participant since 2009.

The target area for 2009 was the Tatemachi Landscape Conservation Area of Hachioji (24,392 square meters); a highly accessible conservation area located near the residential part of the Tama hills in Hachioji, Tokyo. Serrata and Sawtooth oaks take up more than half of the area, and Black Locust and Japanese Zelkova (Keyaki) trees can be seen. In addition, a river flows through the conservation area, which is a habitat for fireflies. Local volunteer groups, such the as the "Association to Promote Firefly Proliferation", come here regularly to cut grass and thin shrubs.

Once a well-groomed woodland, this area became an abandoned forest without proper care, such as planting, thinning, and tree cutting. Hence, "Tokyo Greenship Action" aims to preserve the scenery of this beautiful hilly area, and to grow a rich variety of biota by continually cutting grass, cutting down and removing dead trees, and planting new ones.

On Saturday, November 28, 2009, Yokogawa participated in the "Tokyo Greenship Action" at Tatemachi Landscape Conservation Area in Hachioji. Joined by Green Support Hachioji (a local NPO), and Ebara Corporation, 13 people consisting of Yokogawa Group's employees and their families planted acorn seedlings and transplanted young trees. Their goal was to transplant 24 seedlings; however, 33 seedlings were transplanted, surpassing the goal by a large margin. Some of the participants' feedbacks were as follows: "I feel like we made a good contribution to society, but we also benefitted from good exercise and time with nature", "I brought home a piece of Hinoki cypress and enjoyed the evening in a nice hot Hinoki bath", "I want to participate in more preservation efforts, including firefly watching. I'm eager to learn how the work from today has contributed to the inhabitation of fireflies in the Tatemachi Landscape Conservation Area", "I felt the energy of the forest and the wonders of the woods", "Working with people from other companies, I gained a higher level of awareness for global environment conservation, and learned so much from them".