On March 10, 2025, Chugai Pharmaceutical celebrated its 100th anniversary. As part of this historic milestone, the company launched "My Action Declaration," an initiative designed to give shape to employees' personal aspirations and mark a definitive step toward the future across the entire Chugai Group.

The "My Action Declaration" is a project where employees overlay their own personal histories with Chugai’s century-long journey to declare their future commitments. To learn more about how this initiative was born and how it is transforming the company's culture, we sat down with two key figures: Yosuke Nakano (Chugai Pharmaceutical Corporate Planning Dept.), who spearheaded the project, and Toru Suwa (Creative Director, Dentsu Inc.), who helped bring Chugai’s vision to life through creative design.

At the heart of “My Action Declaration” is a digital tool that allows every employee to create and share their own “History Book” (video). Using original illustrations by Italy-based illustrator Giacomo Bagnara, employees select from a variety of hairstyles, outfits, and other elements to build a personalized avatar. They then enter key moments from their life—starting from the year they were born up to the present—which are woven together with the company's own milestones to generate a single, cohesive “History Book.” Discoveries like "So that's what was happening at the company the year I was born" help employees see Chugai's history as their own. Finally, drawing on that shared narrative, each employee puts their hopes for the future into words as their personal “My Action Declaration.”

Why launch this initiative at the 100th anniversary? What role does it play within the broader commemorative project? Nakano, who led the effort, explains the concept:

"The overall 100th-anniversary project follows a flow of 'Knowing' the challenges and thoughts of our founders, then 'Giving Shape' to our own aspirations, and finally 'Moving into Action' from our 101st year onward. The 'My Action Declaration' sits at the very center of this flow, connecting our past, present, and future."

It was Creative Director Suwa who answered this concept with a truly inspired idea.

 "As Nakano-san and I talked through the concept, I suddenly thought of the profile videos you see at weddings—those moving stories of two lives coming together. I wondered: isn't the relationship between a company and its employees something similar? If we could visualize the story of how an individual and an organization first came together, people might feel a much deeper connection to the company's history and rediscover their own sense of purpose within it. That's how we arrived at the idea of a 'generator'—a digital tool that brings that story to life."

The playful avatar concept was also a point of personal conviction for Suwa.

"What makes a company interesting is the individuality of its people. It was important that the tool could express each person's unique character rather than presenting everyone the same way. Even the simple act of choosing avatar parts reveals something about who you are—it's fascinating. The phrase ”My Action Declaration” itself came out of our conversations with Chugai's team. Someone said, 'It's not just about purpose—what really matters is the “action” that follows.' That insight became the seed of something we built together."

Designing Passion: Building a Culture of Accountability

At its core, “My Action Declaration” reflects a value that Chugai holds dear: the belief in each employee's autonomy and sense of accountability.

"Going through the declaration process gives employees a chance to reconnect with their own 'source'—the hopes they had when they joined the company, the things they wanted to achieve through their work. Recognizing that source is what drives a genuine sense of ownership in day-to-day work and career development. The timing also aligned with the launch of our new HR system, which is designed to empower employees to take charge of their own careers. We hoped the declaration would reinforce that direction and help expand a culture of personal initiative across the organization," says Nakano.

Nakano had anticipated that putting feelings into words might be a challenge for many employees—but the reality pleasantly surprised him.

 "Far more people were able to articulate their thoughts than I expected. I think it's because so many of them already had something meaningful quietly living inside them."

Suwa, too, had developed a keen sense of what makes Chugai distinctly “Chugai”.

 "The people at Chugai are serious and deeply committed—they have the tenacity to see things through. At the same time, I felt that if they could more freely voice what they truly want to do, that energy could become something even more powerful. That's why I hoped this project would encourage people to articulate the aspirations they might not normally express"

From Digital to Real Life: Expanding the Circle of Empathy

What began as a digital tool gradually expanded into real-world engagement. At a panel discussion in March centered on the theme of "patient-centricity," Dr. Osamu Okuda, President and CEO of Chugai and fellow panelists wrote their declarations live on stage, sharing their personal commitments with the audience. Inside the company, workshops brought colleagues together to think through their declarations side by side, sparking open conversations about hopes for the future.

At “Chugai Day”—an event welcoming employees, their families and partners—a dedicated booth invited family members to write their own dreams and goals on declaration boards. Some employees were genuinely surprised to discover a side of their children they had never seen before. Across various teams, employees began spontaneously organizing their own spaces to share and discuss their declarations.

"Something born in the digital world was being shared as something tangible in the real world—and sparking new conversations in turn. That's a meaningful cycle," says Suwa.

Nakano nods:

"One of the core goals of this project was to make individual 'purpose' visible. Seeing that visibility translates into real moments of connection—through workshops, events, and everyday conversations—I feel we've truly achieved what we set out to do. When you catch a glimpse of a colleague's or manager's personal hopes and values, something shifts. A sense of unity emerges that cuts across departments and generations. I'm convinced that this kind of connection is what will power the next 100 years."

My Story, Our Strength

To date, more than 1,500 employees have registered their “My Action Declaration”. But Nakano believes the value goes far beyond the numbers.

"Ideally, every employee would put their thoughts into words—but even those who haven't are being touched by this in some way. Seeing a colleague's declaration, feeling a spark of inspiration, or simply learning 'so that's what they care about'—that ripple effect matters just as much."

Suwa frames the significance of the initiative in terms of what he calls ”raison d'être”—proof of one's right to exist.

"Honestly, I suspected that even a 100th anniversary might not feel immediately personal to individual employees. That's exactly why I felt it was so important to create a genuine point of connection between the company's story and each person's own."

"When your avatar exists in the system, when your declaration is visible to the entire company—that becomes a statement: “I belong here.” That serves as a visible affirmation of their place in the organization, strengthening their sense of belonging."

The project brought about a personal shift for Nakano as well.

“My declaration reads: 'To make Chugai a company recognized around the world—through value creation and genuine connection.' Delivering results as someone in corporate strategy is obviously important, but results alone aren't enough. Without earning people's genuine resonance, none of it means anything. I believe that working for a company capable of both—delivering impact and inspiring connection—is what allows people to grow and feel truly energized. Putting that into words gave me an anchor. Now, when I face a difficult decision at work, I can come back to it and ask myself: what do I actually stand for?"

“My Action Declaration” has gathered the hopes and intentions of thousands of employees. But this is not a finish line, it's a starting point.

"The goal is for these declarations to spark something between colleagues—to inspire one another, to expand a culture of ownership, and to connect each person's individual aspirations to the growth of the company as a whole. That's the future we're working toward," says Nakano with conviction.

Born at the milestone of a centennial, “My Action Declaration” was created to pass the torch of purpose from the past into the future. Fueled by the individual hopes of every employee, Chugai's journey continues.