Cricket is by far the most popular sport in India. In advance of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, which was staged in India in March 2011, Sony launched a major advertising campaign for BRAVIA LCD televisions featuring India's national team captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as Sony Brand Ambassador. The highly effective multi-media campaign, which coincided with the Cricket World Cup, included approximately 3,000 television spots and more than 150 outdoor billboards, as well as in-store promotional campaigns.
India won the title match of the 2011 tournament, much to the delight of the Indian people. Sony will continue to promote appealing, memorable marketing and advertising efforts in India.

In fiscal year 2010, ended March 31, 2011, with efforts to bolster day-to-day store sales and tighten inventory control, together with effective advertising and promotional activities, we succeeded in increasing our market share in several growing product categories and, as a result, in expanding the scale of our business. As managing director, I place a high priority on frequent communication with staff at all levels -- to ensure we all share the same goals and acknowledge the same issues -- and on customer research. We visit many residents and we are always eager to better understand people's tastes and discover what has direct relevance to their lives. The hit BRAVIA NX Series of LCD televisions, developed exclusively for the Indian market, came about in part as a result of efforts such as this. The use of India's national cricket team captain as brand ambassador in advertisements and promotions was also aimed at encouraging a feeling of familiarity with Sony.

Going forward, I believe strongly that the key to expanding our business and growing the Sony brand in India will be to secure talented employees. Fostering human resources and assertively localizing staff will be equally as important as enhancing our operational strengths. With the Indian market expected to continue growing, I look forward to pursuing a variety of initiatives with the aim of increasing Sony's presence.

Sony currently has global software development facilities in the United States, Europe and Japan. In emerging countries, we have those facilities in China and India. Among these, Sony India Software Centre (SISC), located in Bangalore -- India's Silicon Valley -- has expanded notably in recent years. Established in 1997, SISC serves as a development base for software used in a wide range of products manufactured by Sony Group companies around the world and as the Group's global offshore IT centre.

With the role of software taking on ever-greater importance in this digitized age, SISC is rapidly augmenting its team of engineers. In fiscal year 2010, ended March 31, 2011, we had approximately 1,000 engineers on staff. With an eye to further personnel expansion, in January 2010 we moved to a new SEZ (Special Economic Zone) in Vrindavan Tech Village.

In fiscal year 2010, ended March 31, 2011, our work contributed to efforts of the entire Sony Group to advance state-of-the-art 3D technologies, as well as to the development of new products, including Sony Internet TV, Sony Tablet and Android™*-based mobile phones and other devices. As the Group's strategic offshore IT centre, we worked together with Group companies with the aim of reinforcing the Group's operating foundation. Looking ahead, we will step up our efforts to foster human resources and actively seek to expand relations with other software engineers around the world. Having an R&D base in the burgeoning Indian market will most certainly be a major advantage for the Sony Group.