Social Contributions

Our Social Contribution Activities

As a company, we hope to both contribute to society through our business activities and build a good relationship with our community. We engage in a variety of social contribution activities to support the development of culture and sports, including operating the Hayashibara Museum of Art and holding Nagase Viita Life Seminars, as well as organizing events and gatherings to promote interaction and positive communication with the local community.

Support for the Hayashibara Museum of Art

The museum houses a collection of Japanese and other East Asian paintings, crafts, and other items. The museum also exhibits furnishings inherited from the estate of the Ikeda feudal clan of the Okayama domain. The collection includes three national treasures and 26 important cultural artifacts including: swords and other arms, armor, paintings, writings, Noh masks and costumes, carved lacquer, mother-of-pearl works, lacquerware, ceramics and metal works.
By supporting the Hayashibara Museum of Art, we can contribute to the recognition of the rich culture and history of our community, and help preserve these cultural assets for future generations.

Nagase Viita Life Seminar

Since fiscal 2017, we have been organizing and delivering Nagase Viita Life Seminars, a public lecture aimed at social contribution. Each year, we select a topic closely related to lives of people in our community, and provide useful information for our consumers.

Hosting the Okayama Wellness Event

As part of our activities to help contribute to extending healthy life expectancy, one of our key issues for sustainability, we launched a health promotion event in Okayama City in 2020 and have maintained the event under the title Okayama Wellness since 2022. In cooperation with Okayama City and other companies and organizations involved in food and health, we offer physical fitness tests and health checkups to contribute to the health of the local community.

The Hayashibara Award

First awarded in 1963, the Hayashibara Award is an annual award conferred by the Okayama Medical Association recognizing and rewarding one to four young scientists from Okayama University School of Medicine for their hard work in the promoting cancer research and eradicating cancer.
Since 2013, this award has been renamed the ‘Hayashibara and Yamada Prizes for Cancer Research’ among the Okayama Medical Association awards, and in 2023, the award was given to two recipients.
To date, 127 laureates have been awarded, and the laureates are currently working at the forefront of cancer treatment.

Sponsorship for Sports and Culture in the Community

To give back to sports and culture in the community, we sponsor a variety of organizations in Okayama. In terms of major sponsorships, we have been the club sponsor of Fagiano Okayama, a J2 soccer team, since 2016. In addition, we support the Okayama Philharmonic Orchestra, an orchestra based at the Okayama Symphony Hall, as a supporting member.

Protection of Cultural Assets Using Our Products and Technology

To help conserve the rich cultural history of our community, we have used our enzyme technologies to develop important materials to be used in the protection of cultural assets.

Conservation of Buried Cultural Properties Using Trehalose

The organic objects found in the excavations, such as wooden boats, farming tools, and lacquerware, have been significantly weakened due to destruction of their cells by microorganisms and excessive water content, and pose a risk of severely shrinking and breaking if left to dry. To keep them in good condition, they must be subjected to a conservation treatment to replace water with a stable substance to maintain their dry state.
Conventionally, the polyethylene glycol (PEG) impregnation method has been used to conserve excavated wood objects. However, there were problems involved with the lengthy time of the impregnation process, and in the case of wood-iron composites and items excavated from underwater sites, the material deteriorated after the impregnation treatment. To solve these problems, the trehalose impregnation method was developed by a research group led by the Conservation Science Office of the Osaka City Cultural Properties Association and is now widely used and promoted for use both in Japan and overseas. In March 2021, the impregnation treatment of an approximately 5.6 m bulkhead plank of the Mongolian invasion sunken ship excavated from an underwater site in Takashima, Matsuura City, Nagasaki prefecture was completed, and in October 2022, a conservation treatment was started on a large wooden anchor salvaged from the sea floor, demonstrating major results.

▶Related article: Sustainable Story 07
The Trehalose Application in an Unexplored Area: Conserving Buried Cultural Properties for the Future

▶Related News:
An advertising article on trehalose's contribution to the conservation of cultural properties is published in Newsweek Japan.

Developing Alternative Aged Paste, Essential for Repairing Hanging Scrolls and other Scrolls, through Enzyme Technology

Aged paste is an essential adhesive for repairing cultural artifacts made of Japanese paper, such as hanging scrolls and other scrolls. Its properties ensure the paper does not harden after drying, prevents mold from occurring, and easily peels off when water is applied. In the repair studio, art conservation experts produce aged paste by maturing boiled wheat starch for 10 years. It takes an enormous amount of time and effort, and ensuring a stable supply is difficult. In partnership with the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Goods and Oka Bokkodo Co., Ltd, (a cultural goods repair company), Nagase Viita began to jointly develop an alternative to the traditionally made aged paste. Together, we succeeded in producing an alternative aged paste through enzyme technology that can be produced in a period of two weeks.

▶Related News:
An article about alternative aged paste manufactured by Nagase Viita, a material to protect Japanese paper cultural assets, is published in Newsweek Japan on the web.

Mass-Production of an Enzyme to Remove the PVA Membrane Applied as an Anti-Delamination Agent on the Surface of Cultural Artifacts, such as Mural Paintings

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), used to protect murals in architecture, deteriorates over time and can cause damage to the surface on which it’s applied. Art restoration experts have long been concerned about its safe removal without damaging the art. The Osaka Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology has developed an enzyme that breaks down PVA. Nagase Viita produces this PVA-degrading enzyme, and provides it to the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Goods for use in art restoration to ensure that the PVA can be safely removed, without damaging the art.