GROUNDBREAKING PILSEN REFERENCE Jichin sai, ceremony for the foundation stone of Matsushita Panasonic Pilsen Czech Republic 1996 August 30 The ceremony was attended by the Vice-Minister of Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, the Mayor of Pilsen, Director and Advisors of CzechInvest, the President of Panasonic and the Japanese Embassy. From the opening speech by Mr Zdenek Prosek, Mayor of Pilsen “Personally I know this area very well. In my childhood I used to come here with my grandfather. In former times it was a plain field, surrounded by woods, an ideal place for a kid to play with his kite. This is all gone now. But I am grateful for the peaceful Japanese ceremony. It paid respect to nature and put the soul of my grandfather to rest. Nature is change and change is necessary for survival. Now I can cherish my childhood memory and know that our children will have a future, too.”     JICHINSAI GROUNDBREAKING: 1987 House of 4 Winds 1995 Kikkoman 1996 Panasonic 2003 Hi-Bis 2008 FujiFilm 2008 IJburg 2009 Sakura © 1981 JAPANESE DUTCH SHINZEN FOUNDATION