COLUMN

D-POPS GROUP would like to express our sincere gratitude for your continued support. We are pleased to share two major milestones regarding the Walking Together Hand-in-Hand with Children Foundation, where the chairman of our board, Dr. Sachio Semmoto, serves as Representative Director, and our President & CEO, Kazuhiro Goto, serves as Secretary-General. ◆Certified as a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation by the Japanese Cabinet Office As of April 1, 2025, the foundation received official certification from the Cabinet Office and has begun its next chapter as the Walking Together Hand-in-Hand with Children Public Interest Incorporated Foundation. This foundation was established by Dr. Semmoto—co-founder of KDDI and renowned serial entrepreneur—to dedicate his life’s legacy to the happiness of children. This certification serves as official recognition that our activities supporting children facing abuse and domestic violence meet the highest standards of contribution to society and transparency. With this new status, donations to this foundation are now eligible for tax incentives (donation deductions). We believe this framework will make it even easier for a wider circle of supporters to join us in our mission. ◆Complete Renewal of the Official Website To properly communicate the depth and impact of our activities, we have completely redesigned our official website. Visualizing the Results of Our Activities We have published detailed reports from our grants to children’s therapeutic institutions across Japan, including direct feedback from the facilities. This allows all of our supporters to see exactly how their contributions can lead to children’s smiles. Clarified Donation Methods In addition to ordinary donations, our website now has clear, illustrated guides for supporting our foundation via the “Hometown Tax Program (Higashikawa Town Shareholder System)” in partnership with Higashikawa Town, Hokkaido. A Warm, Visionary Design The site has been refreshed with a design that evokes the bright future of children. (Link to official website: https://www.ab-children.com/en/) Our Heart as D-POPS GROUP As the number of cases related to child abuse in Japan continues to reach record highs, countless children are in urgent need of help at this very moment. D-POPS GROUP fully supports the mission of Walking Together Hand-in-Hand with Children Foundation, and we are proud to have donated the funds for this renewal of their website. As a whole, D-POPS GROUP remains committed to realizing a society where anyone can hold onto hope, and to supporting children’s futures. We invite you to visit the renewed website and hope you will join us in expanding the circle of our supporters. ☆D-POPS GROUP’s CSR Activities: https://d-pops-group.co.jp/en/column/csr20250330/

The corporate mission of D-POPS GROUP is to multiply the number of growth companies (so-called “unicorn companies”) that will revolutionize society. By doing so, we aim to increase the number of growth companies that can contribute to society and help to build a better world. This year, we have donated to the following organizations to assist young people and children who are struggling and not receiving sufficient support: Walking Together Hand-in-Hand with Children Public Interest Incorporated Foundation A foundation that supports children who have been victims of abuse and domestic violence in today’s society, where such issues have been intensifying more and more. https://ab-children.com/ NPO Lights On Children A non-profit organization working together with companies and individuals to support children who need social assistance. https://lightson-children.com/en/ NPO bond Project An organization aimed at contributing to the healthy development of youths facing various challenges by providing employment opportunities, helping to find one’s purpose for living, and encouraging them to play an active role in society. https://bondproject.jp/ Frances and Sachio Semmoto Foundation A public foundation that provides scholarships (without repayment obligations) to international students from the Asia-Pacific region who would otherwise have difficulty studying in Japan due to economic reasons. https://semmoto.or.jp/english Hoshinowa Foundation A public foundation established with the purpose of nurturing human resources who will be helpful to society, which provides scholarships (without repayment obligations) to students of good character, high commitment levels, and academic excellence enrolled in vocational schools, technical colleges, and universities in Kumamoto Prefecture. https://hoshinowa.or.jp/ Meguro Wakaba Orphanage (Social Welfare Service Airinkai) A child welfare facility operating in the Ohashi area of Meguro Ward, Tokyo. https://www.megurowakabaryo.com/ Tokyo Council of Social Welfare An organization that aims to solve the challenges of living in a local community by leveraging the diversity of people in Tokyo. In this case, we are designating our donation towards their “International Youth Exchange Program” for third-year high school students from child welfare facilities and foster care in the Tokyo metropolitan area. https://www.tcsw.tvac.or.jp/     We are supporting these organizations with the hope that young people and children who will lead Japan and the world can escape their difficult situations as quickly as possible. In order to ensure we can continuously contribute to society, D-POPS GROUP always aims to expand our businesses.

The corporate mission of D-POPS GROUP is to multiply the number of growth companies (so-called “unicorn companies”) that will revolutionize society. By doing so, we aim to increase the number of growth companies that can contribute to society and help to build a better world. Our group utilized the corporate version of Japan’s so-called “Furusato Nozei” (also known as “Hometown Tax”) to donate a total of 4.2 million yen to the town of Higashikawa in Hokkaido. This donation will be used to support projects that raise social awareness of child abuse and aim to prevent it. Click here to participate in the community development of Higashikawa Town through their shareholder system. (Page only in Japanese.)     Here is a list of all our group companies that donated to this cause: D-POPS Corp. https://d-pops.co.jp/ versetal Inc. https://versetal.com/index.html PLUST https://www.plust.jp/ graphD Corp. https://graphd.co.jp/ GOOD CREW https://www.good-crew.co.jp/ STAR CAREER CO., LTD https://star-career.co.jp/ Advancer.inc https://advancer.co.jp/ TFN https://tfnmobile.com/     In addition to the 4.2 million yen donated by our various group companies, D-POPS GROUP Co., Ltd. has also made our own donation in kind, sending 1.5 million yen to the Walking Together Hand-in-Hand with Children Foundation. This donation consisted of paying for a full renovation of the foundation’s official website. We are conducting donations like this in the hopes that young people and children who will lead Japan and the world can escape their difficult situations as quickly as possible. D-POPS GROUP will continue to aim for business expansion to ensure our social contributions will continue in the future.

The corporate mission of D-POPS GROUP is to multiply the number of growth companies (so-called “unicorn companies”) that will revolutionize society. By doing so, we aim to increase the number of growth companies that can contribute to society and help to build a better world. Our group utilized the corporate version of Japan’s so-called “Furusato Nozei”* to donate a total of 6 million yen to the town of Higashikawa in Hokkaido. This donation will be used to support projects that raise social awareness of child abuse and aim to prevent it. *This is a system that allows part of one’s residential tax to be directed toward a specific local government, in order to reduce one’s tax burden by a certain amount. Click here to participate in the community development of Higashikawa Town through their shareholder system. (Page only in Japanese.) Here is a list of all our group companies that donated to this cause: versetal Inc. https://versetal.com/index.html D-POPS Corp. https://d-pops.co.jp/ PLUST https://www.plust.jp/ idealump Co., Ltd https://idealump.com/en Advancer.inc https://advancer.co.jp/ graphD Corp. https://graphd.co.jp/ TFN https://tfnmobile.com/   We are conducting donations like this in the hopes that young people and children who will lead Japan and the world can escape their difficult situations as quickly as possible. D-POPS GROUP will continue to aim for business expansion to ensure our social contributions will continue in the future.

The corporate mission of D-POPS GROUP is to multiply the number of growth companies (so-called “unicorn companies”) that will revolutionize society. By doing so, we aim to increase the number of growth companies that can contribute to society and help to build a better world. This year, we have donated to the following organizations to assist young people and children who are struggling and not receiving sufficient support: Walking Together Hand-in-Hand with Children Foundation A foundation that supports children who have been victims of abuse and domestic violence in today’s society, where such issues have been intensifying more and more. https://ab-children.com/ (Page only in Japanese.) NPO Lights On Children A non-profit organization working together with companies and individuals to support children who need social assistance. https://lightson-children.com/en/ NPO bond Project An organization aimed at contributing to the healthy development of youths facing various challenges by providing employment opportunities, helping to find one’s purpose for living, and encouraging them to play an active role in society. https://bondproject.jp/ (Page only in Japanese.) Frances and Sachio Semmoto Foundation A public foundation that provides scholarships (without repayment obligations) to international students from the Asia-Pacific region who would otherwise have difficulty studying in Japan due to economic reasons. https://semmoto.or.jp/english Hoshinowa Foundation A public foundation established with the purpose of nurturing human resources who will be helpful to society, which provides scholarships (without repayment obligations) to students of good character, high commitment levels, and academic excellence enrolled in vocational schools, technical colleges, and universities in Kumamoto Prefecture. https://hoshinowa.or.jp/ (Page only in Japanese.) Meguro Wakaba Orphanage (Social Welfare Service Airinkai) A child welfare facility operating in the Ohashi area of Meguro Ward, Tokyo. https://www.megurowakabaryo.com/ (Page only in Japanese.) Famiee Project An association using blockchain technology to issue family relationship certificates for couples and families not currently recognized by law (e.g., LGBTQ couples, etc.). They aim to provide social recognition to those families and increase the number of companies and organizations that accept such certificates, thereby enabling them to receive family-oriented services. https://famiee.org/en/ Tokyo Council of Social Welfare An organization that aims to solve the challenges of living in a local community by leveraging the diversity of people in Tokyo. In this case, we are designating our donation towards their “International Youth Exchange Program” for third-year high school students from child welfare facilities and foster care in the Tokyo metropolitan area. https://www.tcsw.tvac.or.jp/ (Page only in Japanese.)   We are supporting these organizations with the hope that young people and children who will lead Japan and the world can escape their difficult situations as quickly as possible. D-POPS GROUP will continue to aim for business expansion to ensure ongoing social contributions.

The “Walking Together Hand-in-Hand with Children Foundation”, where our Chairman Sachio Semmoto serves as Chairman of the Board and our President & CEO Kazuhiro Goto serves as Secretary-General, hosted a social event. Approximately 60 people were in attendance, and all proceeds were donated to charity. Here are some pictures to show how it went: Opening statement from Chairman Sachio Semmoto Toast from former Minister for Foreign Affairs Yuriko Kawaguchi Social mixer Osamu Takada, Chairman of Kawasaki Children’s Psychological Care Center Kanade, presents on the current state of abuse in Japan Kazuhiro Goto, Secretary-General of Walking Together Hand-in-Hand with Children Foundation, gives a report on the organization’s activities thus far You can find out more information about our donations and ways to contribute by following the links below: ★Walking Together Hand-in-Hand with Children Foundation (ab-children.com) *From the above link, you can contribute via either credit card or bank transfer. ★Higashikawa Town's shareholder system for community development (higashikawa-town.jp) *From the above link, residents of Japan can contribute via the “Hometown Tax” system. Please designate your donation for「児童虐待防止に関する支援啓発事業」. D-POPS GROUP aims to realize a Venture Ecosystem while also raising awareness of contributing to the improvement of society. Moving forward, together with your feedback and cooperation, we hope our support will help children to feel even a little bit safer and happier. We also plan to organize events like this again in the future, making more opportunities for networking and learning about an altruistic spirit. We look forward to working together with you to make the world a better place.

D-POPS GROUP upholds the management philosophy of “aiming to be a company that can provide young people with opportunities and dreams.” In accordance with this, we are pleased to announce the establishment of the Walking Together Hand-in-Hand with Children Foundation, with D-POPS GROUP’s Chairman Sachio Semmoto appointed as Representative Director and our President & CEO Kazuhiro Goto appointed as Secretary General. [Purpose of Establishment] In modern society where problems such as abuse and domestic violence are becoming increasingly serious, support for children who have suffered is urgently needed. However, support from both government agencies and private organizations remains insufficient. Considering what we can do now, we have established the "Walking Together Hand-in-Hand with Children Foundation" to protect the safety and happiness of children. The foundation will engage in the following activities: 1. Support for Abused Children We will provide protection and support for children who have suffered from abuse and domestic violence. Primarily through financial assistance, we will help ensure safe living conditions and mental care for victims. 2. Social Implementation of Abuse Prevention and Self-Reliance for Abused Children We will strive to build social systems that prevent child abuse and help abused children adapt to society and lead good lives. 3. Awareness Activities We will promote awareness activities and provide information to society as a whole to work toward realizing a society free from abuse. The foundation pledges to do its utmost to prevent abuse and realize safety and happiness for children. We kindly ask for your support and cooperation. [Corporate Overview] Name: Walking Together Hand-in-Hand with Children Foundation Representative Director: Sachio Semmoto Established: March 2023 Location: 32F Shibuya Hikarie Building 2-21-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan 150-8510 (Inside the office of D-POPS GROUP Co., Ltd.) URL: https://ab-children.com/ [Publications] ● TV Asahi News Supporting Abused Children: KDDI Founder and Former Minister Establishes New Foundation https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/news_economy/articles/000323801.html (article is only in Japanese) ● Hokkaido Newspaper Corporation Established to Support Abused Children: KDDI Co-founder Sachio Semmoto Collaborates with Higashikawa Town, Collecting Donations Through Hometown Tax