No.9320   2005. 12. 26

Suntory Developing “Forest of Natural Water”
in Akagi, Gunma Prefecture

Suntory Limited has enlisted in the Forestry Agency's “Corporate Forest” program and will formally conclude the participation agreement with the Kanto Regional Forest Office on Monday, December 26. Henceforth, Suntory will work to maintain and cultivate a water resource forest, which will be known as the Suntory “Forest of Natural Water Akagi.”

The Suntory “Forest of Natural Water” project creates partnerships with local communities to cultivate functioning water resource forests and to build forests that protect ecosystems and put people in touch with nature. Suntory started water resource cultivation projects in 2003 on 102 hectares of national forest around Minami-Aso Gairinzan in Kumamoto Prefecture, and has since expanded this work to seven locations around Japan. In Gunma Prefecture, home of Suntory's Tonegawa Brewery and Haruna Plant, Suntory in 2004 inaugurated a “Forest of Natural Water” on about five hectares of national forest around Mt. Komochi in Kita Gunma County, Gunma Prefecture, where it has been working to preserve the water source and promote tree planting.

Under the new agreement, as part of its “Forest of Natural Water” project, Suntory has pledged to maintain and cultivate a water resource forest on national forest land at Mt. Akagi (Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture), source of water for Suntory's Tonegawa Brewery. Suntory's plans also call for forest conservation activities by Suntory employees at this site.