At the end of April 2011, "K" Line announced its newly-reformed medium-term management plan entitled "K" LINE Vision 100 - New Challenges. Following the collapse of Lehman Brothers, "K" Line was confronted with a global economic recession, so "K" Line implemented emergency measures and responded to the drastically altered business environment by announcing the "K" Line Vision 100 KV2010 in January 2010. Since then, the global economy has gradually recovered and "K" Line's financial performance, in particular the containership business, rapidly recovered. As a result, "K" Line was able to achieve the initial targets set under the KV2010 plan - returning to profitability in fiscal year 2010 and resuming the payment of dividends - ahead of schedule.

The new management plan is an extension of earlier plans and adopts the title "New Challenges" to promote strategic investment in new growth areas in order to respond rapidly to changes in market structures and the growth of countries with emerging economies. Its objectives are to establish a stable earnings base and reinforce the Group's financial position by making a qualitative transition away from across-the-board expansion.

Marine transport volumes increased rapidly after 2003 in conjunction with the brisk economic growth in countries such as China and India, and ocean transportation by all ship types enjoyed growth as a direct result of this market expansion. However, with the occurrence of the once-in-a-century financial crisis, marine cargo movements and marine transport markets entered an adjustment phase. Japan's recent earthquake disaster, which far exceeded expectations, and a number of other pressing problems including the high value of the yen, rising fuel oil prices caused by persistent high crude oil prices, and rampant piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean have increased various risks, and addressing these changes is a new issue for management. The current business environment is by no means good, but shipping capacity demand is likely to increase in the future supported by gradual economic recovery in developed countries and strong growth in those countries where their economies are still emerging over the medium to long term. By monitoring these changes carefully and responding appropriately with a sense of urgency, "K" Line can strengthen its business foundation even further. Throughout the history of the "K" Line Group, "K" Line has been able to overcome numerous problems and make steady progress by directly confronting difficult issues and working together. It is precisely by viewing these adverse circumstances as positive opportunities and drawing on the "K" Line Group tradition of enterprise to tackle new challenges that "K" Line can make substantial advances as the Company moves toward its 100th anniversary.