Public Relations Committee
Interview with Chairperson Tada
The highly specialized nature of the industry makes it difficult to convey its overall picture and contribution to society to the general public. The pharmaceutical industry faces such a challenge of being difficult to understand. The Public Relations Committee is charged with the important mission of overcoming this obstacle and promoting a proper understanding of the industry among a wide range of stakeholders, especially the young people who will carry the future, We interviewed Mr. Takeshi Tada, Chairman of the Public Relations Committee.
Spreading and deepening understanding of the industry and creating "co-creation"
Communicating the social significance of the pharmaceutical industry to the younger generation
Sowing the seeds for the future by approaching the younger generation and devising ways to disseminate information
The mission of the Public Relations Committee is to ensure that all stakeholders correctly understand and recognize what the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan (PMAJ) and the pharmaceutical industry are doing to contribute to society.
The biggest challenge is how to communicate the pharmaceutical industry in a way that is easy to understand, as it is difficult to grasp the overall picture due to the many technical terms used. In particular, it is a great challenge to communicate the social significance of the industry to the younger generation, who do not have much contact with medical care.
However, we believe that by overcoming this challenge and gaining a broad and deep understanding of the pharmaceutical industry, people will become aware that they should support the industry and that they may be able to contribute in some way. This awareness will lead to the development of human resources who will support the pharmaceutical industry in the future and to the revitalization of the industry.
To this end, we are working on the strategic dissemination of information through our two organizations: the Media Relations Subcommittee, which builds relationships with the media, and the Own Media Promotion Subcommittee, which is responsible for websites and social networking services.
As a specific initiative to raise awareness among young people, this year we renewed the "Drug Room - Kusurium," a hands-on exhibit at the Science Museum for elementary and junior high school students. For junior and senior high school students, we are undertaking a new initiative by holding a copywriting contest on the theme of "Innovative Pharmaceutical Industry. For university students, we are developing approaches tailored to each generation, such as distributing videos at job hunting events to convey the appeal of researchers' work.
Of course, we are also strengthening our efforts to disseminate information to a broader audience. The official X (formerly Twitter) account has more than 5,000 followers, and the friendly content, such as "#Miyabashira's own words" tweeted in the Chairman's own words, has been well received. We are also preparing to renew our newsletter, which used to be mainly text-based, with more readable content.
Whatever the type of information we disseminate, the most important thing for us is "facts and evidence. As we deal with information related to science, we must provide reliable, error-free information in easy-to-understand language. We hope to build trust that the information we receive from the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan (PMAJ) is reliable by continuing to communicate steadily and faithfully through all channels.
Creating "co-creation" and pioneering the future of the industry
Co-creation is essential to the realization of the "Industrial Vision 2035" set forth by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan. For us in the Public Relations Committee, co-creation means more than mere collaboration; it means "creating a new image of the pharmaceutical industry together" with the public and the media.
Co-creation begins within the industry. Recently, for the first time in the history of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan (PMAJ), the chairpersons and general managers of all committees met together. Through this dialogue, many new ideas were born, and I am convinced that if the committees work together, they can produce even greater results. We, the Public Relations Committee, will also promote this co-creation by becoming a hub for communicating each committee's activities to society in an easy-to-understand manner.
In addition, as the Chairman insists, in order to solve the challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry, we need to gain the understanding of the public and foster public opinion. Our role is not to communicate policy details. Our role is to communicate in simple language the essence of what the pharmaceutical industry is trying to do and how it relates to the lives of the public, and to create an opportunity for dialogue.
Fortunately, there are still many young people who aspire to work in the pharmaceutical industry. However, we cannot be optimistic, considering the declining birthrate in the future. That is why we need to communicate the excitement of the pharmaceutical industry and its impact on society to a wide range of people, from elementary school students to university students, in order to increase the number of people who are interested in the industry.
The Public Relations Committee currently has 69 members. We will continue to vigorously promote communication that will open up the future of the pharmaceutical industry by creating a culture in which each and every one of us can actively participate in activities with a sense of ownership.
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