Panasonic decides to invest in UUUO, an enterprise that developed the "UUUO" fishery market connected by technology, through the Panasonic Kurashi Visionary Fund

Tokyo, Japan, April 4, 2025 – Panasonic Corporation (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Masahiro Shinada; hereinafter referred to as Panasonic) today announced that it has invested in UUUO, inc. (Head Office: Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima; CEO: Kazutomo Itakura; hereinafter referred to as UUUO), an enterprise that developed the UUUO fishery market connected by technology, through a corporate venture capital fund, commonly known as the Panasonic Kurashi Visionary Fund, jointly managed by Panasonic and SBI Investment Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, Chairman and President: Yoshitaka Kitao).

In response to the diversification in food distribution (e-commerce, direct sales by producers, etc.), in order to increase producers' income and effectively meet consumer needs, the Wholesale Market Act and the Act on Promoting the Improvement of Food Distribution Structure have been recently revised. This enabled intermediate wholesalers, who serve as intermediaries between wholesalers and retailers, to purchase food items directly from production areas and allowed markets to mutually fulfill each other's needs according to supply and demand conditions, accelerating the digital transformation (DX) of the food distribution market through improved operational efficiency and the emergence of new businesses.

Under the vision "Bringing the riches of the ocean to your hometown," UUUO has developed and provides the UUUO smartphone application, which allows shippers in production areas to trade fishery products directly with wholesalers, intermediate wholesalers, and retailers in the market anytime, anywhere, and with ease. UUUO users can specify their preferred fishery products from fishing harbors and markets throughout Japan. With over 100 wholesalers, intermediate wholesalers, and retailers registered, the application ensures a stable supply of fishery products that users wish to purchase without changing their business partners. The easy order system facilitates DX in purchasing operations, ensuring efficiency as well as the variety, quantity, and freshness of fishery products handled. UUUO continues to expand its services as a new fishery market connecting individual harbors and markets throughout Japan.

In the area of food infrastructure, Panasonic provides cooking appliances, along with a wide range of B2B cold chain products, mostly in Japan and the US, including commercial freezers and refrigerated showcases. With the aim of contributing to the cold chain industry by providing value to both producers and end consumers, the company will work to verify synergy effects in fresh fish distribution through this collaboration.
Panasonic aims to establish food infrastructure, where necessary food items are provided in the required quantities while maintaining freshness and palatability. It also strives to ensure the safety of people's daily diet, and create a sustainable society.

With a mission to contribute to the wellbeing of people, society, and the planet, Panasonic aims to be the best partner in supporting people's lives with human-centric technology and innovation. The company will continue to strengthen its open innovation initiatives through strong partnerships by investing in promising startups both in Japan and abroad that excel in areas closely related to people's lives, such as energy, food infrastructure, spatial infrastructure, and lifestyle.

With lifestyle changes and diversified diets, we are witnessing the evolving needs of consumers. In order to address the universal need to deliver good food, we aim to make contributions beyond the scope of the industry. Particularly in the environment surrounding fishery products, challenges have emerged, including a decline in fish catches, imbalanced market conditions, and unsold products due to suddenly worsened weather conditions. It is more crucial than ever, from both an environmental and economic perspective, to address these social issues and provide fresh, savory fishery products without waste. Through our investment in UUUO, we look forward to providing new value to producers and consumers, and developing a sustainable food value chain together.

By combining Panasonic Corporation's cold chain technology and solutions with our platform, we will achieve sustainable distribution in the fishing industry and accelerate business growth, further promoting our vision of "Bringing the riches of the ocean to your hometown." Taking this opportunity, we will strive to deliver value to more individuals involved in fishery product distribution and contribute to the fishing industry.