@Toyota: New Commercial, Starring Mirika Otsuki, “Open mind. Envision the future.” Released Depicting Toyota Tsusho’s Diverse Businesses on a Canvas

Toyota Tsusho Corporation (“Toyota Tsusho”) announced today that it has released a new commercial on July 12 titled “Open mind. Envision the future.” The commercial features actress Mirika Otsuki painting Toyota Tsusho’s businesses into creation.

Toyota Tsusho reorganized into eight sales divisions^*1 in April 2024 and is developing diverse businesses that contribute to the creation of prosperous societies in approximately 130 countries around the world, focusing on its core businesses and seven priority domains^*2.

In 2023, Toyota Tsusho released a commercial starring Otsuki set at Ghibli Park, one of its official partners. The commercial depicts a young girl opening her mind in the great outdoors, along with Toyota Tsusho’s desire to “pass down a better global environment to the children of the future,” a sentiment that is cherished by the company.

The second commercial starring Otsuki depicts a new adventure story based on the theme of “the Africa business,” which has the No. 1 presence in Africa, and “the renewable energy business,” one of the largest in Japan.

It is set in the Toyota Tsusho Gallery where various paintings related to Toyota Tsusho are displayed, and tells the story of Otsuki who is painting with a serious expression. Before she knows it, she is drawn into a world of art and animation, setting foot in the sites of “Africa” and “Renewable Energy.”

The new commercial “Open mind. Envision the future.” will be aired on television on July 12, and digital signage advertisements will be displayed in the main areas of Tokyo Station, Shinagawa Station, Nagoya Station, and Osaka Station, as well as on the Yamanote Line, from July 15.

Toyota Tsusho will continue to convey to many people the important idea of “passing down a better global environment to the children of the future.”

*1　Eight sales divisions: Metal+(Plus), Circular Economy, Supply Chain, Mobility, Green Infrastructure, Digital Solutions, Lifestyle, Africa
*2　Seven priority domains: Next mobility, Renewable energy and energy management, Africa, Circular economy, Battery, Hydrogen and alternative fuel, Economy of life

Renewable Energy version TV Commercial	Africa version TV Commercial

■Scenes

■Graphics related to the commercial (three)

Toyota Tsusho Gallery scene	Africa scene
Renewable energy cut

■The set of filming

Filming took place at the solar power plant of Terrace Energy Corporation and at the wind power plant of Eurus Energy Holdings Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Tsusho.

・Solar power plant: Terrace Energy Hamamatsu Chukai Solar Park

Facing Lake Hamana, it is one of the largest solar power plants in Shizuoka Prefecture. It started operation on February 1, 2017, covers an area of approximately 53.1 ha, and has an output capacity of approximately 43.4 MW, which is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of approximately 15,000 average households.

・Wind power plant: Eurus Kawazu Wind Farm

Eurus Energy Holdings Group’s first wind farm in the Tokai region. Ten wind turbines stand near the summit of Mt. Misuji, located on the border between Higashiizu and Kawazu, with an output of 16.7 MW.

■”Africa” and “Renewable Energy” new commercial broadcast and posting

・TV commercial:
　Broadcast period: July 12 to 25, 2024
　Broadcast areas: Kanto, Kansai, and Tokai regions

・Digital signage advertisements:
　Posting period: July 15 to 21, 2024
　Stations and lines: Tokyo Station, Shinagawa Station, Nagoya Station, Osaka Station, and Yamanote Line

■Lead actress Mirika Otsuki

Her impressions of the finished commercial
I put all of my effort into filming, so I was really looking forward to seeing the finished commercial.
I was really impressed by everything. Even the smallest details were expressed perfectly, like the scenes linked with the animations, and the camera movements that made you feel like you could actually feel the wind.

The things that impressed her during filming
The scene where I run up a hill is the most memorable.
When I heard that I would be running up a hill in this one-piece dress, the first worry that crossed my mind was, “Will I fall down?”
To avoid falling, I lifted the bottom of my dress just before I started to run, and made sure not to lift my feet too high while running, and all of these things I tried to do are fun memories now!

On getting an offer following the first commercial
I never dreamed that I would be given the lead role in a commercial again after last year, since my career as an actress is still short.
I’m so happy that I can’t put it into words. The last shoot at Ghibli Park was so fun that I will remember it forever, but it was also an experience that will stay in my heart for the rest of my life.
I’d like to continue taking on various jobs so that people will remember me as, “the girl from the Toyota Tsusho commercial”!

■Mirika Otsuki’s profile

	Date of birth	December 22, 2010 (13 years old / 2nd grade of junior high school)
	Hometown	Sapporo City, Hokkaido
	Height	151cm
	Hobbies	Cooking, camping, illustration, reading
	Specialty	Kendama
	URL

■Advisor and supervisor: Tomohiko Ishii

Background: Film producer. Producer at Studio Ghibli, Production I.G, and others, currently working freelance.
Major works: “Spirited Away,” “The Boy and the Heron,” “The Sky Crawlers,” and many more.
Comment: All stories, from all times and places, begin with the protagonist crossing a “border.” I aimed for a commercial
that would allow the viewer to embark on a journey with the heroine through the border of art and animation to Toyota Tsusho’s worksites around the world.
I would be happy to continue helping depict the adventures that take place around Toyota Tsusho’s various businesses.

■Composer: Taisei Iwasaki

Background: Musician. Received numerous awards, including the Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Music.
Major works: Films “Belle,” “Moteki,” “Giant God Warrior Tokyo Appears,” anime “Blood Blockade Battlefront,” “SPRIGGAN,”
“Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan,” Netflix’s “First Love,” “The Naked Director” series, and many others.

Comment: Based on the century-old relationship between Toyota Tsusho and Africa, two stories of a girl and Toyota Tsusho come to fruition.
I thought I’d take the music on the same journey, so I added that essence to it. I hope that the music will guide viewers into the story.

Reference: Iwasaki composing

■Animator: Yoshiki Imazu

Background: Animation creator. After working at an advertising agency, graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of
Film and New Media with a major in animation, and then began working as a freelance artist.

Main works: Numerous music videos such as harha’s “Andersen,” Masashi Sada’s “Natsukashii Mirai,” and Southern All Stars’ “Tatakau Senshi Tachi e Ai wo Komete.”
Comment: In the commercial, the heroine’s painting comes to life as an animation. Animation has the power to transform imagination into real experience.
I hope you can feel excitement at the moment imagination springs forth into the world that unfolds in your mind.

The paintings created by Imazu expressing Toyota Tsusho’s business

Renewable Energy	Africa	Bell Peppers

Land Cruiser	Tuna	Basketball

Reference: commercial-related stories from the production staff

■Production

When producing the second commercial, we focused on the following three points:
① Genchi Genbutsu (On site, Hands on): the content must convey the reality of the site.
② Simple expression: Convey Toyota Tsusho’s business simply without relying on narration or dialogue.
③ Continuity with the first commercial: Depicting the girl opening her mind and starting to smile.

The story begins with the scene of a fictional gallery depicting various Toyota Tsusho businesses.
The themes were decided to be “the Africa Business” and “the Renewable Energy Business.” As lead actress Mirika Otsuki paints Toyota Tsusho businesses on the canvas,
a story is born in which she steps into the world of the paintings. The paintings in the gallery represent the diverse efforts of Toyota Tsusho, including the mobility business,
pepper production, tuna farming, and the operation of a professional basketball team. To give realism to the stories of stepping into the sites of Africa and the renewable energy business,
Otsuki, who wanders into the paintings, is animated as she crosses the border and enters the sites, creating a visual expression like a scene from a movie.
The animation was done by Yoshiki Imazu, and music was done by Taisei Iwasaki. This commercial that is unique to Toyota Tsusho expresses the values
that Toyota Tsusho cherishes through a fusion of live action, animation, and music.

■Filming
In the fictional Toyota Tsusho Gallery, the scene where Otsuki paints a picture and steps into the gallery was filmed in front of the actual painting.
Otsuki, who loves to create pictures, was filmed from various angles as she painted with a serious look. In the scene where she gets lost in the paintings,
Otsuki stepped into the world of animation and was filmed repeatedly jumping over the “boundary.”

In the episode where she wanders into Africa, Otsuki is shown connecting with the local people of Africa in a world like a movie.
The mother and daughter roles were played by Kezla (the girl) and Mila (the mother). The “Renewable Energy” episode was filmed in the magnificent natural surroundings
at the Toyota Tsusho Group’s wind power plant, Eurus Kawazu Wind Farm, in Shizuoka Prefecture. The day was clear with no clouds, and there was no wind in the morning,
which made us worry. However, in the afternoon, a miracle occurred when the wind started to blow only around the wind farm, and filming was completed without any problems.