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STEVE BALLMER: Well, thank you very much. It's very much a privilege to have a chance to join many of Japan's most thoughtful leaders from business, from government, from academia, and from the media.
I want to thank Nikkei Newspaper for inviting me here today, and to have the opportunity to discuss the role of technology in Japan's reconstruction.
I'll begin by expressing my deep sympathy to the people of Japan who were affected by the earthquake and the tsunami in March. The scale of what happened here, the extent of the devastation is truly beyond words. I think it is inspiring to hear how Japan has united in these very difficult times to move forward.
Certainly on behalf of Microsoft, I want you to know what while you were standing strong together, you do not stand alone. Our company is fully committed to assisting Japan in any way we can, and to the companies and individuals in this room, as the recovery efforts move forward in this long term process of rebuilding.
We see Japan as an important and longstanding friend and a vibrant part of the world's marketplace. Microsoft has been in business here for 25 years, and we have today more than 2,500 employees in Japan.
Nihon Microsoft was our first country subsidiary outside the United States, and today, it is our largest, other than the United States.
We also have more than 8,000 companies, individual companies who are business partners of Microsoft's here in Japan, spanning every field of technology, communications, entertainment, and more.
And while it's certainly been painful to see the impact of the earthquake on our customers and our colleagues and our friends, we are hopeful about what we can do together to support Japan's forward progress.
Microsoft's commitment to Japan in the wake of the earthquake has included both financial and technical support. Initially, we provided a small $2 million donation to the relief efforts in both cash and in-kind contributions, and we are matching every dollar that our employees not only here in Japan but around the world are donating to the Japanese relief efforts.
We also offer free technical support and free temporary software licenses to an array of the customers and partners and organizations that have been involved in the response and relief efforts.
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