Tokyo, Japan, February 18, 2003 Minoru Mori, President and CEO of Mori Building Co., Ltd., was invested an Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE), one of the most prestigious honors given by the Queen of England, in a ceremony held today at the Official Residence of the British Ambassador, Sir Stephen Gomersall. The award was granted in recognition of his contribution to the promotion of cultural exchanges between Japan and the United Kingdom.

Mori has established close professional relationships with major art societies of the United Kingdom, including the Tate Gallery and the Royal Academy of Arts. In 2000 he opened the Mori Gallery in the Tate Modern, Britain's new national museum of modern art.
On April 25, Mori Building Co., Ltd. is scheduled to open the Roppongi Hills complex in central Tokyo, one of the largest urban redevelopment projects ever undertaken in Japan. The centerpiece of Roppongi Hills will be the Mori Art Museum, a core facility of the Mori Arts Center. David Elliott, a distinguished British curator, has been appointed as its director, and its International Advisory Committee include Director of the Tate Gallery and Exhibitions Secretary of the Royal Academy of Arts. The Mori Art Museum is scheduled to open in October 2003.

Minoru Mori is actively rebuilding central Tokyo to make it a compelling global destination for the world's leaders and a more enjoyable, vibrant living space for the Japanese. "My aim is globalization not in the sense of incorporating what's foreign, but in the sense of welcoming people from abroad," said Mori. "This approach is finally beginning to be realized. People are coming to recognize that Japan is not just a place you travel to, but a place in which you are welcome."