Starting January 1st, the Mitsukoshi Isetan Group will be featuring ballet dancer Yana O'Neill in a corporate advertisement. The group will promote the theme "This is Japan.", emphasizing "the courage to move toward the future while cherishing the fundamentals." "This is Japan." was established in 2015 as a corporate message, reaffirming the value of Japanese tradition, culture, and aesthetics, and deepening its efforts to provide this new value to customers. The company's product lineup, hospitality, and behavior utilize the five senses cultivated by Japan's four seasons in its corporate activities. The company's 2017 message is "Honest with the fundamentals, shining with trust. The important things never change." This message resonates with the world of ballet, where trusted directors and choreographers bring out the talents of dancers who hone their fundamentals every day, allowing their performance to shine. It embodies the company's desire to "improve ourselves and cherish trust with others." Born in Tokyo in 1993, O'Neill Hana began ballet at the age of three. She moved to New Zealand in 2001, enrolled at the Australian Ballet School in 2008, and became a full member of the Paris Opera after signing a season contract in 2013. She was promoted to Premiere Danseuse in 2016, and in May of the same year, at the age of 23, she won the Prix Benois, the ballet equivalent of the Academy Awards. The advertising visuals, created in collaboration with world-renowned choreographer Pierre Lacotte, feature her performing a piece themed around "Future Seasons" and "24 Solar Terms," expressing the courage to move forward toward the future and dreams. In an interview during the shoot, O'Neill Hana said, "I believe that daily effort leads to the future. It's important to make small daily efforts, and there are no shortcuts! I would be happy if the future I reach is filled with blue skies and beautiful light." The interview will be made public on Isetan Mitsukoshi's special website (http://this-is-japan.jp/).

In addition, starting on the first day of spring on February 4, 2017, the special website will be releasing dance pieces by O'Neill Yana and Pierre Lacotte that express the 24 solar terms, symbolizing the four seasons and "this is japan.", which will be released every two weeks alongside seasonal greetings from the 24 solar terms.