Tokyo, Japan - Sony Corporation ("Sony") and M3 Inc. ("M3") today announced the start of a collaboration to bring together the technologies and expertise of the two companies to support individuals engaged in medical efforts to treat the COVID-19 virus, and to assist patients fighting the disease.

Funding for this collaboration will be provided by the "Sony Global Relief Fund for COVID-19" announced by Sony on April 2, 2020, to help those engaged in frontline medical and first responder efforts, children who represent the future, and members of the creative community.

The collaboration intends to initially focus on the three areas below, prioritizing increased safety for frontline medical workers at medical facilities across Japan.

1. Provision of a diagnosis support service for suspected cases of COVID-19 based on chest CT scan images*, and development and dissemination of related AI-based image diagnosis solutions.
2. Free online lectures to share the latest knowledge and other key insight from doctors on the frontline of COVID-19 treatment to doctors and medical workers (up to a total of 20 lectures).
3. Development of solutions aimed towards reducing the burden on medical personnel involved in the treatment of the COVID-19 virus.

• *Imaging analysis is believed to be of important significance in COVID-19 diagnosis, together with clinical data such as PCR tests and other clinical examinations. This service enables chest CT scan images of suspected COVID-19 patients to be remotely diagnosed by expert radiologists.

Going forward, Sony and M3 will also seek to create new value in other areas within the medical field. Specifically, the Sony Startup Acceleration Program will be used to invite Sony employees to submit and launch proposals that address pressing medical issues. By developing businesses that bring together Sony's creativity and technology with M3's expertise and business development capabilities in the medical field, the two companies will seek to provide new experiences that support patients in their fight against illness, and bring light into their lives.

Kenichiro Yoshida, President and CEO, Sony Corporation, said, "By rapidly implementing initiatives that combine M3's deep knowledge and extensive networks in the medical field with Sony's technological capabilities, we aim to provide urgent support to those battling COVID-19 on the medical frontlines."

Itaru Tanimura, Representative Director, M3, Inc., said, "Through this collaboration, Sony and M3 will be able to bring unprecedented ideas to the medical community. Our first priority will be the rapid development of contributive measures to the fight against COVID-19."