Since 1981, Mitsui USA has sponsored employees' children's (U.S. high school students) summer visits to host-families in Japan (from late June through early August) through YFU USA for a complete immersion in all day-to-day aspects of Japanese family and social life.

In 1988 the program was expanded to include public school students enrolled in Japanese language classes in the boroughs of New York City, and further expanded in 1999 to Atlanta and Houston, in 2000 to Detroit, in 2001 to San Francisco, and in 2004 to Tennessee, areas where Mitsui USA does business.