FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2004

Mitsui Plastics and Mitsui USA Co-Sponsor Employee's Child's YFU Scholarship to Japan

Across the nation, U.S. teenagers travel on June 17 to San Jose State University in California for a three-day cultural orientation before their departure on June 20 to Japan. Among them is Brian, son of Mitsui Plastics, Inc. (MPI) employee, Venus Fournillier, of Atlanta, GA. Brian is continuing a Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. (Mitsui USA) tradition begun in 1981 with a partnership between Youth For Understanding USA (YFU) and Mitsui USA for America teenagers' summer host-family-visit scholarships to Japan for about seven weeks as "Student Ambassadors."

Prompted by a strong desire for the first-hand experience of a culture different than their own, eight Mitsui USA/YFU sponsored teenagers for summer 2004 include: six community students, or four from New York City (one each of The Bronx High School of Science, the F.H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, the High School for Environmental Studies, and Stuyvesant High School), one from Houston of Memorial Senior High School, one from San Francisco of Lowell High School; and two employees' children, a Mitsui USA Nashville employee daughter and a Mitsui Plastics' son, Brian.

Through a co-sponsorship of Brian's scholarship to Japan, MPI is also continuing a tradition, one that was begun in order to expand the Mitsui USA/YFU "Student Ambassadors" to Japan opportunity. The Mitsui USA Foundation, the charitable arm of Mitsui USA, is able to support up to eight recipients each year including Mitsui USA employee children and public school students enrolled in Japanese language studies from local communities where Mitsui USA offices are located. Additionally, since 1997, employee children of Mitsui USA's consolidated subsidiaries can also be supported when co-sponsored 50/50 by the employee parent's employer and Mitsui USA Foundation.

As MPI President A. Shiobara remarked, "This is a wonderful opportunity for an employee's child to experience everything Japanese and for our company to join efforts with Mitsui USA Foundation to provide an opportunity of a lifetime. I'm very pleased MPI is able to co-sponsor Ms. Fournillier's son, Brian."

Including summer 2004, Mitsui USA with YFU USA and YFU Japan has supported 120 America teenagers: 71 public school students studying Japanese (53 from New York City, 4 from Atlanta, 5 from Detroit, 5 from Houston, and 4 from San Francisco), 43 children of Mitsui USA employees, and 6 children of Mitsui USA's consolidated companies (Mitsui Comtek Corp.; Mitsui Plastics, Inc.; and Portac, Inc.). Applications to apply for summer 2005 will be available from YFU USA in fall 2004.

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Mitsui Plastics, Inc.

Mitsui Plastics, Inc. (MPI), established in 1988 as a subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Tokyo and Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc., NY, has since expanded its plastics distribution business domestically in North America and globally by importing and exporting, from and to, Japan, Latin America, and other countries. The company's mission is to contribute and support customers and vendors with quality products and value-added services including logistics, credit risk management, and sophisticated Supply Chain Management systems. Headquartered in White Plains, NY, MPI's other locations include Atlanta, Houston, Detroit, and Los Angeles.

Youth For Understanding USA

Youth For Understanding (YFU) is one of the world's oldest and largest international exchange programs, conducting exchanges in one year of approximately 6,000 students with more than 50 countries. For summer 2004, YFU USA with YFU Japan together arranged for 294 U.S. teenagers to visit host families in Japan. The YFU Host-Family Program offers families the opportunity to learn and grow by welcoming students from abroad into their homes for a semester or year. Since 1951, YFU offices around the world have exchanged approximately 200,000 students.

Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc.

Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Japan, one of the largest diversified trading, investment and service enterprises in the world, maintains 11 offices with nearly 400 employees, and operates more than 90 consolidated subsidiaries in various industries across the U.S. It is consistently among the leading U.S. exporters, and positively contributes to the U.S. trade balance.

Mitsui & Co., Ltd.

Mitsui & Co., Ltd. is a general trading company that maintains a global network of 195 offices in 86 countries, and has 746 subsidiaries and associated companies worldwide. In fiscal year 2003, with total trade transactions of $112,175 million, the company ranked 11th in "The Global 500" by Fortune magazine.

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