FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2005

MOTOKAZU YOSHIDA APPOINTED PRESIDENT & CEO OF MITSUI USA

New York, NY, April 1, 2005 - Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. announced today that Motokazu Yoshida has been appointed Chairman for the Americas and President & Chief Executive Officer of Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc., succeeding Hiroshi Tada, who is returning to Japan. Mr. Yoshida will begin in his new role later this month. He will also serve as an Executive Managing Officer of Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Mitsui USA's parent company in Tokyo.

Mr. Yoshida is a graduate of Hitotsubashi University with a degree in Commerce, and completed Harvard Business School's AMP (Advanced Management Program). Mr. Yoshida joined Mitsui & Co. in 1971 and has since built his career mainly in the Company's motor vehicles business area, which makes up a significant portion of the Company's trade and investment activities globally. Prior to his current appointment, he served, since April 2003, as an Executive Managing Officer & the Chief Operating Officer of Mitsui's Motor Vehicles, Marine and Aerospace Business Unit, which was renamed the Machinery Business Unit in April 2004.

Mr. Yoshida was previously assigned twice in the U.K.: first as Mitsui's U.K. trainee (1973-75) and later as the Managing Director of Mitsui Machinery Sales (UK) Ltd., a Mitsui - Yamaha joint venture (1983-89).

In New York, Mr. Yoshida will assume various civic leadership roles at organizations including The Nippon Club, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Japan Society, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, among others.

Mr. Tada, who successfully pursued Mitsui USA's record achievements in business and corporate citizenship during his two-year tenure, will become an Executive Director and a Senior Executive Managing Officer at Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Tokyo.

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Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. (Mitsui USA), incorporated in 1966 in New York, is a leading international trading house with an extensive global network. Headquartered in New York City, it has 10 local offices and over 200 subsidiaries and affiliated companies across the U.S. Beyond traditional trading, the Company's newer emphasis is on project development, investment and innovative services capabilities. Aspiring to be "Your Global Business Partner®," Mitsui USA endeavors to solve problems and create value now and for tomorrow.

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