FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 20, 2005

MITSUI USA: SHAPING TOMORROW’S LEADERS FOR 25 YEARS

Sponsored by The Mitsui USA Foundation, which offers "Summer in Japan Scholarships" to stay with host-families through Youth For Understanding (YFU) USA, seven American teenagers departed yesterday from California bound for Japan. Known as "YFU / Mitsui USA ‘Student Ambassadors’ to Japan," two of these recipients are employees’ daughters and five are community students from locations where Mitsui USA does business. They are among the 296 teenagers selected for this summer’s YFU international exchange to Japan.

Begun in 1981, this summer’s exchange marks the 25th year of Mitsui USA sponsorship of employees’ children, and the 17th year of U.S. community students’ sponsorships, a total of 127 recipients to date.

Across the USA, dependent high school age children of employees of Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. (Mitsui USA) and its qualified subsidiaries are encouraged to apply for this "once in a lifetime" opportunity. These young adults only need to have the initiative to experience complete immersion into another culture through day-to-day life in Japan and their involvement in all aspects of family and social life as they become part of an extended host family, and part of the Mitsui family.

"Summer in Japan Scholarships" run approximately from late June through early August, with recipients matched by YFU Japan with the most appropriate host families, often with same-age host siblings. Typically, recipients, about 90 percent, attend school for part of their summer in Japan.

A mother’s words of endorsement to Mitsui USA, "Thank you again for the wonderful exchange student opportunity... my son gained a wonderful spirit of independence and learned about honor and responsibility from his host-parents in Japan... (who) took him in as a son, went with him everywhere and taught him... this type of ‘mentoring’... you have helped him realize his dream..."

This summer, the seven "YFU / Mitsui USA ‘Student Ambassadors’ to Japan" are from New York, New Jersey, Michigan and Texas.

They are:

Ms. Kay M. Beach of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, NJ, the daughter of Mr. Ken Beach of Mitsui USA Chemicals Division, NY

Ms. Camila Dodik of The Bronx High School of Science, NY

Ms. Laura Perry of Clarkston High School, MI

Mr. Jose M. Pulido of Townsend Harris High School, Queens, NY

Ms. Krystal Smart-Austin of Lake Orion High School, MI, the daughter of Mr. Jeff Smart of Mitsui Plastics, Inc., MI (co-sponsored by Mitsui Plastics and Mitsui USA Foundation)

Ms. Samantha Treadway of Westside High School, TX

Ms. Jane Wu of H.F. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, Manhattan, NY

YFU was established in 1951 and has since arranged exchanges for more than 210,000 teenagers globally. In 2005, YFU USA will arrange for 589 American teenagersEhost-family visits to 37 countries, and will place 2,000 teenagers from 51 countries with families across the USA. (YFU carefully reviews all applicants for the appropriate maturity level to succeed in an international exchange.)

For summer 2006, the "YFU / Mitsui USA ‘Student Ambassadors’ to Japan" Program will be open to Mitsui USA employees’ children nationwide, and to public school students enrolled in Japanese Language classes in the areas of: New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, San Francisco, and Tennessee. Applications will be available in fall 2005 from YFU USA at www.yfu.org.

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