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Mitsui to participate in British Education Sector Company QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited

Jun. 29, 2015


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Mitsui & Co., Ltd. ("Mitsui", Head Office: Tokyo, President & CEO: Tatsuo Yasunaga) has acquired an equity interest in the British company QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited ("QS") by purchasing existing shares and subscribing for new shares. The business activities of QS include foreign student recruitment and providing globalization consulting services to universities and business schools in around 70 countries worldwide.

Economic globalization and the resulting growth in demand for global human resources are prompting more and more students to turn to overseas study as a pathway to future career development. This trend is expected to bring continuing growth in the number of people studying overseas. In English-speaking countries, such the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, and also in the non-English-speaking world, including Japan and China, governments are actively supporting the recruitment of overseas students and university globalization.

QS is known for the QS World University Rankings, which are highly respected and are ranked first in the world in terms of website accesses by prospective international students. Other activities of QS include the recruitment of international students through over 300 recruiting fairs each year and its websites, and the provision of research-based globalization consulting services to over 1,200 universities and business schools in over 70 countries.

Mitsui has a history of promoting business activities focusing on human capital and is already engaged in the online education business in the United States and Brazil. In the United States, Mitsui is also participating in business involving the introduction and temporary placement of highly qualified professionals. We are committed to a continuing contribution to global productivity improvement and sustainable economic development through educational activities that provide people worldwide with excellent learning opportunities, and through human capital business and other activities that help to alleviate mismatching between the supply of and demand for highly qualified professionals.

Our decision to invest in QS is a reflection of this commitment. We will use our global business experience and overseas networks built up over many years to expand information resources and services for students, and for universities and business schools worldwide. We also aim to use our experience in the online education field to create new services. At the same time, through this business we will help to nurture the global human resources needed by the Japanese economy and society, while also contributing to university globalization.

Profile of QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited

Name of Company QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited
Head Office London, U.K.
Establishment November 30, 1990
Representative Nunzio Quacquarelli, Managing Director
Employees Approximately 200
Shareholders Mitsui: 25.0%, Nunzio Quacquarelli and others: 75.0%
Business Activities International student recruitment, research-based consulting and technology solutions supporting the globalization and performance improvement of universities and business schools

Notice:
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on Mitsui's current assumptions, expectations and beliefs in light of the information currently possessed by it and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause Mitsui's actual results, financial position or cash flows to be materially different from any future results, financial position or cash flows expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors referred to above include, but are not limited to, those contained in Mitsui's latest Annual Securities Report and Quarterly Securities Report, and Mitsui undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.
This announcement is published in order to publicly announce specific facts stated above, and does not constitute a solicitation of investments or any similar act inside or outside of Japan, regarding the shares, bonds or other securities issued by us.

Information

For inquiries on this matter, please contact

Mitsui & Co., Ltd.
Corporate Communications Division
Telephone: +81-80-5912-0321
Facsimile: +81-3-3285-9819
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