In order to strengthen our human resource infrastructure that supports project formation and business development based on local knowledge, Mitsui & Co. Group is working to empower employees hired at Overseas offices to fully exert their capabilities by introducing the Bloom global talent management system, and by providing OJT and OFF-JT opportunities. Meanwhile, there is also an increase in the importance of urgently addressing issues arising from changing social conditions and increasingly complex local issues, and we are focusing on training leaders who are capable of driving innovation in various regions.

In addition to the implementation of programs targeting selected employees on a global basis, our efforts to train next-generation business leaders to manage Mitsui & Co. Group also include initiatives that contribute both to the improvement of the organizational capabilities of diverse human resources, and also to the achievement of business results, such as promotion of people with experience of transfers between overseas businesses sites, including affiliated companies, to line manager positions. We will continue to develop and promote people on a global basis.

Regionally Hired Staff Percentage of Line Manager at Overseas Offices

Employees from various locations worldwide are selected to participate in our Change Leader Program, the purpose of which is to develop leaders who will actively drive change. Participants have opportunities for direct dialogue with Mitsui ’s management team and to engage in intensive discussions about leadership and other themes. They are then assigned to challenging tasks one level above their present positions. After the completion of the program, participants receive long-term support for their activities, including regular meetings with mentors and follow-up sessions organized by the Human Resources & General Affairs Division.

The percentage of management positions held by female employees in Overseas offices is approximately the global average of 40%. However, the ratio for Mitsui itself is still only 10%, in part because of the long tradition of Japanese-style employment systems. We have set a target of 20% by FY March 2031, and are forgoing ahead with further initiatives. The improvement of gender diversity will be a top priority as we work to enhance our corporate competitiveness. We are therefore stepping up our efforts to create working environments in which female employees can reach their full potential.

Data of Diversity

Our initiatives to develop next-generation female leaders include a training program designed to empower women through dialogue with senior managers and other activities. After completing this program, participants are encouraged to build a perception of themselves as next-generation leaders and contribute to the creation of new value through regular meetings with mentors.

This program prepares female line managers to take on senior leadership roles, such as the position of divisional general manager. Members of the Executive Committee sponsor participants in the program and help them to broaden their opportunities for success by providing them with career advice and coaching. The program leads to challenging assignments at one level above participants’ current positions.

Female employees who will be accompanied by children when taking up overseas assignments participate in individual interviews. They also receive advice from employees who have experienced caring for children while working overseas. In addition, both female and male employees who move overseas without their spouses but accompanied by children at elementary school age or below receive various types of support, including subsidies for daycare and babysitting expenses in the countries concerned. Through these systems, we have created a supportive environment for employees working overseas.

Number of Female Employees Dispatched Overseas

Social assessments of our efforts to promote female empowerment have been very positive. Mitsui has received Eruboshi (L Star) certification. Click here for detailed information.

Mitsui & Co. Group believes that society as a whole is negatively impacted when people are denied opportunities for success on the basis of disabilities. That is why we are working to empower people with disabilities. We will continue to expand employment opportunities within Mitsui & Co. Group with the aim of creating an environment in which everyone enjoys work, fully exerts their capabilities, and achieves their full potential as individuals, regardless of disabilities.

Mitsui is working with Mitsui & Co. Business Partners, which was established in 1981, to expand job opportunities and improve job quality for people with various disabilities, as part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion and the fulfillment of our social responsibilities. Our efforts to promote employment for people with disabilities in Mitsui & Co. Group include an annual information-sharing and discussion event for human resource managers in domestic affiliated companies, as well as seminars and information exchange events on initiatives by various companies.

<Percentage of employees with disabilities (link to data book)>

In addition to the Business Conduct Guidelines for Employees and Officers formulated by individual group companies, Mitsui & Co. Group has also established the Mitsui & Co. Group Conduct Guidelines—With Integrity, which apply to all group companies. These guidelines specifically state that Mitsui & Co. Group will never tolerate the negation of a person’s individuality or diversity or any other form of discrimination, harassment, or any similar behavior that goes against the spirit of open-mindedness, which is a core element of our corporate culture. Our aim is to create working environments where every employee can thrive regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

We implement initiatives to raise employees’ awareness, such as publication of a handbook compiled using expert advice, which has been posted on the company intranet, and holding of sessions to discuss situations in relation to LGBTQ, as part of our A&I promotion activities. Circumstances surrounding LGBTQ are also covered in other educational activities, such as training prior to overseas transfers. While taking into account situations and laws and regulations in each country, we are providing employees with opportunities to think about mutual consideration when working with people who have different value systems.

We have introduced the same-sex partnership system, which treats same-sex partners in the same manner as spouses. We promote the encouragement of career choices desired by employees in terms of internal systems, such as those related to moving into company housing with a same-sex partner or the accompaniment of a partner on domestic transfers.

We have established a contact point for consultation about LGBTQ-related matters and concerns. We have in place an external contact point in addition to the in-house one in order to create an advice system that is more considerate of people's privacy. We are also improving our facilities, including the provision of multi-purpose restrooms in the Head Office building and other branches.

<Mitsui & Co. Group Conduct Guidelines—With Integrity>

<Mitsui & Co. Business Conduct Guidelines for Employees and Officers>

Global economic development has contributed to increased longevity by supporting healthier and safer lifestyles, and we are entering an era of 100-year life spans. While complying with and considering labor laws and practices in every country, Mitsui & Co. Group is developing working environments in which senior employees can continue to make use of their experience, knowledge, and skills despite their advancing years.

Mitsui has established a unit within the Human Resources & General Affairs Div. to support its senior employees. It provides training programs and holds individual interviews to help employees age 50 or over to play a more active role and develop their careers independently.

Senior employees have various opportunities to consider a wide range of career options as they approach retirement age. In addition to interviews with HR staff, they can also attend seminars about public and corporate systems relating to retirement benefits, pension, support for retirees, and contract reemployment. In addition, they participate in group discussions that help them to identify their values, strengths, and weaknesses and explore workstyle options through career design training.

We also support senior employees who wish to find new employment outside of Mitsui through an individualized support system that allows them to improve their skills and abilities and select a new employer.

This system allows employees to continue working for a maximum of five years after retirement, and to use knowledge and networks developed during their active years in various workplaces, including affiliated companies and overseas offices.

We will be unable to achieve enhanced inclusivity on a global group basis unless individual employees have a profound understanding of the importance of inclusion. Mitsui & Co. Group is working to raise awareness of diversity and inclusion (D&I) issues through initiatives to encourage individual employees to take action toward inclusion, including regular employee participation events, seminars, and information sharing sessions hosted by employee volunteers.

“Thrive on diversity” is one of the values enshrined in our Mission, Vision, and Values (MVV), which we updated in 2020. This is reflected in our initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion.

We run MVV + D&I Month events in the belief that the level of inclusivity in Mitsui & Co. Group will be determined by the cumulative effects of lively cross-organizational dialogue and employee participation activities. In addition to discussions between officers and employees and team meetings within each organization, we also run online workshops. These activities give employees opportunities to review the MVV and reflect them in their own actions.

“D&I ambassadors” are employee volunteers who have a particular interest in D&I-related themes, such as unconscious bias, LGBTQ issues, International Women's Day, and inclusion from the perspective of people with disabilities. The ambassadors engage in activities through which they and other employees can learn and think about these issues. The purpose of these initiatives is to foster awareness of inclusion through employee-driven activities, such as the sharing of information, and case studies from other companies.