Management Philosophy (MVV)
Origins of the “Mitsui is People” Reputation
Takashi Masuda—the first president of the former Mitsui & Co.
Our Mission, as defined in the management philosophy (MVV) of Mitsui, is to “build brighter futures, everywhere.” We are working to create value throughout the world by providing cross-industry solutions to today’s increasingly globalized and complex social issues. This philosophy, which dates back to the founding of the former Mitsui & Co. in the prewar era, continues to guide Mitsui & Co.’s activities today. *
Takashi Masuda, the first president of the former Mitsui & Co., was chosen to travel to France in the 19th century as a member of the overseas delegation organized by the Edo Shogunate government. During that trip, he was alarmed to learn how far Japan had fallen behind other countries. Masuda, together with Rizaemon Minomura, the head clerk of Mitsui-gumi, and Kaoru Inoue, a highly influential figure in late 19th century Japan, resolved to launch the former Mitsui & Co.
Mitsui is a venture company. The “& Co.” part in its name means “company” in the sense of colleagues or comrades. Diverse colleagues work together in a free and open-minded environment, in a spirit of “Challenge & Innovation,” and achieve growth as individuals and thrive in the positions that best match their talents. This represents what Mitsui fundamentally is, and it is the reason why we have come to be known for the phrase “Mitsui is people.”
Masuda said, “It all starts with people.” Successive generations of Mitsui leaders also spoke about the importance of people and actively developed and implemented human resources strategies. This philosophy has been handed down to the present day and is engrained in Mitsui employees as their corporate DNA.
The Human Resources philosophy expressed in the words of our predecessors
“People make business, business cultivates people.”
“A business is its people. To build for the future, it must develop its people today.”
“Mitsui develops its people. They are our most important asset.”
* From a legal perspective, there is no continuity between the former Mitsui and the present Mitsui, and they are totally separate entities.
Mitsui & Co.’s management philosophy
Management Philosophy (MVV) and Global Code of Conduct
For decades, Mitsui has worked to fulfill its mission to help society through the continual creation of value. To that end, we have connected people, goods, business, information, ideas, and technologies in every business area, country, and region, in order to create new business and value and contribute to the sustainable development of society. Our management philosophy, or MVV, encapsulates our firm commitment to the lofty aspiration of continuing to create the value that society needs, as well as our strong determination to work sincerely to solve the issues at hand.
Even in these times of escalating uncertainty, accelerating change, and increasingly sophisticated technological tools, such as the internet and artificial intelligence (AI), we place a high value on the business frontlines, real-person networks, and genuine human senses. We also assign a certain degree of decision-making discretion to the leaders of business segments and sites. This organizational management with a high level of freedom is rooted in our commitment to people that has been passed down over the generations since the company’s founding. While we expect our employees to engage in business as disciplined and autonomous professionals, we are committed to providing an inclusive environment in which diversity is respected and individuals can demonstrate their abilities to the full.
In 2020 we updated the MVV to define the direction for Mitsui and its employees as the shared values behind the spirit of “Challenge & Innovation.” We also formulated Mitsui Leadership in Action (MLA), 12 core behaviors that embody those values. We utilize this program worldwide, which is rooted in the MVV, in the process of recruitment, training, evaluation, and appointment decisions. We share and practice the MLA on a global group basis to encourage every individual employee to take ownership of our efforts to realize our management philosophy.
