The following "New Year Message 2025" was addressed to all officers and employees by President Kenichi Hori.

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Happy New Year! I would like to extend my greetings to all of you.

Reflecting on 2024

Looking back on the year before, I feel that global uncertainty has increased due to unpredictable events including regional conflicts and political events in many parts of the world.

I visited as many operations and offices as I could around the world, and I was greatly encouraged to see you working hard to establish trust with our customers and partners. Such trust bore fruit, and we celebrated the launch of several key businesses and initiatives in 2024.

Looking ahead to 2025

Given the unpredictability of the business landscape, we will maintain a high level of awareness and continue to pursue our elevated risk management practices. For Mitsui, the year 2025 represents the fulfillment of our current Medium-term Management Plan. It will be a year in which we achieve the goals set out in the Plan and create momentum to take powerful strides towards the next stage. As we head into the new year, I wish to share some of my thoughts with you.

The first is our commitment to address global agendas through our businesses. While traveling to our offices around the world, I once again reflected on the various roles and functions Mitsui can provide in developing real, meaningful solutions. The essence is to think through how we can transform our current business offerings to align with the aspiring, future business vision that we aim for. Over the years, Mitsui has evolved its business model with the imaginative wisdom and creativity of each employee, identifying the agendas that emerge with the changing times and environments, and generating industrial solutions by utilizing our flexibility and network. By capitalizing on our distinctive capability, we will contribute to the global community by building sustainable businesses that will help solve worldwide business agendas.

Second, I would like to touch on how we can develop our own, unique version of innovation. I have witnessed our innovations arising from exploration of the ideal combination of a broad array of options that Mitsui has as an institution. These options include not only those found in the business fields and regions where we have a competitive edge, but also in new technologies, advanced business models, flexible business timelines, various entry models, and risk-return management. Thanks to your continuous efforts, barriers between units and regions have never been lower and we see a free-flowing exchange of ideas throughout the organization. We will explore various options at our disposal to find seeds for new businesses, nurture them effectively, and pave a new path forward. This is how we will take on Challenges and Innovation for the future. Constantly providing unique solutions to customers and partners will enhance our presence as the "partner of choice".

Thirdly, I would like to look ahead to Mitsui's future beyond the current Medium-term Management Plan. In order to achieve our envisioned growth, we will strengthen our existing businesses and develop new ones that will become the next business pillars to anchor the company's growth. With the solid foundation built under the three strategic initiatives of the Medium-term Management Plan: Industrial Business Solutions; Global Energy Transition; and Wellness Ecosystem Creation^*1, each one of us shall now take on a leading role or a strong supporting role to create a dynamic future for Mitsui with its evolving business portfolio. As a trusted member of the global business community, let's fulfill our roles, constantly reflect on our performance and keep refining our capabilities. Also, in these times of uncertainty, I believe it is important to embrace our core strengths once again and provide additional value to our customers by dynamically utilizing our extensive coverage of industries and regions. With thorough preparation, we will be able to see a clear path towards the future.

In Closing – Thriving Mitsui Professionals Worldwide

Mitsui is supported by the diligence and achievements of our worldwide employees. I would like to ask all of you to make full use of the global matrix structure and continue to exchange opinions, insights and know-how openly, and aim to think out of the box and provide inspiration to one another. Our new global talent management system^*2 will be fully online very soon. Let's share our unique experiences and knowledge with colleagues more effectively, broaden our horizons, and enhance our key capabilities of developing effective and practical business proposals. I look forward to seeing the diverse professionals of the entire Mitsui group grow and excel in 2025. Let's create the future of our company!

In closing, I wish all of you and your families a healthy and happy 2025.

*1 The three strategic initiatives of the Medium-term Management Plan:
⋅ Industrial Business Solutions: Developing solutions for stable supply of resources, materials, food, etc., essential for the development of society; and mobility, basic and digital infrastructure, which supports various industries
⋅ Global Energy Transition: Providing real solutions through businesses, aiming for stable energy supply and addressing climate change
⋅ Wellness Ecosystem Creation: Building a wellness eco-system to contribute to a global supply of wholesome food options and provide quality healthcare options.

*2 Global talent management system:
A global data platform, a framework of human resource management and performance evaluation as well as understanding individual's talent