Mitsui & Co. acknowledges companies can only be sustainable if the societies they operate in are sustainable. We want to fulfill our social responsibilities by the sustainable growth of our own company, in order to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society through our business activities.

Mitsui & Co. has been accurately identifying society’s expectations and societal issues through dialogue with various stakeholders, and enhancing our capabilities and functions to meet the expectations of society. Takashi Masuda, the first president of the former Mitsui & Co., stated, “Let not short term gains tempt your mind, seek only enduring prosperity by embracing grand aspirations”.
That commitment to stay focused on the future and pursue the sustainability of society and business has remained part of our heritage down to the present day. As a company engaged in business operations on a global scale, we believe that it is our mission to contribute to the creation of a sustainable society through our business activities.

In 2004, we made a declaration to the international community of our commitment to put these concepts into practice by signing and pledging our support for the UN Global Compact, a charter of voluntary principles for businesses and institutions concerning human rights, labor, the environment, and anti-corruption. We strive to implement the provisions of the Global Compact and are committed to stay focused on the future. In 2015, we identified five material issues which are relevant to all aspects of our business activities. Based on a medium- and long-term perspective, we assess potential risks and opportunities that arise from the influences brought by those identified five material issues. In 2017, we established the Sustainability Committee under the Corporate Management Committee with the aim of ensuring that these ideas are deeply reflected in the activities of Mitsui & Co. For the fiscal year ended March 2018, we held discussions mainly on climate change, covering a wide range of topics including the direction of Mitsui & Co.’s future initiatives and responses, risk management, and disclosure policies, and reported the results to the Corporate Management Committee and the Board of Directors.

We will continue to plan, formulate, and make proposals for advancing management more focused on the sustainability of society and Mitsui & Co.

Today, problems with the potential to threaten the sustainability of both the global environment and society are occurring on a global scale, causing heightened unpredictability and uncertainty in every field of activity. We are now in an era in which we must use various options to search for paths to the future. As manifested in the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement by the United Nations, corporations are expected to enhance corporate value and maintain a strong focus on long-term perspectives and social sustainability. Because of these changes, we believe that we need to sharpen the sensitivity of the antenna that we have developed, in order to fulfill our corporate mission of contributing to the creation of a sustainable society through our business activities.

Mitsui & Co. will contribute, through its wide-ranging global business activities, to solutions to global issues, such as economic and social development in various countries and regions and climate change. We will work to promote a better understanding of our business activities by informing the world about our strengths and vision, so that we can earn the trust of all our stakeholders, including our customers, business partners, and governments and local communities in the countries where we do business, as well as our investors.

While we continue to strive not only to fulfill our social responsibilities, we will drive our business with an increased focus on ESG (environmental, social and governance) aspects in line with our identified Materiality, and embody our corporate slogan, “360° business innovation.” By doing so, we will create outstanding business that benefits Japan and the world and enhances our corporate value, and contribute to the realization of a sustainable future where the aspirations of people can be fulfilled.

Satoshi Tanaka

Representative Director,
Executive Vice President