Since 2007, Mitsui & Co. has hosted Mitsui-endowed lecture annually at Saint Petersburg State University, a prestigious university in Russia whose alumni have included many prominent politicians and academics since its founding in the early 18th century. This program invites lecturers from many fields, including business, politics, education, and sports. They speak at the university on the subject of "innovation", drawing from their own unique experiences, knowledge, and philosophies, and convey to their youthful student audiences the importance of embracing dreams and aspirations. In 2015, an agreement was concluded with the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, providing the opportunity to extend the program to Moscow. In addition to the lecture courses, we also operate study tours to Japan for students of the two universities. Through the program, we aim to develop human resources with a deeper understanding of Japanese society and its culture, and to inspire the students to help build amicable relations between Japan and Russia and to facilitate greater interaction between the two nations.