Mitsui has been providing scholarships since 2009. The purpose of this program is to provide educational opportunities to children who would otherwise be unable to continue their studies due to economic reasons, and to help Brazilian children to participate more actively in Japanese society by their Japanese language education. By the fiscal year ended March 2024, a cumulative total of 5,455 children received scholarships. In 2023, a total of 325 of these children started taking the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), and 141 passed.

As part of the scholarship program, we also work with NPO AIDENSHA and NPO-ABT Associação Brasileira de Toyohashi to provide career education seminars for students and their parents at Brazilian schools in Japan, with the aim of helping students consider higher education and autonomously develop their careers. At the seminars, we provide information about higher education and work opportunities after high school graduation, introduce vocational schools, and showcase the stories of senior students who graduated from Brazilian schools in Japan as models for career development, thereby providing students with opportunities to think seriously about their future career path.

We also offer an online program to prepare students of Brazilian schools in Japan for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) (using a test preparation app), in collaboration with NPO Service for the Assistance of Brazilians in Japan (SABJA), in order to improve the JLPT pass rate, which is a prerequisite for entering advanced educational institutions and for full-time employment in Japan.

Social Contribution Activities Action Plans Materiality: Enhance quality of life

The Brazil Festival is an official cultural exchange event organized by the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan (CCBJ) and supported by the Embassy of Brazil, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, with the aim of deepening understanding of Brazil and promoting friendship between Brazil and Japan. The 16th Brazil Festival was held on July 15-16, 2023, attracting approximately 100,000 visitors. At the Mitsui booth, a charity bazaar was held by SABJA (Society to Support Brazilians in Japan), an NPO that we work with to support Brazilians living in Japan. Many people stopped by our booth, and it was a good opportunity to promote deeper mutual understanding between Japan and Brazil. We will continue efforts to resolve issues faced by the Brazilian community in Japan.

Since 2011, Mitsui has provided support for initiatives by NPOs, to foster multicultural coexistence among Brazilians in Japan (7 organizations supported in the fiscal year ended March 2024) We are working to provide solutions for educational support and career development centered on improving the Japanese language skills of Brazilians living in Japan in the local community. In promoting our support activities, through collaboration with organizations with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field, we aim to generate synergies and regional cooperation with local governments and organizations.

In cooperation with investee company ABC KOGEN DAIRY (AKD), Mitsui Indonesia is supporting the efforts of Yayasan Usaha Mulia (YUM), a non-governmental organization, to combat growth stunting. The program has designated 5 health facilities (Posyandu) located in the mountainous areas of West Java, and is providing monthly health monitoring and nutritional support to 70 pregnant women and 30 families with infants in and around the area. Aligning with the Indonesian government's goal of reducing the national average rate of stunting to 14% by 2024, the target for this program has also been set at 14% by the end of October 2023. Through its stunting prevention efforts, Mitsui Indonesia will continue its commitment to fostering friendly relations between Japan and Indonesia.

Mitsui Colombia participated in Toyota Group's CSR project in Colombia, donating 20 bicycles to La Guajira region as part of a donation of a total of 100 bicycles. In rural areas, students often need to walk four hours to get to and from school, however, the bicycles have cut the commuting time in half, leading to fewer absences and more time for homework. In addition, the La Guajira region, known for its deserts and scarcity of water, greatly benefits from the bicycle donation as they reduce the burden on women to find and transport water. This program also includes a training session on accounting.

In Hong Kong, which is experiencing a rapid increase in aging population, elderly welfare is a key social issue. With the aim of improving living standards and developing local industries, Mitsui & Co (Hong Kong) Ltd., in cooperation with business partners, provides free educational programs on nursing care nutrition to the elderly, their families, and employees of nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. Through this initiative, we promote understanding of nursing care nutrition and contribute to the well-being of the elderly.

The Doi Tung Development Project is a social contribution initiative launched by the Thai Royal Family in 1988, providing vocational training in agriculture and handicrafts to the hill tribe people who were involved in opium production in the mountainous areas along the Myanmar border in Chiang Rai Province, northern Thailand, as a way of helping them become self-sufficient. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has recognized the project as "one of the most successful cases of drug eradication in the world." These days, the project has expanded its activities to become a pioneering model for a sustainable, recycling-oriented society through the issuance of carbon credits from the forest resources it manages, developing recycling products and reusing resources and energy by sorting collected garbage in partnership with local municipalities, and promoting human resource development programs based on the project’s activities.
Mitsui & Co., (Thailand) Ltd. has financially supported the project since its early stages, and continues to carry out a range of initiatives such as purchasing products created by the project and facilitating local exchanges among its employees.

• DOITUNG

On April 7, 2024, eight participants from Mitsui & Co. Italia S.p.A. took part in the UniCredit Relay Marathon 2024 in support of non-profit organizations. The registration fee for this event was donated to a charitable project of a non-profit organization, and Mitsui & Co. Italia supported a non-profit organization called Telethon, which conducts research on rare diseases.

Mitsui & Co., (Egypt) S.S.C. is engaged in an initiative called "The Unnecessary to the Needed" in which employees donate their used clothing to local organizations. On December 23, 2023, three employees visited Bird of Paradise, an NPO that supports orphaned children with disabilities, and donated 10 boxes of clothing and other necessities. Through this visit, our employees learned about the importance of the activities of local organizations and got a true sense of how they can contribute to the local community through donations. We will continue to contribute to the local community through such initiatives.

The Kanda Festival (Kage Matsuri), one of the three major festivals of the Edo period, was held on May 12, 2024, and featured the Shogun portable shrine procession, using a portable shrine donated by Mitsui. At 10:00 a.m., the carriers gathered in front of the Shomonzuka mound, and after undergoing a purification ceremony, departed in unison, parading through the Otemachi and Marunouchi districts before returning to the Shomonzuka mound at 3:00 p.m. We plan to continue this initiative as a community contribution activity in which many of our employees and their families can participate, with the aim of promoting the local community, preserving traditional events, and fostering interactions within the local community.

The 2024 Hiroshima Flower Festival, a flower festival of peace that connects Hiroshima with the world, took place on Friday, May 3 and Sunday, May 5, 2024. This festival, which began in 1977, features parades and stages throughout the Peace Park (the main venue) and the Peace Boulevard. The Chugoku Office has been sponsoring the Flower Festival every year at the request of the Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and participates in a cleanup around the venue before welcoming many guests from across Japan and the world. In continuation from last year, five members, including the Office General Manager, participated in the cleanup, despite unfavorable weather with light rain.