To celebrate the 150th anniversary of its founding, ITOCHU Corporation established the “ITOCHU Scholarship Fund” in 2009 in order to reduce the financial burden during their study in Japan for foreign students in Japanese universities. This support will enable them to better focus on their academic work, while encouraging these students to contribute to the development and strengthening future ties between Japan and their home countries.

Each year the scholarship will be awarded to 20-30 foreign students in their third and fourth year, who are currently enrolled in Japanese universities. Each student will receive ¥1.5 million per year (¥3 million per student over 2 years), and additional 20 to 30 students will be selected every year.

As part of this program, students are not only provided financial assistance via the scholarships, but are also given an opportunity to gain a deeper knowledge about ITOCHU Corporation by taking part in our Company's CSR activities, including volunteer work, and attending lectures on ITOCHU's businesses and international operations. These and other steps are part of the Company's plans to proactively encourage interaction with these students from abroad.

At the end of May in fiscal 2011, students on scholarship from ITOCHU and young employees took part in the Satoyama (rural environment) preservation project in the town of Hinode in Nishitama County, Tokyo. After breaking into groups, the students and employees cut down bamboo, which was later used by the participants for various handcrafts. Along with recognizing the importance of Satoyama preservation, the volunteer action provided an opportunity to deepen interaction between the students and ITOCHU employees.

Through these activities supporting foreign students, whom will one day be leaders, ITOCHU is helping to develop and strengthen ties between Japan and their home countries in the future. At the same time, this scholarship fund serves as one of ITOCHU's international social contributions as a truly global enterprise.