Steps Taken After the Great East Japan Earthquake

The Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on Friday, March 11, 2011, caused widespread damage throughout eastern Japan. Over the longer term, we will keep our commitment to provide the necessary support to reconstruction in the region.

Donations and Supplies

Of the monetary donations of 400 million yen made by ITOCHU, one part we used to support a wide range of activities in those areas hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunami through the local governments of Miyagi Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture and Aomori Prefecture. Another part of the donations was made through an NPO, JAPAN PLATFORM, a consortium of NPOs, the business community, and representatives from government agencies. This part was used to fund the activities of NPOs working on the ground. Emergency relief supplies were prepared, packed, and delivered in accordance with the requests of the disaster relief headquarters for the affected areas. Our deliveries of SPAMR, a canned, precooked meat product, were particularly well received as it requires neither refrigeration nor a can opener.

The Great East Japan Earthquake Recovery Assistance Site

In May 2011, ITOCHU launched a new website, the Great East Japan Earthquake Recovery Assistance Site, on its intranet to share information on the support activities of ITOCHU employees and the ITOCHU Group itself.
Posted on the website are up-to-date information on the Group's assistance programs and employee volunteers, updates from the Tohoku Branch on local conditions, reports submitted by volunteers and more. We intend to use this site to keep employees informed about support activities for fostering recovery over the long term.

Support for Employees' Volunteer Activities

In May 2011, to facilitate employee participation in volunteer activities, ITOCHU started to extend the period of volunteer leave from three days to five, and introduced a system under which the company pays the actual costs for participation (transportation, board, and other costs). As of June 30, 2012, a total of 120 employees had used the system.
In February 2012, we adopted an employee's idea and began Valentine fundraising. In March, we implemented companywide fundraising activities to recognize the first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. During these efforts, the current status of affected areas was reported through exhibition of panels, and employees shared an understanding of the importance of continuing support. Funds raised were combined with the matching donation from ITOCHU and used for supporting reconstruction of schools via the Nippon International Cooperation for Community Development, and as grants-in-aid for libraries in affected areas via the ITOCHU Foundation. In January 2012, as a new form of support, ITOCHU contributed Funds for Supporting Children Orphaned by the Earthquake to the three prefectures affected by the earthquake via Japan Foreign Trade Council, Inc.

Activities for Supporting Affected Areas Implemented with Shareholders

In fiscal 2011, ITOCHU began an initiative to switch from sending out notices of the company's ordinary general meeting of shareholders and other printed matter by post to e-mail delivery for shareholders of ITOCHU who agree to electronic delivery of shareholder information, and to donate the cost savings in paper and postage, which are combined with a matching donation from ITOCHU, to the ITOCHU Foundation's “100 Children's Books Subsidy” project.
In fiscal 2011, more than 7,500 shareholders agreed to the initiative (as of March 31, 2012) and ITOCHU donated a total of 15 sets (one set consists of 100 books for children) to 13 volunteer organizations acting in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Books were donated to 13 volunteer organizations, including Tulip Bunko (Minamisoma-shi, Fukushima), Hoiku Mama no Kai Grandma (Shiwa-gun, Iwate), and Ehon Yomikikase no Kai "Omusubi Kororin" (Shibata-machi, Miyagi)

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