Social Contribution Topics 2011

December

The 5th ITOCHU Baseball Workshop

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We organized another baseball workshop for children with disabilities at the Meiji Jingu Gaien Indoor Ball Park on Saturday, December 3. We organize one such workshop every year to encourage the sound development of local youth and good relations with local communities. The children were delighted to be in an indoor ballpark that is normally used by professional baseball players. They had fun running, defending, and hitting the ball.

Cooperation in homestay of Chinese university students participating in the 9th "THE CHINESE STUDENTS VISIT JAPANESE ENTERPRISES and FEEL JAPAN" Project

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A program that invites Chinese university students to Japan and lets them stay a night with Japanese company employees was held for the ninth time. Five ITOCHU Corporation employees accepted Chinese students and their families enjoyed an exchange with the students on December 3-4.

Post-earthquake voluntary aid activities by ITOCHU staff

Twice in December, a total of 25 employees in the ITOCHU Group participated in voluntary activities for earthquake disaster relief operations in the city of Rikuzentakata. Nine months after the massive earthquake, demand for volunteers was shifting to reconstruction purposes, but volunteers are still needed. All participants met with local residents and engaged enthusiastically in collaborative work.

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Visit by sixth graders from Aoyama Elementary School for extracurricular activities

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On December 16, sixth-grade schoolchildren from Aoyama Elementary School visited our Tokyo Head Office. In late November, their teacher asked them what they would like to do if they became managers in the future. The children thought carefully about it and presented their results. Their presentations were on five points: changing the world, environmentally friendly recycling, new technologies for reducing CO2, helping the Earth and humanity with local consumption of locally produced energy and electric power storage as a means of reducing CO2. All showed very adult thinking, even though they had the voices of children.

Blood donation through the Japanese Red Cross Society

On Monday, December 19, a blood donation session took place with the Japanese Red Cross Society. Eighty-nine volunteers donated blood and two registered as marrow donors. Taking place twice a year, these sessions will be continued in the future.

November

The 3rd Borneo Tree-Planting Tour

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On November 2 to 7, 14 staff members of the ITOCHU Group held a tree-planting experience on the island of Borneo. This program takes place every year as part of Activities to Restore the Tropical Rainforests and Conserve Borneo's Ecosystem launched as a 150th anniversary commemoration program. The participants had the opportunity to plant trees on site and observed the steady growth of trees planted in the past two years.

Cleaning activities

On Thursday, November 10, some of our new employees took part in cleaning activities around the Tokyo Head Office. These constitute part of the new employees' activities for maintaining good relations with local communities, launched in fiscal 2011. This 6th event in the series involved 21 new employees.

Sixth graders from Aoyama Elementary School visit ITOCHU for extracurricular activities.

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On November 25, 28 sixth graders from Minato Municipal Aoyama Elementary School near our Tokyo Head Office visited ITOCHU as part of their extracurricular activities. They listened to explanations on solar power generation that we were promoting while visiting the solar power station on the rooftop. They also heard about our activities for restoring tropical rainforests on the island of Borneo and learned ways to combat global warming.

October

New employees participating in 3rd, 4th, and 5th local cleaning activities

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On October 6, 17 and 18, a total of 32 new employees who joined us in fiscal 2011 took part in cleaning activities organized by the Aoyama 2-chome Community Association and the Akasaka Regional City Office. Specific activities varied depending on the day, ranging from picking up trash to issuing cautions to unlawfully parked bicycles, but the basic principle was to clean the district in collaboration with the community association, the regional city office, the Akasaka Police Station, and participants from local businesses. As many of our staff members take part in the activities, we earn both high expectation and appreciation from the community association and the regional city office.

September

New employees participating in second local cleaning activity

Nineteen new employees for fiscal 2011 took part in a cleaning activity on September 1 organized by the Aoyama 2-chome Community Association. In this event, participants weeded the sidewalks and issued cautions to illegally parked bicycles together with the community association, the Minato City Government, the Akasaka Police Station, and local businesses. Among other tasks, weeding had to be done in sweltering weather, which left everyone perspiring profusely. The work was done very efficiently in collaboration with the community association personnel.

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ITOCHU scholarship students workshop and voluntary conservation

On September 10, 52 students receiving scholarships from ITOCHU Corporation to study at universities in Japan visited our Tokyo Head Office for a workshop and a social gathering with our staff members. On the following day, September 11, they engaged in voluntary activities for environmental conservation at the Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park. In the very hot late-summer weather, they picked up trash and helped improve the tidelands together with park volunteers. The event helped deepen exchange among scholarship students and provided a good opportunity to make our CSR activities known to them.

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The 3rd Saitama Farm Volunteer Activity (rice reaping)

On September 11, the third farm volunteer activities in 2011 took place in the city of Saitama. A total of 53 participants, comprising our staff's family members and group companies' staff members, first listened to famers about the significance of organic farming, then actually cut rice ears. After realizing how tough farming was, everyone made sure to leave no leftovers at lunch.

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Workshop for infant safety by the Japanese Red Cross Society

On September 28, the Japanese Red Cross Society held an infant safety workshop at our Tokyo Head Office. The attendees learned how to deal with accidents that can occur in everyday life amid infant growth, how to use the automated external defibrillator (AED), and how to deal with infants in the event of disaster.

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July

The Second Saitama Farm Volunteer Activity (weeding in rice paddies)

On July 3, the year's second farm volunteer activity took place in the city of Saitama, with 30 participants comprising ITOCHU Group and their family members. At this event, the participants entered the rice paddies where they had planted rice previously and removed weeds. Every participating volunteer became covered in mud. Because herbicides are not used, weeding is required to ensure that the rice grows well. At the next event, the participants will reap the rice.

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Donating baseball equipment and holding a baseball coaching session for children affected by the disaster

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ITOCHU Corporation's baseball club has been supporting children affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake by, for example, donating baseball equipment to a boys' baseball team in the Iwate Prefecture city of Rikuzentakata. On the weekend of July 2-3, some 20 leading members of the baseball league of 10 trading companies, including our own club, held a baseball coaching session for about 150 elementary and junior high schoolchildren in the city of Iwaki in Fukushima Prefecture.

New employees' participation in the first local cleaning activity

On July 7, the Aoyama 2-chome Community Association held a cleaning activity with the participation of 25 of our employees who joined us in fiscal 2011. Wearing identical windbreakers, they worked together with the community association, the Minato City Government, the Akasaka Police Station and neighboring businesses in picking up trash, giving warnings to illegally parked bicycles, and guiding pedestrians at crosswalks. Our new employees are expected to take part the activities in turns.

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ITOCHU Charity Concert for Earthquake Disaster Reconstruction.

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On July 19, the ITOCHU Charity Concert for Earthquake Disaster Reconstruction was held at the Denryoku Hall in Sendai. On the day, about 1,000 visitors, including ITOCHU Group employees, their families, business partners, and victims of the disaster, enjoyed a performance by the New York Symphonic Ensemble. All proceeds collected from the audience on the day was donated to the Kiwanis Club of Sendai Children's Fund.

Continuing to support employees' volunteerism in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

In the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake, ITOCHU Corporation has been providing support for employees wishing to take part in volunteer activities, in addition to corporate aid in the form of relief money and relief supplies. In July and August, 11 employees in Tokyo took part in the Workers' Volunteer Program and three others in a program run by the Kansai Economic Federation.

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June

Cooperation with short-term homestay of Chinese university students

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Twice a year, ITOCHU Corporation cooperates in a short-term homestay program for groups of Chinese university students visiting Japan. For two days, specifically on June 4-5, one of our staff members accepted one such student at home.

ITOCHU staff members acting as Business Volunteers after the Great East Japan Earthquake

As part of its efforts to support employees wishing to engage in volunteer activities, ITOCHU Corporation introduced some of its staff members to the Workers' Volunteer Program organized by the Joint Committee for Coordinating and Supporting Voluntary Disaster Relief Activities, offering to subsidize their participation in this program. In June, the first group of seven staff members took part in work in Iwate and Fukushima under the program.

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Extracurricular activity for third graders of Minato Municipal Aoyama Elementary School: Looking at the local community from a height

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Each year, we accept third graders from the local Aoyama Elementary School as an extracurricular activity. This year, 21 schoolchildren visited our office on June 9 to view their community from the top level of the building.

Disaster relief project led by new employees in fiscal 2011: Offering bookmarks with messages from all of us

From among the four shortlisted proposals made at the training session for new employees in April, ITOCHU Corporation chose the Minna Happy Project. For this project, we prepared bookmarks with messages and pictures and put them in books to be offered to children in the affected zones. On June 17, the first 50 picture books with bookmarks carrying messages from our new employees were delivered to the Tampopo Nursery School in the city of Koriyama in Fukushima Prefecture.

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Blood donation and marrow donor registration drive at Tokyo Head Office

Held on June 28, the blood donation meeting at our Tokyo Head Office attracted 129 applicants. Meanwhile, 14 volunteers signed up with the Japan Marrow Donor Program.

May

Packing of Uru-Uru Packs for supporting the regions hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake(Nagoya)

On May 7-8, packing work for Uru-Uru Packs to be sent to victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake took place in Nagoya. Eight volunteers from the Nagoya Branch, including family members, volunteered to do the packing. Containing stationery items and lunch boxes for children, 2,000 Uru-Uru Packs were delivered to the town of Shichigahama in Miyagi Prefecture.

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A Fureai Nature observation meeting at the Institute for Nature Study

On May 15, a nature observation meeting took place at the Institute for Nature Study with the participation of 12 staff members from the ITOCHU Group. After attending an ecology seminar entitled "A Life-or-Death Scramble for Light," the participants observed nature in the garden of the Institute. A participant commented that he had not realized that there was such a rich natural environment in Meguro.

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The First Saitama Farm Volunteer Activity(rice planting)

On May 22, the first Farm Volunteer Activity for 2011 took place with 41 participants from among the ITOCHU Group employees and their families. The participants planted rice seedlings. This series of activities has the aim of making parents and children aware of the challenges involving in growing rice and of the importance of agriculture through a year-long rice growing experience in which chemicals are not used.

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April

Packing of Uru-Uru Packs to support regions hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake(Tokyo)

On April 5, packing work for Uru-Uru Packs to be offered to victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake took place in Tokyo. An Uru-Uru Pack is a set of relief supplies for one person, such as cosmetics for women and stationery items for children, put into a package so that they can be easily distributed in the affected areas. Six staff members of the ITOCHU Group took part in the work.

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Disaster relief projects proposed by new employees in fiscal 2011

In training for new employees in fiscal 2011, the trainees were divided into 14 groups with each group studying and proposed a specific project that ITOCHU Corporation could undertake to help those regions affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The new employees cast their votes to choose four proposals that will be presented to a board of examiners, including our chairman Eizo Kobayashi, for the final decision. Then, ITOCHU Foundation and the new employees will develop the chosen project into more specific form and finally put it into action as a relief activity.

ITOCHU KOREA personnel participate in tree planting for the next generation.

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On April 16, a total of 26 people, including ITOCHU KOREA employees, their family members, and clients, participated in a voluntary tree-planting activity. Each participant planted four coastal pine seedlings. Planting of coastal pines helps block wind and dust from the sea and contributes to local communities and to the environment. All participants finished the day feeling very fulfilled.

Participation of ITOCHU volunteers in a booth at Earth Day 2011 Tokyo.

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On April 23-24, Earth Day 2011 Tokyo took place in and around the Yoyogi Park as an event for thinking about the global environment. A large number of organizations joined as exhibitors. From ITOCHU Corporation, four employees staffed the booth of a non-profit organization (NPO) that is calling for action to step global warming, giving visitors explanations on power saving that can be done in the home and giving away bamboo candles.

March

ITOCHU Donates ¥400 Million to Aid Victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake

ITOCHU Corporation has decided to contribute ¥400 million in aid to help the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Moreover, we are prepared to offer as much support as we can, depending on the needs that arise in stricken areas as the situation progresses. We offer our heartfelt sympathy to people in the disaster-hit areas and hope for a swift recovery.

Collecting Employee Donations for the Great East Japan Earthquake

On March 15 and 16, 2011, we held a two-day emergency drive to collect donations from employees in the B1 basement lobby of our Tokyo Head Office. Further donations were collected at other ITOCHU sites in and outside Japan, bringing the total amount collected at the end of March to ¥8.15 million. Donations collected within Japan were given to the Japanese Red Cross Society, and those collected outside Japan were given to overseas Red Cross societies or similar organizations, to be used for the support of people in the areas affected by the disaster.

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Material Aid for Disaster-hit Areas

In addition to providing ¥400 million in monetary aid, in March ITOCHU also helped to supply food, clothing and other living essentials to the affected areas, including the following.

  • Clothing
    10,000 items of underwear, children's clothing, and towels are currently being shipped and distributed in Miyagi Prefecture.
  • Emergency dwellings and rooms for indoor installation(TECCEL products)
    These are currently being shipped to emergency shelters in Higashi Matsushima City. Plans are to use them for changing rooms and other purposes.
  • "Spam" precooked meat(Canned meat)
    1500 cases (36,000 cans) of spam have been shipped to the prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukishima.

All the material supplies from ITOCHU mentioned above were secured and delivered in response to requests from the prefectures.

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Indonesian Children Send Messages of Encouragement through ITOCHU INDONESIA

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Employees at PT ITOCHU INDONESIA have long provided support to local children forced to search through refuse as a way to help their families survive. When these children heard about the Great East Japan Earthquake, they wanted to send a message of thanks and support to the people of Japan in return. Although they had no money to spare for donations, the children sent letters of support together with drawings addressed to the people living in the disaster zone.

February

Blood Donation Event Held(Osaka Head Office)

A blood donation event through the Japanese Red Cross Society was held at the Osaka Head Office building. Sixty-five people participated.

Charity Sale of Valentine's Day Chocolate

On February 8, we held an in-house charity sale of chocolate with assistance from the Food Company. This year, the renowned entertainer and mathematician Peter Frankel volunteered to assist the sale. Mr. Frankel supports various needy groups as an individual, and not only sold chocolates alongside ITOCHU employees but also gave a marvelous street performance. All proceeds from the sale were donated to the NPO Kokkyo naki Kodomotachi ("Children Without Borders") and will be used to fund educational support activities for deprived children living in the "House for Youths" that was recently completed in Manila.

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Handmade Stuffed Toys Given to Children in Developing Countries

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Twenty-three employees participated in the Happy Toys Project, which is focused on making handmade stuffed toys. Now in its fourth year, the project is run in cooperation with FELISSIMO CORPORATION.

Kids' Day in KidZania Koshien

On February 16, we held a family event at the Osaka Head Office and KidZania Koshien. ITOCHU booked the entire KidZania Koshien complex for the day, and invited 850 children from local elementary schools in Chuo ward, Osaka, and children of employees to join the event. The children spent a fun day trying various activities in the facilities and pavilions, as well as learning about different types of work.
Before visiting KidZania, 50 employees of the ITOCHU Group and their children assembled at Osaka Head Office. There they divided into two groups for a tour of the ITOCHU workplace. The tour offered the children a chance to see the offices where their parents work, the staff cafeteria, and the executive boardroom. The goal was to help them to understand the importance of working, and foster deeper communication within families.

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January

Donating New Calendars to Various Organizations

We donated new but surplus calendars to kindergartens in Saitama and various similar institutions in Tokyo.

Participation in the Akasaka Aoyama Campaign for a Clean Town with No Littering

ITOCHU employees participated in the Akasaka Aoyama Campaign for a Clean Town with No Littering on January 27 and 28, joining forces with employees from neighboring companies to clean up the area in front of Gaienmae Station.