Guided by the spirit of our corporate mission, “Sampo-yoshi” (good for the seller, good for the buyer, and good for society), the ITOCHU Group seeks not only to achieve profit but also to help address social issues, in line with the trust and expectations placed on us by our customers, shareholders, employees, and various other stakeholders. In so doing, we aim to have an ongoing and positive social impact and to contribute to a sustainable society for all.

This philosophy of “Sampo-yoshi” was nurtured by our founder, Chubei Itoh, a travelling linen merchant who did business throughout Japan. At that time, in addition to providing products that met the needs of customers at reasonable prices, he also contributed to the development of the local communities he visited, including by supporting recovery from natural disasters and establishing educational institutions, leading to a growing business base and relationships built on trust. “Sampo-yoshi” has become the foundation for the sustainable development of our business, and has led to a long-term strengthening of our corporate value. Last year, ITOCHU and “Sampo-yoshi” were selected for a Harvard Business School case study by Professor Sandra J. Sucher, an expert in the research of building trusted corporations. The case study demonstrates academically how “Sampo-yoshi” forms the foundation for building corporate trust and achieving business growth.

Because we have fewer employees than our industry peers, we have promoted Work-Style Reforms to help strengthen our human capital so that every employee can work healthily and with a high level of motivation. Our founder placed importance on human resource development, actively promoting talented human resources, adopting a meeting system to emphasize communication with store workers, and building the foundations of mutual trust between store owners and employees. This spirit has also been passed down to the modern-day ITOCHU, which is committed to creating a challenging but rewarding workplace. As such, we have worked to build a work environment where all our employees can continue to work with a sense of fulfillment through a series of measures, including the introduction of our Morning-Focused Working System and support for balancing cancer treatment with work. These Work-Style Reforms have helped enhance our corporate brand value. We placed first for all industries in six out of the seven main rankings of the most popular employment destinations for university students graduating in 2026, our highest number ever. But we cannot simply rest on our laurels: we will help our employees to independently develop their careers by providing them with practical experience in the field and abundant training, developing them into merchants who understand the evolving social environment and customer needs, in the spirit of our guideline of conduct, “I am One with Infinite Missions.” Through this process, we will create human resources who are able to implement “Sampo-yoshi” on the ground.

Our measures to promote sustainability include not only working to strengthen human capital, but also contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through our core business with regard to the environment. We are actively disclosing information in line with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) to allow our stakeholders to better understand our measures to address business risks and opportunities. This fiscal year, we analyzed the natural rubber business, which has a high reliance and impact on nature per the TNFD, and disclosed the results of that analysis. We believe that our initiatives related to natural capital, which aim to achieve harmony between our business, business partners, local communities, and the natural environment, will also become a new way to put “Sampo-yoshi” into practice.

We will work to further enhance the value of our corporate brand by refining the qualitative elements outlined in our management policy, the Brand-new Deal, and will implement the measures introduced above as a foundation for building long-term relationships with customers and local communities. Through these efforts, we believe that the spirit of “Sampo-yoshi” we inherited from our founder will be increasingly recognized globally.