ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Masahiro Okafuji, President & CEO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that the Takata no Yume Project, part of the company’s efforts to support the areas affected by the earthquake disaster through its main business activities, has received the Food Action Nippon Award 2014 (sponsor: Food Action Nippon Award 2014 Executive Committee; co-sponsor: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan) in the sales and consumer promotion category. The award recognizes business and group initiatives that contribute to expanding consumption of Japanese agricultural produce.

The Takata no Yume Project is an ITOCHU Group project that is providing support, from production to sales, of the new brand of rice Takata no Yume. The brand originated in Rikuzen-Takata City, and carries the dreams of the locals for the recovery of their agriculture after suffering devastating damage in the Great East Japan Earthquake. The project is part of the company’s efforts to support the areas affected by the earthquake disaster through its main business activities. Sold as an added-value regional rice brand, the product was launched in November 2013 at department stores in Tokyo through ITOCHU Food Sales and Marketing Co., Ltd. Moreover, in the area of production, ITOCHU Group employee volunteers have been providing ongoing assistance from rice planting to harvest. The company has also been involved in various PR activities to raise the recognition of the brand, such as tasting events in Rikuzen-Takata City, event booths in Tokyo, and creating a website. This string of initiatives has helped to boost consumption of Japanese agricultural produce, and it is in recognition of this that the award has been made.

Going forward, through initiatives such as the Takata no Yume Project, ITOCHU will work towards the restoration of industry and regional revival in the areas incapacitated by the disaster, implementing various initiatives by harnessing the collective strengths of the ITOCHU Group to the utmost taking a long-term perspective.

• The Food Action Nippon Award is an award scheme established as part of Food Action Japan activities that aim to improve Japan’s food self-sufficiency ratio. By recognizing outstanding initiatives by business and groups that contribute to expanding consumption of Japanese agricultural produce, and promoting activities for the expansion of consumption of Japanese agricultural produce, the award aims to help create a society where we and the children of the future can eat food that is both safe and delicious.