ITOCHU Corporation Announces Environmental Outreach Class in Partnership with FamilyMart and in Celebration of 5th Anniversary of Amami Oshima’s Registration as World Natural Heritage Site — Mangrove Planting on Edateku Island —

October 5, 2026

ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that it held an environmental outreach class for children from Uken Village (located in Oshima-gun, Kagoshima; Akira Motoyama, Mayor) on Amami Oshima together with FamilyMart Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Tatsuo Odani, President; hereinafter “FamilyMart”) and Minami Kyushu FamilyMart Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture; Takashi Iizuka, President; hereinafter “Minami Kyushu FamilyMart”) as part of Mangrove Planting Project with Uken Village of Amami Oshima Island (the “Project”), which is implemented jointly with Uken Village. The event commemorating the 5th anniversary of Amami Oshima’s registration as a World Natural Heritage site took place on Saturday, October 3, 2026.

Commemorative photo after mangrove planting

Minami Kyushu FamilyMart operates FamilyMart stores in Kagoshima and Miyazaki Prefectures. It celebrated the 10th anniversary of the opening of stores on Amami Oshima in June 2026. FamilyMart is the only major convenience store chain operating on Amami Oshima, and it continues to be actively involved in community-based initiatives.

Uken Village on the west coast of Amami Oshima has been promoting activities in which local elementary school students plant mangroves since 2014 to foster pride in the natural environment of their home. Since Amami Oshima was registered as a World Natural Heritage site in 2021, ITOCHU has participated in and supported these planting activities as part of its social contribution initiatives for Growth of Future Generations and Environmental Conservation. In December 2025, the Project became the first mangrove planting project to receive J Blue Credit® certification (certified amount: 0.3 t-CO2, certified area: approx. 1,073 m2).*1

Mangroves are noted for their high CO2 absorption per unit of area, and they are attracting attention as a climate change countermeasure. Kagoshima Prefecture marks the northernmost limit of natural mangrove growth in Japan, and this Project is contributing to the preservation of Amami Oshima’s unique natural environment and biodiversity.
21 Uken Village students ranging from fourth to ninth grade participated in the class. After learning about the characteristics of mangroves and FamilyMart’s environmental initiatives, the children participated in mangrove planting. At the end of the event, employees of the three companies based in Tokyo and Kagoshima City and students interacted, building relationships while enjoying FamilyMart products together.

ITOCHU, FamilyMart, and Minami Kyushu FamilyMart remain committed to working with local communities to promote Growth of Future Generations, Environmental Conservation, and Community Contribution.

Introducing FamilyMart Food Drive,
now underway at stores on Amami Oshima

Interested in planting mangroves
for the first time

Choosing FamilyMart products
for an exciting lunch

  • *1J Blue Credit® is a system of CO2 absorption credits issued by the Japan Blue Economy Association (hereinafter “JBE”), an organization authorized by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The credits are certified, issued, and managed by JBE following a review and recommendation by an independent third-party committee separate from JBE. Companies and other purchasers of the credits can use purchased credits to offset their greenhouse gas emissions they cannot reduce through their own reduction efforts.