ITOCHU Foundation

In 1974, ITOCHU established ITOCHU Foundation to encourage social contribution activities that promote the sound development of young people. The foundation became a public interest incorporated foundation in 2012 and engages in activities to contribute to the healthy growth of children, such as two major projects: “Children’s Bunko Grant Program”, which supports volunteer activities for children’s reading, and “Digital Accessible Book Promotion Program”, which produces and promotes a Multimedia DAISY book called “Waiwai Bunko” for children with reading disabilities.
In 2024, the foundation marked its 50th anniversary and organized a special exhibition at the ITOCHU SDGs STUDIO GALLERY.

• ITOCHU Foundation (Japanese only)
• Introduction to the Activities of the ITOCHU Foundation (5 minutes and 30 seconds) (Japanese only)

Children’s Bunko Grant Program

Since 1975, ITOCHU Foundation has provided grants to private organizations and individuals to encourage children to read. Adapting to changing times, the program continues to support volunteers who promote children’s reading through grants and donations of book sets. In recent years, it has also included special needs schools as beneficiaries. To date, it has provided approximately 1.2 billion yen in funding to 2,925 institutions in Japan and abroad. The table below shows a breakdown of the 117 activities funded in FYE 2025.
In February 2025, we held a presentation ceremony and reception for the FYE 2025 Children’s Bunko Grant Program, with approximately 160 people attending.

	Number of Grants (FYE 2025)
Children’s book purchase grants	56 (of which, 5 overseas)
Reading activities grants for children in hospital facilities	6 (of which, 0 overseas)
100 Children’s Books Grants	28 (of which, 4 overseas)
Reading Grants for Special Needs schools	25
Award for distinguished service to Children’s Bunko	2
Total	117 (of which, 9 overseas)

• The foundation supported schools in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and other disasters, donating 100 books each to 10 schools in FYE 2025.

Digital Accessible Book Promotion Program

Production and Donation of Multimedia DAISY Books

Multimedia DAISY is one of international standards for digital books. It makes information more accessible to people with reading difficulties by enlarging text and reading it aloud. With a computer or tablet, a user can enjoy reading visually and audibly.
This program aims to convert^* picture books and children’s books into Multimedia DAISY called “Waiwai Bunko” and to donate them to special needs schools, elementary and junior high schools, and public libraries throughout Japan. It has digitized 915 titles and distributed them to a total of 1,477 institutions in FYE 2025.

• The foundation has been designated as an organization by the Commissioner　for　Cultural Affairs since April 2010. Accordingly, it is authorized to reproduce or transmit to the public visual works that have been publicly released, without obtaining the consent of the copyright owners, exclusively for the purpose of providing information to persons with disabilities. (Under Article 37, Paragraph 3 of the Copyright Act of Japan)

	FYE 2025	Total*
Number of titles produced	54 titles	915 titles
Recipients	1,477 locations	16,665 institutions

• This is the total from FYE 2012 to FYE 2025

In FYE 2025, it converted 39 works (picture books and children’s books) from 20 publishers into Multimedia DAISY format. It also produced 15 works under the name Waiwai Bunko Ver.BLUE, which are accessible to everyone regardless of disability, with materials supplied by Japanese Para Sports Association (JPSA) and individuals. The audio is provided by members of the troupe and the National Onyaku Volunteer Network-the volunteer converting text into audio for people with visual impairment. These works were proofread by 62 volunteers before completion.

96 Titles in “A Journey through Japanese Folk Tales” (Nihon Mukashi-banashi no Tabi)

“A Journey through Japanese Folk Tales”, a digitized series of Japanese local folktales created in collaboration with public libraries and other partners, added 8 new titles to the series in FYE 2025.

1. Kappa Matsu (Zushi, Kanagawa)
2. Kajiyoke Tengu (Kasukabe, Saitama)
3. Manjushage Dera (Otaki, Chiba)
4. Mujina no Chompirarin (Hino, Tokyo)
5. Yome Naki Bushi (Hagi, Yamaguchi)
6. Ko-shi Chogoro (Inagi, Tokyo)
7. Togenuki Jizo (Toride, Ibaraki)
8. Kataha no Ashi (Sumida, Tokyo)

Donations of Waiwai Bunko to the National Diet Library

All 915 Waiwai Bunko titles are available through the National Diet Library’s Data Transmission Service for Persons with Print Disabilities. This service is intended for people with visual impairments and other print disabilities.

• National Diet Library’s Data Transmission Service for Persons with Print Disabilities (for the first time registrants; in Japanese)
• National Diet Library’s Data Transmission Service for Persons with Print Disabilities (for libraries; in Japanese)

Viewing Waiwai Bunko

Some of the works from “Waiwai Bunko” Multimedia DAISY books are available for trial playback on the ITOCHU Foundation’s website.

• Manjushage Dera (in Japanese), Keshin shita Kannon Sama (in Japanese), Shita wo Nukareta Oshishi (in Japanese)

New Information in Video

You can watch videos of online seminars on Reading Accessibility. One of them is presented by Professor Takenori Noguchi of the School of Letters, Senshu University. See below for more details.

• ITOCHU Foundation: online seminars (in Japanese)

"Kokkyo naki Kodomotachi" ("KnK"; Meaning "Children Without Borders") Support Activities at the "House for Youth," a Home That Helps Young People Become Independent

Since FYE 2008, ITOCHU has been supporting the "Wakamono-no-Ie (meaning House for Youth)," a home that helps young people become independent, located on the outskirts of Manila. Support was provided via Kokkyo naki Kodomotachi (KnK: meaning "children without borders"), an authorized Japanese NPO that supports street children, children who are victims of major disasters, and other children in developing countries.

ITOCHU’s Support

Endorsing KnK’s activities, ITOCHU started to support KnK for the reconstruction of the aging House for Youth building in 2007. In December 2009, the new building was completed, and the House for Youth was reopened. Also, in 2013, the underground floor was renovated and expanded.
Since 2015, ITOCHU has provided financial support related to the operation, education, meals, mental health care, and other necessities (4.5 million yen for three years and 6 million yen for three years). The facility provided online training for members of staff to deepen their understanding of appropriate relationships with children who have problem behavior during the lockdown and regional quarantine due to the spread of COVID-19 in 2020. It also further enhanced care for children with external psychologists.

From 2024, we have also started to provide scholarship support as part of our aftercare program so that students can continue their studies after graduating from the House for Youth and continue their involvement with the House for Youth staff. The support from ITOCHU is highly evaluated as a great foundation that leads to the stabilization of KnK Philippines’ activities and enables them to continue.

Volunteer from ITOCHU Manila branch

Employees of ITOCHU Manila Branch visit the house with Christmas gifts (food, school supplies, etc.) and interact with the children every year.

Comments from the children:

• They played many games and danced and played basketball together with us. We also received presents from them. That made us truly happy.
• I am glad when they all visit House for Youth. I look forward to December when they all visit every year.

Case stories

Geo (alias)

Geo’s father was killed in a campaign against drugs by the government. Geo himself was also housed in a facility run by the government for two years. He still cannot accept the fact his father was killed in front of his eyes. Moreover, after his father was died, his beloved grandmother also passed away. This further deepened his sorrow.
After entering the House for Youth, Geo was struck by deep sadness and anxiety. He endured sleepless nights and started talking about revenge for the death of his father and ending his own life. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This was due to the death of his grandmother and living in a detention facility for more than two years in addition to witnessing the death of his father at the hands of the police.
Geo was provided counseling with a psychological care professional and medication prescribed by a psychiatrist at the House for Youth. He now speaks with a positive outlook on his life. He has become able to solve problems without using violence. It is possible to see major changes in him. He has patience and displays leadership skills.

Bob (alias)

Bob was always being beaten by his drunk father. His father died in 2015. After his father’s death, his eldest son became rebellious and taught Bob how to steal. Bob was also physically abused by his brother. Bob felt unloved by his family. He felt rejected by his siblings. He began stealing inside and outside his home. He made many friends on the streets and made money by picking up trash and stealing things.
Bob self-harmed, had insomnia, revealed suicidal intentions and had tantrums in his life at KnK’s House for Youth. He also had difficulty adapting to his life at school. For example, he couldn’t concentrate and he didn’t follow the instructions of his teachers. The school told him to take supplementary lessons at the House for Youth without coming to school until he was able to adapt to life at school.
Bob’s self-esteem improved through his life at the House for Youth. He is no longer self-harming or revealing suicidal intentions. He is now attending school. His relationships with his family, especially his mother, have also improved. He has also gradually been able to build up relationships with the other younger children he lives with together at the House for Youth.

Tani (alias)

Tani was arrested for stealing and detained in a government facility for one month. He was 14 years old at the time. Detention in that facility was not allowed for minor offences by children under 15 years old according to Philippine law. Therefore, he was released with the help of another NGO that works with the KnK. It was determined that his father was abusive and so couldn’t raise him. Therefore, he was introduced to KnK’s House of Youth.
Tani is the third of four siblings. The mother he adored died at the age of 40 due to pneumonia. His father worked as a street vendor. However, he was unable to fulfill his functions as a father. For example, he physically abused and failed to look after his children – especially Tani. Tani left home because he was afraid of his father. He made a living by working in a computer shop and occasionally stealing.
Tani was unable to trust people even after moving into KnK’s the House for Youth. He was involved in several incidents of theft at the House for Youth and school. He also displayed violent behavior toward the other children. He was given counseling by social workers and psychological care professionals to solve the problems he faced. He also participated in various activities and attended school. After living in the House for Youth, he found a sense of responsibility, improved his relationship with his father, and gained self-control.

• For the protection of privacy, the people in the photos are not the same as the people in each case story.

TABLE FOR TWO (TFT), which Addresses the Food Imbalance Between Developing and Developed Countries

TABLE FOR TWO (TFT) is a social contribution program based on the concept of sharing meals across time and space to simultaneously solve hunger in developing countries and obesity and lifestyle-related diseases in developed countries. Under the TFT program, for every one meal consumed in developed countries, one meal is donated to a developing country. When you purchase a set meal or food with reduced calories to prevent obesity and lifestyle-related diseases, 20 yen per meal is donated through TFT for school meals for children in developing countries. The 20 yen is equivalent to one school lunch in the region supported by TFT. School lunches play an important role in improving children’s basic physical fitness and disease prevention, as well as increasing school enrollment and academic performance, and building community between schools and parents.

TFT was established in Japan in October 2007, and in April 2008 in the corporate cafeterias in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya ITOCHU introduced the TFT program at full-scale ahead of other companies.
For each healthy TFT meal purchased by employees, a donation of 20 yen is automatically made. ITOCHU has introduced a matching gift program under which it donates an additional 20 yen per TFT meal purchased by its employees. This means that a total of 40 yen per meal is used to provide school lunches for children in developing nations via the TFT program.
Currently, the cafeteria at the Tokyo Head Office serves TFT dishes daily. In FYE 2025, 50,409 meals were purchased, which together with ITOCHU’s matching donation resulted in a donation of 2,016,360 yen (equivalent to 100,818 school lunch meals).

Support for Child Chemo House

Child Chemo House is a residential facility for children with cancer and other incurable diseases and their families, located in Kobe Medical Industry Development Project (Port Island). It provides long-term support for children and their families during and after hospitalization and treatment, which can last from several months to a year. To support the operation of Child Chemo House, we have installed Chemo House-specification beverage vending machines in our Tokyo headquarters, and donate a part of the sales from all beverage vending machines installed in the buildings. 25,925,428 yen in total has been donated, including ITOCHU’s matching donation through FYE 2025.

Support for CARE International Japan

CARE International Japan is an organization affiliated with CARE, an international cooperation NGO active in more than 100 countries around the world, which conducts development assistance and emergency and reconstruction assistance activities with a particular focus on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. ITOCHU supports the activities of the association as a corporate member.

Offering Environmental Programs

Every summer since 1992, ITOCHU Corporation has been holding a summer school program on the environment for local children and employees’ families as a means of raising awareness of environmental issues. To date, we have provided a cumulative total of more than 1,300 elementary school children with opportunities to learn about environmental and biodiversity conservation.

Class on the SDGs and the Environment

On October 29 of FYE 2022, we held an online class on the SDGs and the environment led by Monofactory Co., Ltd. to inquire into the nature of garbage and recycling. Elementary school students in lower grades could join the class from home with a tablet. There are 17 goals in SDGs, and the students enjoyed learning with familiar items at home to gain a deeper understanding of SDG #12: Responsible Consumption and Production. It was a great opportunity to share ideas about how to utilize items with secondary use and recycling of waste.

Hosting Chinese University Students for Homestays

ITOCHU Corporation has been supporting the “Visit Japanese Enterprises and Feel Japan” program organized by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China since its inception.
The program is designed to deepen mutual understanding between Japan and China by giving Chinese university students, who will lead the next generation, a firsthand look at Japan through visits to Japanese companies and universities, cultural tours, and other activities. Not only ITOCHU employees, but also Group employees and alumni have cooperated as a host family for students to share them the experience of living with a Japanese family.

This program was temporarily suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed in FYE 2024 after a four-year hiatus; FYE 2025 marked the 27th edition of the program.