Social Contribution Topics 2018

December

Additional Report on Activities to Support the Areas Affected by the Torrential Rains in July 2018 (Western Japan)

Employee donations for damage caused by the Torrential Rains in July 2018 (5,603,634 yen including matching funds from the company) were used as part of the funds to provide the supplies, fixtures, equipment and vehicles required by the five welfare facilities for people with disabilities below working in disaster-affected Okayama, Ehime and Hiroshima prefectures to resume their activities as quickly as possible. We did this via the Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan).

1.Okayama Mind “Kokoro” (Mabi-cho, Kurashiki-shi, Okayama): Cost to purchase a set of the supplies required for volunteer work (e.g., mud raking)
2.Kids Station Nozomi (Mabi-cho, Kurashiki-shi, Okayama): Part of the cost to install air conditioning facilities and partitions in the emergency relocated office
3.Ayumu (Ozu-shi, Ehime): Cost to purchase PCs for the office
4.Rengeso: Community Activity Support Center Tanpopo Kobo (Seiyo-shi, Ehime): Cost to install air conditioning equipment and part of the cost to purchase a shuttle vehicle and electric bicycle
5.Yasuragi (Kure-shi, Hiroshima): Cost to repair the work building and part of the cost to purchase a transport vehicle for off-site work and a user shuttle vehicle

Please refer to the website for details of the support activities of AAR Japan.
https://www.aarjapan.gr.jp/activity/report/2018/1221_2678.html (Japanese only)

Please refer to the website below for details of the support provided in western Japan by the ITOCHU Foundation for the Torrential Rains in July 2018.
http://www.itc-zaidan.or.jp/pdf/nishinihon-support.pdf (Japanese only)

The 4th Art Project Exhibition of the Tokyo Metropolitan Schools for Special Needs Education “To the Future – Colors and Shapes That Move the Heart”

ITOCHU AOYAMA ART SQUARE, together with the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education, held the 4th art project exhibition "A.P" as an opportunity to present art works of superior artistic talent created by students from Special Needs Education Schools in Tokyo from December 5th to 19th. This exhibition received 956 entries from students at the 70 Special Needs Education Schools in Tokyo, and 50 diverse works were selected from 20 times magnification and cooperation with the judgement of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts, will be displayed.The visitors were impressed by the high level of artistry of each individual, such as color expression, and this exhibition helped to promote understanding of the disabled.

ITOCHU Employees Accept Homestays in a Program for Chinese Students to Observe Japan

Chinese university students visited Japan in the 23rd Visit Japanese Enterprises and Feel Japan program from November 27 to December 4. They visited companies in the east and west, interacted with Japanese university students and experienced homestays in the ordinary homes of Japanese people as the highlight of their trip. One of our employees and one employee of ITOCHU Automobile Corporation from the ITOCHU Group again this time cooperated as host families. This contributed to grassroots exchange between Japan and China.

Employee Donations for the Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake Used in the Disaster-affected Area

ITOCHU has donated 10 million yen to the Hokkaido Prefectural Office as disaster relief funds for damage caused by the earthquake centered on the central eastern part of Iburi in Hokkaido Prefecture on September 6, 2018. Employee donations (2,187,072 yen including matching funds from the company) are being used in the following activities mainly in Atsuma, Abira and Mukawa via Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center (PBV).

①Evacuation shelter environment improvement (purchase and installation of searchlights and other supplies)
②Support for residents in temporary housing (e.g., winter preparations and provision of snow removal supplies)
③Care for children (making of cardboard box shoe racks and provision of picture books at after-school care facilities)
④Support for and cooperation with disaster volunteer centers (provision of supplies and food for salon activities)

The PBV also distributed cooked meals at the same time as an event to distribute relief supplies and an event for children on December 8 and 9. These funds and donations were also used to obtain and purchase the ingredients and utensils for the emergency food distribution. The organization provided 700 meals of pork miso soup to residents.
There are still nearly 50 people living in emergency shelters as of mid-November. The PBV will continue its activities while watching over their relocation to temporary housing planned for mid-December.
*The PBV has uploaded a report for November of its Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake relief activities on its website below. Please check it out because donations from ITOCHU were also used in these activities.

https://pbv.or.jp/blog/?p=22650

ITOCHU AOYAMA ART SQUARE Held “Mottainai Grandma World Report Exhibition in AOYAMA”

From November 16th to December 1st, with the cooperation of artist Mariko Pearl, ITOCHU AOYAMA ART SQUARE held Mottainai Grandma World Report Exhibition "Global Issues and Children of the World", which has been touring since 2008. ITOCHU Corporation, together with ITOCHU India Pte. Ltd., is working with Kodansha to address the growing environmental and sanitation problems in India. With the cooperation of JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), ITOCHU is developing a reading caravan of its illustrated book 'Mottainai Grandma' (Hindi and English) at public schools in Delhi and the nearby state of Haryana, and has set up a corner introducing this initiative. Using the popular character in the picture book "Mottainai Grandma" as a guide, we were able to convey how the current global problems of climate change, war and child labor, and the stories of children around the world involved in them, are linked to our lives.

November

Cleaning of the area around the building by 24 employees of the Chubu Branch of ITOCHU Corporation

The Chubu Branch of ITOCHU Corporation cleans the area around its building every year as part of its social contribution activities. This year, it cleaned the area at lunchtime on Monday, November 19. A total of 24 employees, including 20 employees of the Chubu Branch and 4 from CI Shopping Service Co., Ltd., participated in the activity and divided into four groups and collected a large amount of waste around the building. They steadily collected trash from places that are usually hidden and difficult to see, such as the hedges and footbridges. The Chubu branch will continue this cleaning activity to contribute to making the town of Nagoya bright and beautiful.

October

ITOCHU AOYAMA ART SQUARE Held "SDGs Student Photo Contest 2016 & 2017 Winners’ Exhibition"

ITOCHU AOYAMA ART SQUARE organized “SDGs Student Photo Contest 2016 & 2017 Winners’ Exhibition”. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted in September 2015 when leaders of countries from around the world gathered at the United Nations headquarters in New York and made a historical agreement. Applications come from more than 70 countries and are judged by professional photographer Leslie Kee, YOSHIMOTO KOGYO’s Talent Yuichi Kimura, who is focusing on the spread of SDGs and others. In addition, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has provided a space where visitors can experience the relationship between SDGs and our daily lives. Through this exhibition, we were able to spread the "SDGs" and communicate social issues.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)… known as the Global Goals, were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, set 17 goals to be achieved by 2030 for global issues such as poverty, hunger and climate change.

ITOCHU Donates Disaster Relief Funds for the Damage Caused by the Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake to the Governor of Hokkaido

ITOCHU has donated 10 million yen to the Hokkaido Prefectural Office as disaster relief funds for damage caused by the earthquake centered on the central eastern part of Iburi in Hokkaido Prefecture on September 6, 2018. Sawanoi, General Manager of Hokkaido Branch, presented the donation certificate to Takahashi, Governor of Hokkaido Prefecture, first at the donation certificate presentation ceremony on October 29. After that, he received a letter of gratitude from Takahashi. Sawanoi informed the governor that ITOCHU will proactively work to be of help in terms of business for the early recovery of Hokkaido. The governor said that the disaster countermeasures after the earthquake are proceeding smoothly. She also said the donation will be used meaningfully while expressing her gratitude for it.

September

Report on Volunteers Supporting Recovery from the 2018 Japan Floods in Hiroshima

The Automobile, Construction Machinery & Industrial Machinery Division and our group companies have been participating as volunteers to support recovery in Hiroshima since August. They have been cooperating with the activities to support recovery in the disaster affected-areas by Mazda Motor Corporation, a business partner headquartered in Hiroshima Prefecture, in response to the damage caused by the Torrential Rains in July 2018 centered on western Japan.
The first team arrived on August 31. They removed earth and sand in the Yano district of Aki in Hiroshima near the Mazda Head Office together with Mazda employees. The entire underfloor of the disaster-affected housing was filled with earth and sand to a height of 30 cm. The team scraped out the heavy water-containing earth and sand, packed it into sandbags, and then carried it to the designated location. However, it was very hot with no wind in the houses on the day. This meant it was tough work.
The second team consisted of members of the Automobile, Construction Machinery & Industrial Machinery Division and our group employees. They removed the earth and sand that had accumulated under the floors and in the gutters of houses in Yasuura in Kure on September 27 and 28. The earth and sand had accumulated in narrow spaces where the body does not fit and under unremovable ditch boards. This meant the work had to be performed in an uncomfortable posture. Nevertheless, the team was able to achieve its goal within the time.
We will continue to help with the recovery of disaster-affected areas in consultation with Mazda in the future.

August

ITOCHU Holds a Green Turtle Protection Tour with the Participation of Employees on Chichijima in the Ogasawara Archipelago

ITOCHU has been supporting the conservation activities of endangered green turtles through Everlasting Nature (ELNA) since FYE2017 as a biodiversity conservation activity. We held the Green Turtle Protection Tour on Chichijima in the Ogasawara Archipelago from August 25 (Sat) to 30 (Thu). This island is home to the largest breeding ground for green turtles in Japan. The purpose of this tour was to promote understanding for this activity. A total of 10 employees of our company and members of their families participated in this tour. They encountered many green turtles by feeding them and polishing their shells. After that, they also experienced the transplanting of eggs, the release of juvenile turtles and other conservation activities.
There are many dangers lurking in the environment surrounding green turtles. These include a decrease in sandy beaches in their spawning areas, damage to eggs, bycatch and the accidental ingestion of marine debris (e.g., plastic bags). The probability of maturation over 40 years is 0.2 to 0.3% for green turtles. (This is the survival rate of naturally hatched juvenile turtles.) The participants felt the importance of biodiversity conservation.
The number of green turtle spawning nests on Chichijima is increasing little by little thanks to the conservation activities in a 24-hour structure by ELNA. We will continue to contribute to the conservation of marine ecosystems and the prevention of biodiversity loss as stated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations through support of green turtle conservation activities in the future.

*Please watch this video (about five minutes, Japanese only). It provides a summary from the purpose of this activity to the implementation of this tour.

July

Report on Activities to Provide Support for the Damage Caused by the Torrential Rains in July 2018

We have donated 10 million yen to the Japan Platform international humanitarian aid organization as a donation for the record heavy rainfall damage in a wide area centered on western Japan in July 2018.
Furthermore, we collected donations made by our employees from July 9 (Mon) to 20 (Fri). This was a total of 2,801,817 yen. We then provided matching funds to donate a total of 5,603,634 yen to the Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan). This is a NPO that has been providing support locally since directly after the Torrential Rains in July 2018.
AAR Japan introduces these support activities on its website: http://www.aarjapan.gr.jp/supporter/2018/0906_2610.html (Japanese only)
Moreover, employees from Chugoku & Shikoku Branch and others participated as disaster volunteers in August. They removed mud and organized houses in the homes of those affected by the disaster in Hiroshima. In addition, the branch provided a place to store relief supplies and supplied drinks at the request of the Hiroshima City Council of Social Welfare.

Students of Shiga Prefecture Hachiman Commercial High School – the Alma Mater of Chubei Itoh II – Visit Our Tokyo Headquarters

Nine students of Shiga Prefecture Hachiman Commercial High School visited our Tokyo Headquarters on July 26 (Wed) as part of the Ohmi Merchants Revival Project. This is a training program by the school to allow students to visit various places in Japan and experience Sanbutsu mawashi (a business practice in which products purchased in cities are sold in regional towns and the special products of regional towns are sold in cities). To begin, our employees introduced the students to the history and philosophy of ITOCHU as a company valuing the spirit of Sampo yoshi (good for the buyer, good for the seller and good for society) that originated with Ohmi merchants. Next, the students sold items they had personally purchased in Shiga, Toyama, Niigata and Fukushima prefectures while making a presentation to our employees to put into practice the Sanbutsu mawashi business practice of the Ohmi merchants. We were impressed by how hard the students worked while they realized the difficulty of doing business.

ITOCHU Holds the 26th Summer Holiday Environmental Class

We held the Summer Holiday Environmental Class on July 24 (Tue). This is an event we have held every summer since 1992. Approximately 70 children of employees and students of neighboring elementary schools participated under the themes of SDGs* and Takata no Yume this year.
We welcomed Kuro Love Kyojyu as a teacher in the first part. He is a “university teacher entertainer” who belongs to the Yoshimoto Creative Agency. The students enjoyed learning about the 17 SDGs we should achieve by 2030 in a lesson in the style of a live comedy show. After that, the students chose the goals they will work on in the future and then thought hard about what they should do to achieve them.
We held the "Science Class on Takata no Yume, the rice brand of Rikuzentakata City" in the second part. Osamu Kamioka (Doctor of Science) of the JT Plant Innovation Center served as the teacher with cooperation provided by everyone in the Rikuzentakata Agriculture and Forestry Department and JT. The children learned about the marvelousness of rice using laboratory equipment as if they were researchers in addition to enjoying rice planting, threshing, hulling and polishing experiences. They were able to actually touch the rice seedlings and ears for which there are not many opportunities to encounter normally in this lesson. They could learn in one go how rice is made and ends up in their mouths.
*Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): These are sustainable development goals for 2030 adopted by the United Nations.

June

44 third grade students of Aoyama Elementary School visited Tokyo Headquarters for extracurricular study

A total of 44 third grade students of Aoyama Elementary School near the Tokyo Headquarters visited our office for a social studies class "My hometown, Everyone's hometown" on June 28. When they arrived the upper floor, they were all excited. Through the windows facing the four directions, the children curiously looked at the Jingu Baseball Stadium, Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, and New National Stadium under construction and searched for Tokyo Tower or Roppongi Hills. They eagerly wrote down whatever they saw in their notebooks and actively questioned employees and teachers about buildings they did not understand, deepening their understanding of the Minato Ward where they live.

Kobayashi, Senior Representative for Business Community Relations, Interacted with Approximately 100 Visiting Junior High School Students from Fukui Prefecture

Approximately 100 junior high school students visited our Tokyo Headquarters as part of a school trip from Fukui Prefecture – 25 third-grade students from Fukui City Meirin Junior High School on May 31st and 71 third-grade students from Wakasa Town Mikata Junior High School on June 6. Kobayashi, Senior Representative for Business Community Relations, gave them a special talk. He told these junior high school students who will lead the future about the three aspects of health (head, body and mind) and the importance of improvement of humanity and social contribution. During the question time, I was impressed by the way the students raised their awareness of working and asked questions very hard.

ITOCHU Employees Accept Homestays in a Program for Chinese Students to Observe Japan

A total of 30 Chinese university students visited Japan again this year in the 22nd Visit Japanese Enterprises and Feel Japan program from May 29 to June 5. They visited companies in the east and west, interacted with Japanese university students and experienced homestays in the ordinary homes of Japanese people as the highlight of their trip. Our employees again cooperated as host families and contributed to grassroots exchange between Japan and China this time.

Support for Brazilian students from public schools in their work experience at KidZania Tokyo

The "ANBEC Program for Work Experience at KidZania by Brazilian Students from Public Schools," hosted by the Associação Nippo Brasileira Economia e Cultura (ANBEC), as part of its educational support activities for Brazilian children living in Japan, was held on June 2nd. A total of 90 elementary and junior high school students residing in the Kanto region, who were solicited by ANBEC, experienced work at KidZania Tokyo. ITOCHU Corporation collaborated in the event with respect to the admission fees of the children and supported the vocational education of the children through work experience at KidZania.

May

Two Guangzhou Province University Student Japanese Language Contest Award of Excellence Winners Visit Our Tokyo Headquarters as Part of a Training Trip

Two Guangzhou Province University Student Japanese Language Contest Award of Excellence winners visited our Tokyo Headquarters on their prize of a training trip on May 23 (Wed). Our employees introduced them to the corporate philosophy of ITOCHU, our business in China and our sustainability efforts. We have trained 1,000 employees to speak Chinese. There were times when our employees interacted with the students in Chinese. The students were also very fluent in Japanese. All our employees were impressed. The students visited and were very interested in the exhibition under the theme of the next generation such as the environment of the Textile Company at the end. They seemed to be especially impressed by Sampo yoshi (good for the buyer, good for the seller and good for society). That was the management philosophy of the Ohmi merchants and the origin of our company. Although only for a short time, we were able to help with exchange between Japan and China through this.

Employee Donations for Damage Caused by the Heavy Rain in Northern Kyushu Used for Children in the Disaster-affected Areas

ITOCHU provided emergency support from July 11 to 31 for the damage caused by the severe rainfall centered on Asakura and Toho in Fukuoka Prefecture and Hita in Oita Prefecture on July 5 and 6, 2017. We donated a total of 1,671,360 yen to the Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan). This comprised 835,680 yen we collected from our employees and the same amount in matching funds from our company.
AAR Japan was one of the first NPOs to arrive in the affected areas after this disaster. The organization visited designated evacuation shelters to provide relief supplies and ask what help people needed. There is an especially strong need to support children. Therefore, our donations were used for the children who lost places to play when temporary housing was built on the grounds of schools. The donations were allocated to holding Play Park. This is a playground under the motif of “play freely at your own responsibility” among activities to establish playgrounds in evacuation shelters and neighboring towns. Play Park was held 12 times in FYE2018 with the participation of 1,066 children. AAR Japan will continue to provide assistance in cooperation with local organizations in FYE2019.

April

Employees of ITOCHU Tohoku Branch Participate in the Office de Boccia Para-sports Event

The All Japan Business Committee, established by the business world as one with ITOCHU also participating, held Office de Boccia in Sendai on April 24 (Tue) together with the Sendai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Tohoku Economic Federation.
This was the fourth time Office de Boccia has been held following on from events in Tokyo (twice) and Nagoya.
Boccia is an official Paralympic event. It is an event in which participants compete to see how close they can get six red and six blue colored balls to a white ball called a “jack ball” (the target ball). They can throw and roll the colored balls. They can also hit them against other balls to achieve their goal. This is an event you can play by conveying your intentions to an aide even if you cannot throw the balls due to a disability.
Approximately 250 people from 40 companies participated in this first event in Sendai. It was a great success. Although the team from our Tohoku Branch was defeated in the first round, they were able to experience the fun and depth of the Paralympic Games.

March

Supporting Recovery from the Earthquake

・15 employees of ITOCHU Tohoku Branch and others participated in the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake Recovery Support Charity Walk 2018Please see here (Japanese only) for details
・We held the Rikuzentakata Product Exhibition at our Tokyo Headquarters
・We held the Support Reconstruction through Work at a Trading Company special program for junior high school students at KidZania Tokyo
・We held the Takata no Yume science class at MOTTAINAI Kids Town TOKYO. Please see here (Japanese only) for details

February

Supporting Recovery from the Earthquake

We held an exchange game for strong youth baseball teams from Fukushima in Meiji Jingu Stadium through the ITOCHU Children’s Dreams Fund.
Please see here (Japanese only) for details.

ITOCHU Holds the 11th ITOCHU Baseball Class: High School Students Also Participate This Year

We held the annual ITOCHU Baseball Class at Meiji Jingu Stadium on February 25. We hold this class every year to allow students with disabilities to experience the joy of baseball. We also held a class for high school students for the first time this year. We invited a former Tokyo Yakult Swallows player (current team staff member) to serve as a coach on the day of the event. He taught the students how to play catch, hit balls to them so they could practice their fielding and did tee batting with them. Volunteer members of the ITOCHU Sogo-kai Baseball Club and employees of the ITOCHU Group paired up with the children to provide support. A total of approximately 150 children, members of their families and volunteers participated in this event. We were impressed by the interaction between the children and our employees through baseball.

Partner Group Companies
DAIKEN, FamilyMart, ITOCHU Human Resources & General Affairs Services, ITOCHU Orico Insurance Services, ITOCHU PLASTICS, ITOCHU Pulp & Paper, ITOCHU-SHOKUHIN, ITOCHU Techno-Solutions, ITOCHU Urban Community and NIPPON ACCESS (In alphabetical order. Corporate status omitted.)