ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that it has concluded a loan agreement with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Akihiro Fukutome, President & CEO; hereinafter “SMBC”) regarding SMBC Social Issues Resolution Promotion & Support Loan. *

The "SMBC Social Issues Resolution Promotion & Support Loan" is a financing product where, at the time of loan execution, SMBC and the Japan Research Institute, Limited (headquartered in Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President: Katsunori Tanizaki) confirm the company's initiatives towards resolving social issues. They provide (1) opinions on the organization's stance towards social issues and (2) a hypothesis of a logic model (a visualization of the path to social issues resolution through business activities), along with advice for its future initiatives.
This loan agreement targets the following initiatives implemented by ITOCHU.

■Creating a rewarding work environment through initiatives such as Morning-Focused Working System and health enhancement
　Social issue aimed to be resolved: Improvement of work-life balance

■Implementation of effective measures to promote women's active advancement that meet on-site needs
　Social issue aimed to be resolved: Elimination of the gender gap

ITOCHU will aim to create "a challenging but rewarding Company" by implementing sure-footed work-style reforms that lead to the enhancement of labor productivity and corporate value.

* SMBC Social Issues Resolution Promotion & Support Loan (Press release dated July 1, 2024) (In Japanese Only)
https://www.smbc.co.jp/news/pdf/j20240701_01.pdf

(Reference Information)
Sustainable finance of ITOCHU Corporation
https://www.itochu.co.jp/en/csr/sdgsbond/index.html

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation's release “Implementation of SMBC Social Issues Resolution Promotion & Support Loan with ITOCHU Corporation” (In Japanese Only)
https://www.smbc.co.jp/hojin/financing/sustainable/pdf/0131_01.pdf