ITOCHU Corporation (Headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that it has received the “Sustainable Bond Award” at the 11th Sustainable Finance Awards 2025, organized by the Research Institute for Environmental Finance (hereinafter “RIEF”). This recognition was granted in high regard for ITOCHU’s issuance of the first Orange Bond in Japan, aligned with the international Orange Bond Principles (OBP), with the aim of promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The Sustainable Finance Awards are organized by RIEF, an association dedicated to the promotion and awareness-raising of “environmental finance,” which leverages financial approaches to address environmental issues. The awards recognize financial institutions and corporations that have contributed to the development of sustainable finance in the Japanese market, the creation and provision of related financial products and services, and the advancement and awareness of market transactions.

ITOCHU has consistently promoted women’s empowerment, recognizing it as essential to enhancing corporate value. The company has advanced a broad range of initiatives, including promoting women’s participation in management and addressing challenges in work styles and career development. In February 2024, ITOCHU announced further initiatives to support women’s empowerment*. In addition to supporting its own female employees, ITOCHU is also implementing programs to support women throughout its group value chain, investing in technologies that contribute to gender equality, and strengthening business relationships with companies that promote women’s advancement.

Under its management policy, “The Brand-New Deal: Profit opportunities are shifting downstream,” ITOCHU is committed to further enhancing its brand value by listening to the voices of all stakeholders—including markets, society, and consumers—and by pursuing qualitative improvements such as the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment.