ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter "ITOCHU") announced that a meeting of the Board of Directors has decided today to establish a Women's Advancement Committee, as one of the advisory committees to the Board of Directors.

Demands for a diverse workforce are increasing in society, and the need for such a workforce is also mentioned in the revised Corporate Governance Code. In particular, providing support to drive women's　advancement in the workplace is an urgent challenge. ITOCHU believes that the development of a corporate culture that nurtures a diverse workforce not only increases its value but also contributes to the Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender equality.
The committee comprises six members: a chairperson who is an outside director, another outside director, one outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member, one director, one Full-time Audit & Supervisory Board Member, and its first female Executive Officer/General Manager, Human Resources & General Affairs Division, who has worked for ITOCHU throughout her career. Three of them are female. Atsuko Muraki, outside director was appointed as a chairperson to provide the committee with a new perspective based on her previous experiences and knowledge. ITOCHU hopes that she will lead the committee to lively discussions.

■Chairperson
-Outside Director ; Atsuko Muraki

■Committee members
-Outside Director ; Makiko Nakamori
-Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member ; Masumi Kikuchi
-Director(CAO) ; Fumihiko Kobayashi
-Full-time Audit & Supervisory Board Member ; Shuzaburo Tsuchihashi
-Executive Officer/General Manager, Human Resources & General Affairs Division ; Yoshiko Matoba

ITOCHU has always believed that the diversification of its organization is essential for its sustainable development. In 2003, it drew up the Promotion Plan on Human Resources Diversification ahead of others in the industry with a view to expanding its system to make its workforce more diverse. Its main focus was women's participation and retention. To adopt the work style reform bill designed to improve labor productivity by securing health and maintaining a strong motivation among all employees, ITOCHU has instituted initiatives in 2010 and onward, including the reform of the morning-focused working system and measures to support employees with cancer. As a result, it has successfully developed female-friendly work environment.

Meanwhile, ITOCHU is reaching a new crucial phase as female generalists who joined the company in the 2000s, when new graduate recruitment was stepped up, are entering a stage where they can become
potential candidates for managerial positions. The aim of the establishment of the committee is to review its past initiatives and current issues from a new perspective and discuss realistic measures and their implementation to further drive women's participation and advancement in the workplace.
By establishing this committee, ITOCHU hopes to develop a corporate culture that respects diverse values and nurtures challenging but rewarding work environments so all employees can demonstrate their ability to the fullest.