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On December 12, 2007, GS Yuasa Corporation, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation established joint venture company Lithium Energy Japan (LEJ) to manufacture and sell large-capacity and high-performance lithium-ion batteries.
As a measure against global warming, it is essential that the use and promotion of fossil fuel alternative energies and the further improvement of energy efficiency be pursued on a global scale. To realize these high aspirations on a global scale, these large lithium-ion batteries are an essential energy storage device and are expected to be used much more extensively in the future.
At present, the latent potential of large lithium-ion batteries has already been demonstrated across a wide spectrum of applications such as railway systems, aircraft, artificial satellites and deep ocean submersibles. Greater popularization and proliferation of large lithium-ion batteries will be the key to realizing the environmentally-friendly society that this age cries out for. As a first step towards achieving an environmentally-friendly society, LEJ aims to take a leading role in global industry, and steadily begin mass production of large lithium-ion batteries. Demonstrating how such environmental technologies as electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles and energy regeneration systems can be incorporated into society, LEJ will popularize the use of large lithium-ion batteries and thus help bring us closer to realizing an environmentally-friendly society.
At Hokkaido Bioethanol, JA Group Hokkaido and Mitsubishi Corporation are playing a central role in advancing Japan's largest scale production facility in the bioethanol transportation fuel production business. The business has been authorized as one of the "Bioethanol Fuel Usage Model Demonstration Projects", part of a national project subsidized by the government, and aims to produce 15,000 kiloliters per year in Tokachi district of Hokkaido from April 2009.
Because plants that absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are the raw material of bioethanol fuel, it is considered a renewable energy source from the "natural power of the sun and the earth." Its use is expected to expand worldwide as one of the sustainable solutions for the prevention of global warming, now a global issue. Mitsubishi Corporation, starting with this project and focusing on bioethanol, biodiesel and biopellet fuels, is strengthening its efforts in the biofuel business.
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Origin of logo
The logo symbol expresses the infinite possibilities of bioethanol and shows an image of an environmentally friendly cycle.
The gradation of colors expresses the sky, water and land of Hokkaido.
It is a representation of the development of the company and of the new fuel that stems from the rich and natural surroundings of clear blue sky, pristine water, and vast land.
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 MC agreed to a comprehensive business alliance in the medical business with Mediceo Paltac Holdings Co., Ltd., Japan's largest pharmaceutical wholesaler . Major joint projects in progress are: (i) joint investigation for the establishment of a pharmaceutical distribution business in China; (ii) the integrated joint supply processing and distribution service of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment and materials for hospitals; (iii) joint development of private brand products and related activities. MC has expertise in the management support business for hospitals that combines IT, logistics, financial services and other services as well as a network in China, while Mediceo Paltac Holdings has a proven track record in the medical field and a nationwide sales network in Japan. The alliance will leverage these respective advantages to respond to the needs of hospitals and society in a changing medical industry by conducting new businesses involving pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and medical supplies.
 The JR Sapporo Railway Hospital, owned by JR Hokkaido-Hokkaido Railway Company, was the first case among the company-owned hospitals in Japan which raised funds for rebuilding through securitization. The Construction and Building Equipment Unit of the Development and Construction Project Division is undertaking the design and construction of the hospital. Apprecia Inc., is introducing electronic medical charts and providing medical equipments. Nihon Hospital Service is undertaking the procurement of medical supplies and is in charge of material control, while Lifetime Partners, Inc., is taking a central role in the provision of consulting to improve hospital management. In this project, the know-how of MC is being augmented with the use of the networks and abundant knowledge of MC's invested companies in the medical field. It is an example of the combined power of Mitsubishi Corporation in action.
 Responding to the needs of companies across Japan that rent equipment under the nursing care insurance scheme, Nippon Care Supply has steadily expanded its business by creating a unique nursing care equipment wholesale and rental service business model. Seizing on opportunities created by April 2006 amendments to the nursing care insurance program, Nippon Care Supply intends to expand the reach of its operations into new home-based nursing care services and product sales businesses that target active seniors. To be conducted in partnership and cooperation with operators and regional medical institutions, these businesses signal efforts by Nippon Care Supply to bolster operations to help seniors lead healthy lifestyles with peace of mind.
 Create Restaurants Inc. develops and operates restaurants and food courts catering to various consumer tastes in many types of locations throughout Japan. As of December 31, 2007, it was operating 350 establishments under 108 different formats. Established in 1997, this MC affiliate has grown steadily and in September 2005 conducted its initial public offering on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Mothers market. Recently, Create Restaurants has attracted much interest for exclusive operation of food court at the 2005 World Exposition held in Aichi, Japan, and for opening MARCHÉ DE METRO inside Echika Omotesando, a shopping complex at Tokyo Metro's Omotesando subway station. Also, Create Restaurants has opened Shanghai Rohanten in Nagoya Midland Square in a business alliance with a Chinese company, and is working in a business alliance with Kissho Co., Ltd to expand the shabu-shabu Japanese restaurant Kissho.
 Digital Direct Corporation is a new type of commerce company that conducts sales through catalogs as well as TV shopping channels, the Internet, mobile phones and various other media in Japan. It operates a catalog business in a tie-up with major credit card company Credit Saison Co., Ltd., while its TV shopping business supports the businesses of broadcasters. The company's web-based business links to both the catalog and TV shopping operations. Thus, backed by powerful partner companies, Digital Direct is unfurling a unique, advanced commerce business model. Recently, the "fun style shopping" site has won the support of many users. Supported by Credit Saison, this shopping site is designed around the theme of proposing lifestyle ideas to women.
 The core services offered by IT Frontier Corporation (ITF) are "enterprise system implementation capability" based on enterprise resource planning (ERP) and "IT management service" that provides highly reliable IT management. ITF becomes an "IT Parter for Clients' Success" and offers total support for the client's IT assets. Across the entire spectrum of the IT value chain-beginning with the proposal of IT strategies and plans, including system design and integration, implementation, outsourcing services and ending with the IT management of network services, etc.-ITF's services are organically connected in a way that makes it possible to provide unified and total support of integrated IT strategies that are inline with clients' business strategies.
 Fullerenes, the third carbon molecule found after graphite and diamonds, are spherical molecules made up of pentagonal and hexagonal rings. Because of their superior chemical, physical and optical properties, their potential applications are enormous. Fullerenes are expected to be utilized in applications as varied as carbon fiber compound materials, lubricants, semiconductors, organic devices, etc. In 1996, three scientists who discovered fullerenes were recognized for their achievement with the Nobel Prize for chemistry. But three years before that, having spotted the potential of this groundbreaking material, Mitsubishi Corporation began working with fullerenes. MC has established Fullerene International Corporation, which holds a composition of matter patent for fullerenes, and created Nanotech Partners, a private equity fund for identifying and investing in promising nano-technology projects. In 2001 we founded Frontier Carbon Corporation. Through the use of the production technology, intellectual property, sales strength and expertise of Mitsubishi Chemicals, Honjo Chemical Corporation, FIC, and MC, we have succeeded in the mass production of fullerences at low cost, which had long proven difficult with previous methods. Moreover, MC is looking to have a competitive advantage in the value chain by championing applications for fullerenes. One example of this is the establishment of Vitamin C60 Bio Research Corporation, a company which is looking to capitalize on the antioxidant properties of fullerenes to develop raw materials for cosmetics.
Mitsubishi Corporation, Hitachi, Ltd, and Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. took the initiative to establish NBCI. When the group was formed, members from a wide variety of industries were sought, and as of March 2008, NBCI now has 292 member companies. NBCI is supporting broad collaboration amongst companies in different industries in an effort to commercialize nanotechnology, a field which is seen to be vital to enhancing Japan's level of international competitiveness.
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