MC conducts the Mitsubishi Corporation Art Gate Program (MCAGP) as a corporate contribution to society. The program supports the aspirations and the careers of artists.

Every three months, MC holds an open call for artwork submissions from young artists to purchase 50 artworks. Each of these works of art are purchased for 100,000 yen and exhibited inside or outside MC for a set period of time. Afterwards, the works are sold at a charity auction. The full amount of the auction's sale proceeds goes to a scholarship fund for people aspiring to be fine artists.

In fiscal 2009, the second year since the program first started, eight auctions have been held. In total, 767 people have attended the auctions, and through lively bidding, 197 works of art have been sold under the hammer (bought) for a total sum of 11,001,000 yen. After deducting from this auction amount, the portion returnable to artists of the works that are sold for more than 100,000 yen, 10,116,000 yen is planned to be allocated for next fiscal year's scholarship, which will be awarded to ten people.

MC chose the name "Mitsubishi Corporation Art Gate Program" with the expectation that the program will serve as a gate for aspiring artists to form a future career.

Through having had works exhibited and auctioned in the past, many talented artists have been given the opportunity to hold solo exhibitions and have been asked by collectors to create new artwork. In this way, the program is gradually building a reputation that lives up to the intended meaning of "gate."

An important partner for MC in international contribution activities in India is the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation that was founded by Dr. MS Swaminathan who is a notable leader of agricultural advancement, and MC provides support for activities relating to agriculture, the environment and education promoted by the foundation.

As part of this support, MC donated solar-powered street lighting to villages off the electricity grid in the state of Odisha, in the eastern part of India. Additionally, on this occasion, MC supported the construction and funding of a human resource development center for ethnic minority people in the same area. The opening ceremony was held at the center on March 13.

The center, which is closely located to the research facility of the research foundation, also serves as a place for lodging for local ethnic minority people and researchers from abroad such as Europe. The center conducts education and training for local agricultural development and research into cultivation methods of many locally produced medicinal plants.

MC held the seventh charity auction for the Mitsubishi Corporation Art Gate Program on March 6 and 13, 2010 and as many as 170 people attended the event. The theme of the event was "kizuna" which means "cherished connections between people," and amidst a lively atmosphere, all 47 artworks selected for auction from those submitted were sold (17 works at GYRE in Omotesando, and 31 at the Mitsubishi Shoji Building in Marunouchi).

Those who attended were able to mingle with the artists. The artists participating for the first time could be seen working hard to improve their career prospects of becoming a professional artist, proactively enjoying conversation with guests with their own portfolio in hand.

The auction this time ended as a success thanks to the support of the many people who attended.

For a while now, MC has been providing support to the Shafallah Center in Qatar, which was established to support the autonomy and participation in daily social life of children with special needs such as infants with impaired vision and children with autism.

In fiscal 2008, MC provided support to the Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs to support the communication of children with various communication-related handicaps.

In fiscal 2009, MC decided to support the "Shafallah Medical Genetics Center (SMGC)" an organization that promotes research into genes and chromosomes that are the cause of handicaps, particularly research into total blindness and vision impairment, and on March 8, a donation ceremony has held at the Shafallah Center.

In January 2010, through our involvement in the Foundation for International Development and Relief (FIDR), MC donated two "chigiri-e" (paper collage) pictures to the surgery unit of a national public pediatric hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

After their work in November, 40 employee volunteers meticulously tore Japanese paper into little pieces and pasted them on paper to create two chigiri-e pictures, "Children Brushing Teeth" and "Children Eating a Hospital Meal" for the children of Cambodia.

This donation inspired the establishment of a "tooth-brushing class" run by the nurses each day on a continuing basis to provide tooth-brushing guidance to children.

Onsite, everyone was overjoyed with some patients' family members commenting that "because the pictures show actual daily life in the hospital, they capture the interest of the children," and nurses saying that "the pictures have inspired children to participate in the tooth-brushing class."

This occasion was the third time "chigiri-e" pictures have been donated.

MC employee volunteers will continue into the future to provide support for children in Asia.

MC held the sixth charity auction for the Mitsubishi Corporation Art Gate Program on December 5 and 12, 2009, and 120 people attended the event.

The theme of the event was "kizuna" which means "cherished connections between people," and the objective was to nurture young artists and support their careers. The 50 works that were selected from those who applied were exhibited at two places: 29 works at the Mitsubishi Shoji Building in Marunouchi and 21 works at GYRE in Omotesando. Amidst a friendly atmosphere in which visitors mingled with the artists, all works were sold.

The objectives of this program are steadily being realized such as by providing the participating artists with the opportunity for them to publicize their private exhibitions.

Since the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006, MC has been conducting "MC Volunteer Activity!," as one of its social contribution activities to promote volunteerism amongst its employees. Under this system, MC accumulates one token of virtual currency valued at 500 yen each time an employee declares his/her participation in a volunteer activity.

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, MC accumulated 6,221 tokens. Part of the proceeds of this were allocated to the the Shanti Volunteer Association, which is involved in supporting the education and culture of children in Asia, mostly in the area of library activities. This association used the funds to locally create 350 kamishibai (story-telling cards) telling the story of the "Happy Couple Living at Mt. Sasayon," which were distributed in and around Phnom Penh, Cambodia to elementary schools (57 schools), teacher training colleges and libraries to which MC had provided construction aid.

Since 1990, MC has been operating the "Experimental Project in Tropical Forest Regeneration." As part of this project, MC held a tree-planting ecotour in Malaysia on November 19-23, 2009.

This time, 33 people participated including MC staff and their families from Japan, and employees of MC Group companies. During the tour, tree planting was conducted at two locations: inside the Gunung Apeng Forest Reserve on the island of Borneo and at the campus of the national agriculture university Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) near Kuala Lumpur.

The tree planting held in the Gunung Apeng Forest Reserve was conducted together with about 50 others made up of people connected with the Forest Department Sarawak and local Bidayuh indigenous people. Guided by the local people, everyone grouped up into pairs to plant the trees. The tree-planting method conducted here followed a line-up system whereby rain-forest trees (dipterocarpaceae) were planted in rows to form the primary trees amongst second-growth forest. Each person planted 10 to 20 trees. At the UPM campus, about 600 people participated in the tree planting, including employees and their families of Mitsubishi Corporation Kuala Lumpur Branch and students of UPM. A mixed-species dense-planting method called the Miyawaki Method was followed whereby 5,800 trees of 128 different species were planted.

Despite the difficult ground conditions at both locations due to it being the rainy season in Malaysia, the entire program was completed according to schedule and many participants came away with a wish to partake in future events and to come back and see how the trees they planted have grown.

MC has been involved in volunteer activities that adapt Japanese picture books for children in places such as Cambodia, Laos, refugee camps in Myanmar (Burma) and Afghanistan by affixing local language translations.

On October 5, 2009, a ceremony for the donation of 150 picture books translations affixed by MC employees to elementary schools in Cambodia was held at Prey Nhea Primary School in Kampong Cham. Attendees of the ceremony included employees of Mitsubishi Corporation Phnom Penh Liaison Office, people from Shanti Volunteer Association Cambodia Office and officials from Kampong Cham Department of Education. Along with the picture books, the students and teachers of the host school were also presented with other items such as pens, note books and dictionaries.

Launched in 2005, MC's Global Coral Reef Conservation Project supports a wide variety of coral research through the joint efforts of industry, academia and public volunteers. The project is centered at three global locations: Okinawa, Midway Atoll, and the Seychelles.

The Okinawa research and volunteer program for 2009 was held this September at the Sesoko Station Tropical Biosphere Research Center of the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa. Eleven volunteers, including seven MC staff, supported research activities that included collecting information on not only coral reefs, but also on various plants and other marine life. The data collected from the field was then recorded and analyzed back at the research station. Researchers also gave the volunteers lectures on various topics related to corals and as well as their individual research efforts.

The Midway Atoll program for 2009 was held from July 17th to the 31st. This year's participants consisted of five volunteers from MC subsidiaries and group companies in North America along with Dr. Potts of the University of California Santa Cruz and three of his graduate students. Volunteers were busy throughout the program helping the researchers with taking samples and surveying reef organisms, as well as setting up data collection equipment underwater.

The Seychelles program for 2009 is scheduled to take place from September 11 until the 25th.

Since 1992, Mitsubishi Corporation Niigata Branch has been collaborating with local companies, governments and citizens in a social contribution activity called "For the Children of the 21st Century." This year, the program was held on August 17-23.

Under this program, which promotes international exchange amongst children of Japan (Niigata), Russia, China, and the Republic of Korea, university student volunteers act as leaders for children while local volunteers play a supporting role. So far, 947 children have participated in the program and more than 1,700 people, including students, have volunteered. As the program has been running for 17 years, the social network of exchange is gradually developing and some of the volunteers today are children who took part in the program in the past.

The program offers children who take part in it the hands-on experience of overcoming problems such as the differences in lifestyle, culture and the language of communication, and learning to understand each other with body language.

Volunteers participate for about a year, which includes preparation time. In addition to contributing to the community, MC is also contributing to developing human resources.

The Friendship Camp for Mothers and Children is a social contribution activity of MC that has been continuing for 35 years. This year, it was held twice, on July 25-27 and on July 31-August 2 at Yoshizato, Minami Uonuma City, Niigata Prefecture.

For the two events combined, a total of 298 people participated, which included 215 people belonging to 94 single-parent families living in Tokyo Metropolis and Kanagawa Prefecture, 46 MC employee volunteers and other organizing staff.

The camp offered a broad program of activities including mountain hiking, playing in the nearby river, and making and enjoying a campfire. For the children, the camp was an opportunity to play freely amongst nature, while for mothers, it was a chance to forget the daily work and housework and enjoy camping. The camp also aimed to allow mothers to network amongst themselves.

In the total history of this activity, 15,642 mothers and children and 664 volunteers have participated. This activity exemplifies MC's motto for its social contribution activities, namely, "continuation" and "employee participation."

As one of the measures for international contribution made possible by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government's support of international exchange through higher education, MC collaborated with Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU), an international university with students from more than 80 different countries and regions, to support the UAE Children's Education Program.

This program shall be held for one week on July 5-11, 2009 for the purpose of promoting understanding of Japanese culture. Ten people, eight high school students and two leaders, shall be selected by the UAE's Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), an organization promoting education that is chaired by UAE's Crown Prince, Mohammed, to participate in a summer camp organized by APU (held at the university's campus in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture).

This year is the first time the summer camp is to be held, and the program itinerary aims to give UAE high school students real-life experience of Japanese lifestyle and learning environments as well as the opportunity to socialize with Japanese high school students. MC plans to get acquainted with the students during a scheduled visit to MC's Tokyo Head Office in Marunouchi on July 10.

Before the start of the summer camp, on June 29, the participating students and their leaders, along with other local representatives such as from ADEC shall attend a send-off party hosted by Japan's ambassador to UAE at either the ambassador's official residence or the Japanese Embassy.

MC shall continue in the future to utilize its globally expansive network and stay accurately informed for the current situation and needs of the societies of the respective countries and regions. While further enriching activities of international contribution that we have undertaken at each of our offices, we also aim to actively promote new initiatives.

LONDON (14th April 2009) - Following its annual meeting of Trustees on the 6th April, the Mitsubishi Corporation Fund for Europe and Africa (MCFEA) has announced a program of ﾂ｣350,000 in new grants, including a 2-year grant to FARM-Africa, an initial 1-year grant to the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and support for the Zoological Society of London's new Animal Adventure Exhibit at London Zoo.

The 2009 funding programme also includes continued support to Bird Life International's "Spring Alive" project, to promote children's interest in nature and conservation through tracking the arrival of migrating birds in spring; to Concern Universal, for a project promoting the economic empowerment of small-scale agricultural producers in Guinea; to Fauna and Flora International, to promote environmental capacity building in Romania; to Peace Parks International, for sponsorship of natural resource management students at the Southern African Wildlife College; to the Regional Environmental Centre for Central & Eastern Europe, to improve education in conservation and biodiversity for local school children in Western Bulgaria; to Earthwatch Institute (Europe), including support of its annual events programme; to WaterAid, in support of three community organisations working to improve water supply and public sanitation and health in Maputo, Mozambique; and core funding to Botanic Gardens Conservation International for the 16th consecutive year.

Press Releases

(Japanese) http://www.mitsubishicorp.com/jp/ja/pr/archive/2009/html/0000006712.html

MCFEA

(Japanese) http://www.mitsubishicorp.com/jp/ja/csr/contribution/international/europe.html

(English) http://www.mitsubishicorp.com/gb/en/csr/mcfea.html

MC supports the activities of Urawa Reds Heart-full Soccer and commencing this fiscal year, it will support "Urawa Reds Heart-full Soccer in Asia."

The event in Japan was held on Ground 3, Saitama Stadium 2002 on Wednesday April 29, a public holiday.

It was a lively event with a record number of about 500 soccer fans applying for the 200 spots available. MC employees participated as volunteers, providing support for the soccer school.

The event in Hong Kong was held from May 3 to 6. In addition to holding soccer school for approximately 220 of local children and students attending elementary and junior-high school for the Japanese, there were also interviews and a talk show featuring the coaches, which was enjoyable for parents and children alike. Even in Hong Kong, the Urawa Reds have a following and the event attracted local media attention. The event finished with a big success thanks to the efforts of coaches, organizing staff and employees of Mitsubishi Corporation Hong Kong. After the event locals expressed a wish for the event to be held again in Hong Kong.

Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) has been implementing the "Global Coral Reef Conservation Project" since fiscal 2005.

MC contributes to the activities to conserve the coral reefs of the world for the future at three global locations, Okinawa, Midway Atoll, and Seychelles. The research and activities that have been carried out thus far at Okinawa have been compiled in an interim report. The report presents an analysis into the causes of coral bleaching based on data obtained by the project and provides concrete targets for future initiatives.

MC, as part of an industry, academia and general public partnership, which includes universities and environmental NGOs, is energetically continuing to promote the Global Coral Reef Conservation Project.

October last year, Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) donated two ambulances to the Mohammed V Solidarity Foundation, which is involved in developing the social infrastructure in the Kingdom of Morocco. The vehicles were temporarily put under the care of a training center for the disabled in the city of Salé belonging to the foundation. They now have been handed over eventually to two villages, Bouarfa and Figuig for use in medical activities. On April 7, a ceremony marking MC's donation was held at the aforesaid center.

At the ceremony, first there was a tour of the training center and then there were speeches by both the foundation and MC. This was followed by a photo session and an informal chat. From the two representatives from the villages who attended, representatives from MC received handshakes of gratitude and explanation on how the ambulances were going to be used in each village.

Mitsubishi Corporation Manila Branch presented material in a panel exhibit at the "Eco-products International Fair 2009," which was held in Pasay City, Manila, Philippines from March 19 to 22. MC Manila Branch also used the details of the panel exhibit and MC's Sustainability Report to showcase MC's efforts regarding environment-related businesses and CSR activities at an international conference that was held concurrently with the fair.

The Eco-products International Fair is an annual event held in cities in South East Asia that began in 2004 and is the biggest international environmental fair in Asia for environmentally-friendly products and services. This year's gathering was the fifth time the fair was held and it proved to be the largest ever with 128 companies and organizations from the Philippines and across the world participating and roughly 60,000 people visiting during the event.

On March 21, 2009, staff volunteers from Mitsubishi International GmbH and their families, 23 people in all, took part in an organized event to beautify the city of Duesseldorf, Germany. This is an event where citizens of Duesseldorf work together to pick up litter from parks, recreation fields and river banks of the Rhine River and generally clean and tidy the city. The volunteers of Mitsubishi International GmbH, consistent with the spirit of contributing to society in regions where MC is active, cleaned up the river banks of the Rhine River, which runs close by the company's office. Although this year was the first time for staff and families to actually participate, as last year's gathering was unfortunately cancelled due to bad weather, the company plans to make this an annual event for years to come.

MC, as part of its regional social contribution activities in Algeria, provides support to the Family & Popular Mutual Help Association (FPMA), a local NGO that provides work training to people with impairments. On March 17, 2009, a ceremony to donate an easy-to-use printer was held at a new training facility, which currently assists 75 trainees. The trainees use such equipment and materials to gain technical skills to create business cards and other printed materials, thus providing them with a means to earn an income.

The Bardo Museum in Tunisia boasts the world's best mosaic collection and is hailed as the Louvre of North Africa. Commencing fiscal 2008, MC has decided to provide support to the museum in the areas of education and cultural asset protection. On March 18, 2009, a ceremony was held at the museum's library for the donation by MC of PCs and large screens for student education. In 2004, MC supplied the Museum with audio visual equipment and materials as part of voluntary cultural assistance. In January 2008, MC donated a pickup truck to the museum as part of MC's regional contribution policy.

The 50th "Marunouchi Citizens' Environment Forum" was held on March 3, 2009, at MC's Marunouchi Office. This forum has been held jointly by Mitsubishi Corporation (MC), Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. and Japan Airlines since 1993 for the purpose of raising awareness of environmental issues and is open to the public.

On this occasion around 280 people were in attendance to mark the 50th time the forum has been held.

From February 27 to March 1, 2009, staff volunteers of Mitsubishi Corporation took part in afforestation activities in Kaili, Guienou as part of a project for the China Green Foundation, one of China's largest NGOs. Around 40 staff volunteers, who came from places such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangenou, took part in these activities. Although the staff volunteers all work for the same company in the same country, it was a rare opportunity to meet each other, and work together in afforestation efforts. It was also an opportunity to talk with local government authorities and the local residents, making it a rewarding three days for all who volunteered.

As part of its social contribution activities, MC has helped to create and distribute supplementary learning material, entitled "Industry and Trade Linking the World", for 5th and 6th grade elementary school students in Tokyo.

The learning material provides an easy-to-understand explanation of the role of Japan in international society by using an illustrative style to explain the activities of a general trading company. The learning material was created to be compatible with established learning methods and it was designed to be used during Social Studies, or the "Periods for Integrated Study."

MC takes part in various forms of social contribution activities both in Japan and across the world. MC considers its contribution to the field of children's education to be an important activity that helps to promote a bright future for the world and plans to continue proactively engaging in similar activities in the future.

MC has begun a work training support project for youth in impoverished areas of Dhaka in cooperation with a prominent local NGO as part of MC's commemoration of fifty years since its establishment of the Mitsubishi Corporation Dhaka Office. This project will utilize existing facilities and will accept 50 students each year to train for a total of three years. Two work training courses will be offered: refrigerator and air conditioning equipment; and machine sewing technology. The funds donated by MC will be used to pay for operating expenses incurred by the training program. On February 24, a heart-warming ceremony marking the start of classes was held at the training facilities and included fifty young men and women, all wearing a hand-made design of the 50th anniversary of MC Dhaka Office on their shirts. Representatives of the new trainees voiced their gratitude in both words and song at the ceremony.

MC has started supporting the operating and expansion of "Shafallah Center," a facility for education and rehabilitation of children with special needs, which was established in 1998. On February 16, a signing ceremony, where commemorative gifts were exchanged, was held at the facility. The Center was established by the behest of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned and MC also contributed funds towards some of the construction costs. Currently, the facility has about 400 students and 300 staff members, but also plenty of demand for a much needed expansion of staff and facilities as some 300 would-be students are in waiting for support from the Shafallah Center.

Tanzania's World Heritage listed Ngorongoro Conservation Area attracts more than 460,000 visitors annually from around the world. However, the interpretive center at the gate entrance has not been renovated since it was constructed in 1989 and it is becoming increasingly dilapidated. MC has decided to donate funds to renovate the facilities, so that this interpretive center can function as a symbol for the entire conservation area. On February 5, a signing ceremony was conducted at the Tanzania's Ministry of Natural Resources & Tourism.

As concerns about global warming and energy shortages continue to grow, solar energy is now attracting widespread attention in Europe and around the world as a promising next-generation energy source. MC is now actively developing its solar power business.

MC launched operations of photovoltaic (PV) power generation facilities installed atop the MC's Marunouchi Office. The facilities will produce approximately 10,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year. This is roughly equivalent to half of the electricity used to power fluorescent lights on the 4th floor, where the office's meeting rooms for visitors are concentrated. A monitor displaying information about the state of power production has been installed in the lobby in an effort to inform visitors about MC's environmental business.

MC has granted a fund to establish a solar power system to a project called Tenchi-no-mori, which is being implemented on land at the back of Ibusuki Shrine by non-profit organization The Group Effort to Revitalize Jomon Forest. The aforementioned group is based in the city of Ibusuki in Kagoshima Prefecture and is actively revitalizing rich nature through such efforts as survey-work and conservation of ancient trees. For two years it has been establishing a biotope in land at the back of Ibusuki Shrine, and now it has decided to use a solar power system to serve the motive energy needs of an experiential rice paddy, thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions and promoting the creation of better forest environments.

Tenchi-no-mori is located in a mostly-broad-leaf woodland where there is a proliferation of wildlife including various birds, killifish, and insects such as the Luciola cruciata (firefly). There is an observation hut for nature watching and walking track, which are used by the local community for a relaxing forest experience. The purpose of the experiential rice paddy is to give local children the rewarding experience of planting and harvesting rice, and then eating rice-balls that they make from their own harvest. Future plans for Tenchi-no-mori include it being a place of forest environment education for local elementary-school students and their siblings and parents.

MC has designated a foundation created by Dr. MS Swaminathan, the father of India's "green revolution", as an important partner for CSR activities in India. Through its support of programs conducted by this foundation, MC has commenced an aid program that seeks to foster the development of agriculture in India. Last November, a ceremony was held in India, in which President Kojima announced MC's plans to make contributions to the foundation for the next five years.

In 1971, a national children's library was established in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire's largest city. Time eventually took its toll on the library, and MC volunteered to refurbish the facilities. This included renewal of the interior and the air conditioning system as well as the purchase of computers, chairs and other items. The dedication ceremony was held this past November, and MC has helped to provide a place where children in Cote d'Ivoire can enjoy books.

In 2008, MC commenced a ten-year aid program in Mexico in cooperation with Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE). MC kicked off the program by donating a garbage truck to the city of Tuxpan in Veracruz, where MC is developing a project as an Independent Power Producer (IPP). MC will continue to work with CFE to identify and implement quality projects that contribute to the lives of local residents.

A tour of Borneo and the Malay Peninsula was conducted from November 22-27 in an effort to promote awareness about Mitsubishi Corporation's Tropical Forest Regeneration Experimental Project, which was launched in 1990. Approximately 40 people participated, including Mitsubishi Corporation staff, their families and employees of Mitsubishi Corporation Group companies. In addition to participating in tree planting events at three sites, tour members also went trekking in a national park and joined in exchanges with local residents. Participants came away with a new appreciation of the importance of tropical rainforests and the global environment as a whole.

Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) is supporting a program that allows people with impairments to view cultural exhibitions by providing exclusive access to museums after closing hours. The program has been held 20 times since April 2006 with the support of volunteers from MC. A total of 3,000 people have already taken the opportunity to view exhibitions at the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, the National Museum of Nature and Science, and the Science Museum.

On October 12, approximately 200 people with impairments, assisted by staff volunteers, visited the Edo-Tokyo Museum to view Japan's first ever exhibition of exquisite ukiyoe prints from Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. MC and its partners plan to continue this program in the future.

The Autumn Camp at Lake Yamanaka was held for children with learning disabilities on October 11-13 in Yamanashi Prefecture. The camp, which Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) helps to fund, has been organized every autumn since 2003. The program gives the children the freedom to choose from a variety of activities in order to accommodate their individual interests and abilities. Four staff from MC, who volunteered to serve as camp leaders, joined the children as they enjoyed boating, hiking and other activities, against the beautiful backdrop of Lake Yamanaka in autumn.

On Saturday, October 4, 2008, at the Mitsubishi Corporation headquarters in Marunouchi an auction was held of 40 works of art focusing on the theme of "Living with Nature," which MC had purchased by public invitation. About 170 people of the general public attended the auction.

The art works were exhibited at the auction and the artists also attended. The people attending the auction embraced the opportunity to mingle with the artists and the auction commenced in a congenial atmosphere. One artist, whose comment was representative of the general consensus, said, "the experience of witnessing the process of one's own artwork being put under the gaze of many eyes and then being handed over to someone by auction was tremendous motivation to continue my art activities. I would like to apply for the 'Art Gate Program' again." The first auction was a tremendous success with all the art works getting sold under the hammer.

CSR and Environmental Topics has been updated.

MC donated to the Ayala Foundation, which is now promoting GILAS (Gearing-up Internet Literacy and Access for Students), an initiative to expand Internet access in public high schools. The funds were used to equip 22 schools with Internet access. Launched in 2005, GILAS seeks to equip all of the nation's public high schools with Internet access in five years. MC and the Ayala Group have cooperated on various ventures in the Philippines since 1974.

Launched in 2005, MC's Global Coral Reef Conservation Project supports a wide variety of coral research through the joint efforts of industry, academia and public volunteers. The project is centered at three global locations: Okinawa, Midway Atoll, and the Seychelles.

The second research and volunteer program for 2008 was held this September at the Sesoko Station Tropical Biosphere Research Center of the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa.

Ten volunteers, including five MC staff, supported research activities that included collecting information on not only coral reefs, but also on various plants and other marine life. The data collected from the field was then recorded and analyzed back at the research station. Researchers also gave the volunteers lectures on various topics related to corals and as well as their individual research efforts..

The Midway Atoll program held from August 15th to the 29th consisted of 4 volunteers from MC subsidiaries and group companies in North America along with Dr. Potts of the University of California Santa Cruz and two of his graduate students. The 4 volunteers helped the researchers with various tasks, including some that followed up on work done by previous MC volunteers.

The Seychelles program held from August 14th to the 28th consisted of 11 members including volunteers from the UK, Poland and Madagascar. Volunteers helped the researchers collect and analyze data in order to find ways to help protect the corals from sudden rises in sea temperature brought on by climate change.

Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) is teaming with Orascom Telecom to support underprivileged children in Egypt, where street children are a major social problem. A signing ceremony for the project was held September 24. This year, MC will donate 12 million yen to fund educational programs and the construction of a youth center, which will be headed up by a local charity organization.

This year, Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) is a main sponsor of charity runs being organized by Japan's National Council of YMCAs in 13 locations across Japan. The event features a nine-kilometer course that is run by teams of six as a long-distance relay. The charity run has been held every year since 1987 and this year marks its 22nd year. The run in Tokyo was held on September 23 at Yoyogi Park and seven teams from MC's head office participated. Each team ran hard and successfully completed the race.

All proceeds from the event will go to fund outdoor activities for children with impairments. After the Tokyo event, additional charity runs were also held in Osaka, Nagoya and Hiroshima.

Since 2006, Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) has supported the development of a website to introduce small and medium industries in Indonesia. A signing ceremony marking phase III of the project was held on September 22 when MC President Yorihiko Kojima visited Jakarta. Since being launched, the website has had a large impact and it is contributing to the development of small and medium industries in Indonesia. MC will provide 30 million yen for the project over three years.

The Friendship Camp for Mothers has now been held for more than three decades. It was held again this year, from July 26 to July 29, in Niigata Prefecture. A total of 175 people were on hand at the camp, including 129 mothers and children from 56 single-parent households in the Tokyo area and 26 employee volunteers from the MC Group. It was an unforgettable four days for camp participants and volunteers alike, as they went on nature hikes, frolicked in the river and sung songs around the campfire. We asked some volunteers and participants to share their experiences with us.

Elena Yu Gagarina, General Director of the Kremlin Museum, meets with Tetsuaki Omura, General Director of the Moscow Office, at the exhibition hall

An exhibition focusing on Japanese samurai was held at the Kremlin Museum in Moscow from May 21 to July 16. MC donated 50,000 dollars (approximately 5 million yen) as a supporter of the event.

The exhibit featured treasures of samurai families dating back to the 10th century. The collection, from the Tokyo National Museum, included invaluable cultural assets, such as Noh theatre costumes, swords and a wide range of other articles. Attracting upwards of 60,000 visitors, the exhibit proved to be an excellent opportunity to introduce Japanese culture to the people of Russia.

In June 2008, MC launched the Mitsubishi Corporation Art Gate Program ("MCAGP") in order to foster the development of talented young artists. Specifically, the program seeks to support students and recent graduates of arts schools in Japan, who lack opportunities to display their work. The MCAGP will purchase as many as 200 works of art from such artists each year. The works will subsequently be sold through auctions, after being displayed at the Marunouchi Office and other venues. The proceeds will be a scholarship for the artists.

The MCAGP will periodically invite artists to submit artwork and hold auctions. Through these auctions, MC aims to foster a culture where people don't just view art, but also seek to buy art and support artists.

Launched in 2005, MC's Global Coral Reef Conservation Project supports a wide variety of coral research through the joint efforts of industry, academia and public volunteers. The project is centered at three global locations: Okinawa, Midway Atoll, and the Seychelles.

The project in Okinawa, led by Professor Yoshimi Suzuki of Shizuoka University, is a partnership among Shizuoka University, the University of the Ryukyus and Earthwatch Japan (an international environmental NGO). Research is now underway on the causes and mechanism of coral bleaching*, as researchers continue to work towards their ultimate objective of establishing and disseminating scientific recovery methods.

The first research and volunteer program for 2008 was held this May at the Sesoko Experimental Site of the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa. Nine volunteers, including five MC staff, supported research activities by collecting samples of seawater and sediment as well as recording and analyzing ocean data. Researchers also gave the volunteers a lecture about corals. A second volunteer program in Okinawa is scheduled for autumn.

*1Coral bleaching occurs when the zooxanthellae that live inside the corals vacate the corals due to environmental stress, such as changes in ocean temperature, causing the color of the coral to fade to white. In such cases, the coral will likely die out unless the zooxanthellae return.

There has long been a chronic shortage of maternity hospitals in Senegal. Based on a proposal from the Dakar Liaison Office, MC decided to support medical care there by constructing two maternity hospitals near Dakar as part of its 2007 Regional Aid Program.

Dignitaries such as the Japanese ambassador and other related parties attended an opening ceremony for the hospitals this April. Many local residents also turned out for the event, underscoring the community's high expectations for the hospitals.

A charity book sale was held on April 16 -17 in the Nakadori Building, next to the Marunouchi Office, marking the first joint project between MC's Employees Union in Japan and the CSR and Environmental Affairs Office. The book sale featured 1,800 used books donated by MC employees, including novels and books on business, hobbies and art. The books were sold internally to MC staff, at a standard price of 100 yen.

Nine staff volunteered to help run the book sale and more than 300 staff visited the sale over two days. Approximately 80,000 yen was raised on sales of roughly 800 books. The proceeds will be donated to the Foundation for International Development/Relief^*1 and are to be used to cover expenses for meal services at the Cambodia National Pediatric Hospital. Unsold books will be donated to Dream-V^*2, a social welfare corporation.

*1The Foundation for International Development/Relief (FIDR) is a private organization engaged in international cooperation. It was established in 1990 with a donation from Tojuro Iijima, the founder of Yamazaki Baking Co. FIDR's mission is to provide "care for children" and to promote "international cooperation by Japanese companies and Japanese people." Its activities encompass Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Japan.

*2Dream-V is a vocational facility supporting people with physical or intellectual impairments. It has formed a business tie-up with a major Japanese usedbook store chain and now collects used-books from the public.

Following its annual meeting of trustees on April 3, the Mitsubishi Corporation Fund for Europe and Africa (MCFEA*) announced a funding program for 2008 totaling 340,000 pounds (approx. 68 million yen), including 60,000 pounds (approx. 12 million yen) in increased funding to expand support for projects in Africa. While the details of where the additional funding will be allocated are currently under discussion, the MCFEA has already confirmed the following projects:

1. WaterAid's Work in Mozambique
   WaterAid, a UK-based international NGO, is working to provide safe domestic water and hygiene education in poor communities in Mozambique. The MCFEA has supported WaterAid since 2003 and plans to provide funding again this year.
2. Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) of South Africa
   PPF is a not-for-profit organization established in 1997 by Dr. Anton Rupert, Dr. Nelson Mandela and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. The project seeks to create employment opportunities for local people while also supporting the conservation of biological diversity. Over three years, funding from the MCFEA will support training for 240 university students studying natural resource management in South Africa.
3. Earthwatch's African Fellowship Program
   Earthwatch Institute, an international environmental NGO, conducts programs that engage volunteers in scientific field projects. The MCFEA will provide funding for Earthwatch's African Fellowship Program, which supports the participation of African researchers and students in these projects.

*About the Mitsubishi Corporation Fund for Europe and Africa (MCFEA) The MCFE A was established by MC and Mitsubishi Corporation (UK) PLC. in 1992 to promote education and research related to environmental conservation and to support poverty alleviation. Since its endowment was established, the MCFEA has supplied total grants worth more than 1.35 million pounds (approx. 270 million yen).