Mitsubishi Corporation Renews Five-Year Sponsorship of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art

Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) is pleased to announce the renewal of its sponsorship for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C., continuing a partnership that began in 2015. Over the next five years, MC will provide a total of $1 million in support of the Museum’s Japanese art program.

The National Museum of Asian Art, established in 1923, is home to more than 46,000 artworks, including 15,000 works of Japanese art, with a particular focus on Japanese masterpieces such as Sotatsu Tawaraya’s “Matsushima Screens” and “Cloud Dragon Screens,” as well as Katsushika Hokusai’s “Thunder God.”

As a leading center for Japanese art and culture in the United States, the museum has added 3,000 new Japanese works to its collection over the past five years and has presented a range of highly acclaimed exhibitions focused on Japanese art. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum experienced a steady increase in visitors, welcoming over 560,000 guests in 2024.

MC’s sponsorship will be used to further expand the museum’s Japanese art collection, enhance exhibition programming and research capabilities, and promote academic exchange. Through this partnership, MC aims to share the richness of Japanese culture with audiences in the United States and around the world, contributing to the continued growth and appreciation of Japanese arts.

Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) is an integrated trading and investment company that develops and operates businesses across multiple industries together with its global network. MC has eight business segments that span virtually every industry: Environmental Energy, Materials Solution, Mineral Resources, Urban Development and Infrastructure, Mobility, Food Industry, Smart-Life Creation, and Power Solution.

For more information about Mitsubishi Corporation, visit the company’s LinkedIn page.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art is committed to preserving, exhibiting, researching, and interpreting art in ways that deepen the public and scholarly understandings of Asia and the world. The museum opened in 1923 as America’s first national art museum and the first Asian art museum in the United States. It now stewards one of the world’s most important collections of Asian art, with works dating from antiquity to the present. The museum also stewards an important collection of 19th- and early 20th-century American art.

Today, the National Museum of Asian Art is emerging as a leading national and global resource for understanding the arts, cultures, and societies of Asia, especially at their intersections with America. Guided by the belief that the future of art museums lies in collaboration, increased access, and transparency, the museum is fostering new ways to engage with its audiences while enhancing its commitment to excellence.

Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the museum is free and open 364 days a year (closed December 25). The Smithsonian, which is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, welcomes 20–30 million visitors yearly. For more information about the National Museum of Asian Art, visit asia.si.edu.