Iwate seafood processor, Ito Shoten, today hosts a ceremony to commemorate the completion of its new refrigeration and processing plant in Otsuki, Iwate Prefecture. The construction of the plant was made possible through a 50-million yen contribution from the Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation, which complements support being provided by The Bank of Iwate.

 

Fishing hauls in Otsuki are expected to reach some 6,000 tons in fiscal year 2016, but the town’s existing cold storage facilities are woefully inadequate. For a locality whose mainstay is fishing, the Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation believes that the rapid revitalization of even a small segment of businesses providing those facilities would make a huge difference to the economic recovery of the area. This led to the decision to support Ito Shoten, an enterprise which has long played a central role in Otsuki’s fishing industry.

 

Prior to the disasters of March 2011, Ito Shoten’s cold storage facilities could refrigerate 8,000 tons of material and freeze 60 tons. The newly opened plant can handle 7,800 and 130 tons, respectively, which will enable local seafood processing businesses to execute a stable distribution of raw materials. In addition, the new facilities are automated, thereby reducing the burden on staff while at the same time increasing the efficiency of the distribution process, and allowing for an increase in the variety of fish species offered. The new facilities will employ 15 additional staff and form part of the company’s plans to create value-added and improve the brand image of local seafood products.

 

Established in 1932, Ito Shoten’s services came to an abrupt halt in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami due to extensive damage to its headquarters in Kamaishi City (also Iwate prefecture) and to its facilities in Otsuki. Efforts towards recovery have been progressing, commencing with the restart of its salmon freezing business in December 2011, and continuing with the reopening of its seaweed processing plant a year after the disaster in March 2012.

 

Nearly a thousand days have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, but the Sanriku area of northeastern Japan, which suffered immense damage from the tsunami, is still recovering from the disaster. The Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation will continue to collaborate with local financial institutions such as The Bank of Iwate as part of efforts aimed at employment creation and economic recovery in areas affected by the disaster.

 

1).    Headquarters:             1-3-4 Omachi, Kamaishi-shi, Iwate, Japan

2).    Date Established:        April 1, 1959

3).    Capital:                       1 million yen

4).    Business Activities:     Services related to the processing and sale and refrigeration and

cold storage facilities for fish, seaweed and other seafood products.

5).    Representative:          Yasuko Ito, President and CEO

 

1).    Headquarters:            1-2-3 Chuo-dori, Morioka-shi, Iwate, Japan

2).    Date Established:       May 2, 1932

3).    Capital:                       12 billion yen

4).    Business Activities:    Banking and other services

5).    No. of Employees:     1,497

6).    Representative:          Masahiro Takahashi, President and Representative Director

 

1).    Headquarters:          2-3-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

2).    Date Founded:           March, 2012 (became a foundation May 2012)

3).    Endowment:             6 billion yen

4).    Purpose:                  To contribute to the recovery of regions affected by the Great

East Japan Earthquake through the provision of scholarships and grants for NPOs and social welfare corporations, as well as for recovery of industry and job creation.

5).    Representatives:

-       Chairman, Ken Kobayashi (President and CEO, Mitsubishi Corporation)

-       Deputy Chairman, Hideyuki Nabeshima (Senior Executive Vice President, Mitsubishi Corporation)

-       Executive Director, Yasuhiro Hirota (Senior Vice President; General Manager, CSR and Environmental Affairs Department, Mitsubishi Corporation)