CSR Activity Reports: FY2018

On March 27, the awarding ceremony for the IoT (Internet of Things) Project Competition was held at Singapore University of Technology and Design. The competition is organized by the faculty of Information System Technology & Design, and the students divide into teams and compete by creating prototype to demonstrate the impact of technology in solving a real-world problem. This year’s first prize was awarded to the team with the project ‘Smart Whiteboard’, which saves and organizes the whiteboard data during classes. Mitsubishi Corporation supports STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education for the next generation by contributing to the competition.

On March 26, a donation ceremony was held at the EDGET Orphaned Children Charity Association in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to recognize the project supporting job creation for women in the textile garment sector. The project provides technical training in sewing, sewing machines and start-up capital to enable the women from the deprived areas to start their own business and help them gain independence.

On March 19, a ceremony was held in Betania, Colombia to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the “Forest Ranger Families Program” which aims to support small-scale coffee growers in rural conflict regions of Colombia. Through this project, the quality of the coffee beans produced by small growers has steadily improved, which has resulted in stable sales to coffee-consuming countries including Japan. This is a big step towards improving the living standards of small growers and eradicating illegal crops in rural areas.

On March 19, a donation ceremony was held at the Critchlow Labour College in Georgetown, Guyana. The college provides affordable training and education to the youths who otherwise lack opportunities for higher education. Mitsubishi Corporation supports the creation of new courses in the fields of oil and gas business and the improvement of the existing courses in agriculture.

On March 4, a donation ceremony was held in Nghe An Province, Vietnam for the project supporting vocational training courses for underprivileged youths. The project aims to support self-reliance for the youths through vocational training of traditional crafts, such as sewing, weaving and broom making. In addition to the vocational training, wheelchairs were also presented to children with disabilities in order to improve the living standards and social involvement of these youths living in mountainous or isolated regions.

On February 21, an open panel discussion titled “Challenges and Possibilities of Creating Inclusive Societies in Japan and the US” was held at the University of Washington. Three professors from the fields of cultural anthropology, cultural psychology, and ethnic American and comparative literatures presented as panelists, as a part of the course to promote minority understanding supported by Mitsubishi Corporation. With almost 100 attendees, research results were shared on various gender and race related issues, presented from both an American and Japanese perspective, which spurred lively discussion and comments among the crowd on how to create equal and inclusive societies.

On February 6, a Project Ceremony for the educational and vocational support of the 800 children and youths in danger in Morocco was held at SOS Children's Village Dar Bouazza, Casablanca.
With the aim of establishing a stable daily life and safe homes for children, this initiative provides a variety of educational support and vocational training to promote independence in adulthood.

On January 11, a ceremony was held in Bogota to recognize the support of a project aimed at supporting small-scale cocoa producers in post-conflict regions of Colombia. Through this project, Mitsubishi Corporation is supporting 60 families in the region of Tame, Arauca who have been affected by the armed conflict for more than 50 years. Support included technical training to improve the productivity and efficiency of cacao production, which will allow the beneficiaries to market their products nationally and internationally, and in turn improve their income and quality of life.

On December 7, the top 4 winners of the Green Cross Sri Lanka Environmental Diary Speech Contest in Sri Lanka visited Mitsubishi Corporation during their stay in Japan, and presented their award winning speeches and shared their picture diaries. MC supports the Environmental Diary Program, which aims to enhance environmental awareness through environmental themed diaries, posters and drama/speech contests for 5th grade elementary school students, as well as through seminars for teachers.

On November 30, an inauguration ceremony was held in the southern farming village of Landonou for the rehabilitation of water pumps, a project Mitsubishi Corporation is supporting together with OLAM Cote d’Ivoire. Through this project, water pumps that had been neglected due to the political crisis of 2011 were rehabilitated in 12 cocoa and coffee farming villages. By rehabilitating the water pumps, the living conditions of the communities have been improved, and the villagers are now trained to do the maintenance work themselves, which will help to ensure stable access to safe water.

On November 14, the ceremony for the project of Foreign Language and IT Education at Nguyen Tri Phuong Secondary School was held at the school in Hue City, located in central Vietnam. Mitsubishi Corporation is supporting training courses utilizing IT devices to improve competence in foreign languages and information technology (IT) for teachers as well as students.

On October 29, an agreement to support the “HOLT Wheelchair Basketball Team” was concluded in the city of Ilsan, Gyeonggi-do, near Seoul. Awareness of parasports, including wheelchair basketball, in South Korea is still relatively low and as a result the sport lacks essential support. The HOLT Team participated in the 2018 Wheelchair Basketball League, and Mitsubishi Corporation (Korea) staff and their families attended a game on November 10 to cheer on HOLT and everyone came away impressed with the athletes’ efforts and skillful play. Through this kind of support we aim to improve the level of awareness of parasports.

In 1991, Mitsubishi Corporation started a scholarship program that supports international students attending universities in Japan. This year, MC is supporting 99 international students from 33 countries, representing 47 universities across Japan.
On October 19, the scholarship students were invited to MC for an exchange event. In the morning, students visited the Former Residence of the Iwasaki Family and the Mitsubishi Archives. The afternoon session consisted of group discussions where each scholar spoke about their focus of study, background, culture and the reason why they chose Japan for their study abroad. After the discussion session a reception was held to continue networking and further deepen ties with other scholars and MC employees.

The Mitsubishi Friendship Cup (Mitsubishi Yugi-Hai) 2018 Soccer Competition for Disabled Persons finals match, sponsored by 10 Mitsubishi Group companies, was held from September 13th to the 16th near Beijing, China.
Approximately 200 people from 16 teams consisting of players with hearing disabilities and with intellectual disabilities made it through the tough qualification rounds held in various parts of China to participate in the finals competition. All participants played with great intensity making for a very exciting finals tournament.
In addition, on September 15th, the women’s deaf soccer team from Japan and Korea were invited to play in international friendly matches together with the host country of China. All three countries were able to deepen grassroots relations through the game of soccer.

On September 13, an agreement to support the “Center for Study of Russian-Japanese Relations” for the second consecutive year was concluded between Mitsubishi Corporation and the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) of Russia. The Center makes a significant contribution in development of mutual understanding and research cooperation in the Asia Pacific region between Russia and Japan. MC's support will be used to provide scholarships to junior fellows of the Center.

On June 28, the Inauguration Ceremony of Trung Thanh Cultural House was held in the Tam Thanh coastal village of Tam Ky City, Quang Nam Province, the south central region of Vietnam. Tam Thanh coastal village heavily depends on fishing with many households living under the poverty line. While income from fishing has been decreasing due to recent natural and environmental disastors, many artists, art students and local citizens are working together toimprove the landscape by painting various murals and pictures on buildings throughout the village. This unique artistic touch has increased the number of tourists who visit the village in recent years. Mitsubishi Corporation privided support to renovate the Cultural House in the hope of further promoting the local tourism industry.

On May 26, the award ceremony of the Picture Contest for Japanese and Chinese Youth was held in Beijing, China. A total of 3,257 entries were received for the contest which focused on the theme of “My Dream”, depicting family, friendship, and peace. 105 entries including 2 first place prizes were awarded and a total of 18 winners from Japan and China were invited to attend the awards ceremony. The winners commented on each other's work, interacted with family members and teachers, and deepened mutual understanding.

On May 18, the Entrance Ceremony for the 2nd class of trainees comprising of 22 local youths was held at the Agriculture and Leadership Training Center operated by OISCA International, in the Madalay Region of central Myanmar. The Center provides training on agricultural techiniques to the region's youth to combat poverty in rural farming communities. Mitsubishi Corporation has been supporting the Center since its construction in 2015. Through hands-on practical training the trainees will study rice and vegetable cultivation as well as poultry and fish farming.

The Japan Association for the World Food Program* hosted a charity walk event, 'Walk the World', at Yokohama Minato Mirai area on May 13, 2018. A record high 4,707 people, including 57 participants from Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) and MC Group Company employees and families, joined the charity walk.
Participants, ranging from adults to children, enjoy a leisurely 5-10km walk along Yokohama's scenic Minato-Mirai Bay, and in doing so make a significant contribution towards the organization's aim of raising funds to end hunger and provide school meals for children in need. The Charity Walk started in 2005, and MC has been supporting the organization since 2010.

On April 25th, a completion ceremony for the Sending Language Teachers Project was held at the University of Belgrade. The project dispatches Japanese teachers to primary and secondary educational insitutions in Serbia to spread Japanese language education through out the country. The project also aims to provide employment opportunities and motivate Japanese major students and graduates from the University of Belgrade by dispatching them to institutions as teachers. Over 200 students from 17 elementary and high schools participated in the ceremony, and presented what they had learned through songs, speeches and poetry reading.

Mitsubishi Corporation has been supporting Taipei City Yangming Home for the Disabled since 2005.
The Yangming Home operates a bakery shop where high skilled members of the Home can experience vocational training. This time MC supported the renovation work of the wood deck outside of the shop which was dangerously deteriorated.
The donation ceremony was held on April 23 after the completion of the deck. The renovated wood deck now ensures safe use for everyday use including gymnastics and outdoor activities. The Home is now considering opening a cafe on the deck which will provide further opportunities for users to acquire new skills.

On April 3, a Ceremony commemorating the donation of the south gate elevator was held at the Shwedagon Pagoda, the most sacred site for the Buddhists of Myanmar, and also one of the most famous tourist spots in the country. Mitsubishi Corporation has been supporting the Shwedagon Pagoda since 2013, and hopes to continue contributing to the development of the pagoda as well as the country of Myanmar in the future.