The Mitsui name has a long-standing history in Australia that spans 122 years. Our predecessor company (the former Mitsui) was one of the first Japanese multinational companies to open an office in Australia, and it quickly became a key player in the emerging trade between Australia and Japan at the start of the 20th century – particularly in wool, cotton, wheat and non-ferrous metals. Since the 1950s, the current Mitsui & Co has played a pivotal role in promoting the development and expansion of Australia’s key export commodities – coal (1950’s-), iron-ore (1960’s-), salt (1970’s-), LNG (1980’s-), oil, forestry products, beef (1990’s-).
Mitsui & Co. (Australia) values the strong relationship between Australia and Japan as a key to the success of its business. In 1971, the former Chairman and Managing Director of Mitsui & Co. (Australia), Mr Ken Ejiri AC established the Mitsui Educational Foundation (MEF) to build stronger ties and promote mutual understanding and friendship between Japan and Australia by introducing Australian university students to Japanese culture, history, business, industry, and contemporary lifestyles through an annual tour of Japan. To date, 396 Australian students have participated in this program and we celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021. Similarly, Mitsui is one of the first private companies to publicly announce support for Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan, launched in 2014, by providing Australian university students with opportunities to learn about Japan and Mitsui through various site visits and seminars. To date, a total of 106 students have participated in the program.
Key Milestones
1901: Former Mitsui opened an office in Sydney in the same year Australia became an independent nation.
1925: Former Mitsui shipped a record 40,000 tonnes of Australian wheat to Japan.
1947: Former Mitsui disbanded by the order of GHQ. Daiichi Bussan was established, later changing its name to Mitsui & Co.
1955: Current Mitsui entered Australia and quickly started exporting Australian agricultural and mineral commodities to Japan.
1970: Joined the Robe River Iron Ore Joint Venture, with its first shipment to Japan in 1972.
1971: Established Mitsui Educational Foundation to build stronger ties and promote mutual understanding between Japan and Australia through cultural immersion programs for Australian university students.
1973: Invested in the Shark Bay Salt Joint Venture in W.A.
1985: Joined the Northwest Shelf Joint Venture, with the first shipment of LNG to Japan in 1989.
1995: Invested in the Bunbury Tree farm Project to support our growing woodchip export business.
2007: Became the largest shareholder of Sims Group – the world’s largest metal recycler.
2014: Mitsui became one of the first private companies to publicly announce support for Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan by offering educational programs to Australian university students.
Message from Masato Sugahara
Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Mitsui & Co. (Australia) Ltd.
COVID-19 has underlined the importance of strong environmental, social and governance principles and the need for sustainable and resilient solutions. Amid the disruption brought on by the pandemic, we must continue to focus on how our business can move forward, invest for growth and prosper in the broader economic context. Ensuring that we will be here in the long-term and we will be sustainable in the long term.
Working closely with our parent company, Mitsui & Co. Australia’s goal is to embed sustainability into everything we do. We recognise that our success is linked to meeting the needs of the present in a way that helps future generations. As society’s expectations of businesses continue to evolve, it is by focusing on delivering long-term sustainable value for our stakeholders that we can make the greatest impact.
Our vision is to build a mindset of integrity, sustainability and compliance in our employees. Our management style and board structure emphasises solid governance, fairness and transparency, empowering us to deliver.
We take this vision seriously – because it is the right thing to do and because it is integral to our collective success. Over the years, we have brought it to life through effective and lasting initiatives. We continue to explore opportunities to provide energy solutions, and invest in our employees and young Australians through our training and educational programs.
As we advance, we will continue to progress the positive social and environmental impact of our business. Mitsui & Co. Australia is committed to not only comply with the Australia’s Modern Slavery Act but to understand the human rights risks relevant to our business, and to take actions to address these risks. We are committed to continue to work closely with our parent company to address climate change issues relevant to our investments towards our goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
We are dedicated to working closely with our group companies to engage them in our sustainability efforts. I look forward to continuing to advance our endeavors in Australia and across the region for the benefit of the environment, our partners and society more broadly.
Links:
The content of these webpages has been prepared by the respective member companies of the AJBCC and JABCC. Any comments, opinions or beliefs expressed in the pages are those of the relevant organisation alone. They do not represent the views of the Committee (or any of its officeholders or other members), and we do not assume any liability for them. If you have any concerns please contact us on contact_us@ajbcc.com.au
Receive the latest news and reports from the AJBCC Subscribe Now