The activities of Japan's general trading companies have achieved
unprecedented diversity. A leader among these trading companies, ITOCHU
Corporation has seen its own evolution follow the same trend. ITOCHU is a
globally integrated corporation with offices in over 80 countries and
operations that cover a broad spectrum of industries. Annual revenues
place ITOCHU among the world's largest corporations of any type.
In April 1997, ITOCHU introduced a new way of doing business by
dividing operations into independently managed "division
companies." This was followed in 1999 by the adoption of the position
of corporate executive officer to divide more clearly the duties of top
management and the Board of Directors. The "division company"
organization facilitates prompt responses to today's borderless, rapidly
evolving markets, while leveraging the benefits of ITOCHU's immense scale.
Social responsibilities also play a central role in all ITOCHU operations.
This is exemplified by the company's acquisition of ISO 14001
certification, an international standard for environmental management
systems.
