In August 2009, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President: Masami Iijima) is launching a new Scholarship Program for Brazilian Pupils Residing in Japan, as part of Mitsui's ongoing efforts since 2005 involving educational support programs for Brazilian pupils residing in Japan that are designed to help address educational challenges faced by members of Japan's Brazilian community. The new program, which aims to create educational opportunities for Brazilian pupils in Japan, marks a shift from support implemented until last year targeting school facilities, materials, and learning aids provided to Brazilian schools in Japan.

Before the economic downturn, roughly one-third of the 30,000 Brazilian school-aged nationals between 5 and 14 years old residing in Japan are said to have attended special Brazilian schools. Since September 2008, however, Brazilian nationals in Japan have found themselves faced with a worsening employment climate, leaving students in families hit by unemployment unable to afford high tuition fees. Facing financial difficulties, these students have increasingly been forced to leave Brazilian schools which in turn has sparked significant declines in student numbers leading to closure of some Brazilian schools. Some students have returned to Brazil, while others have transfered to Japanese public schools, many of whom, grappling with a lack of Japanese language skills and other such challenges in the Japanese schools, are now facing hurdles in adapting to their new environments and are increasingly refusing to attend school. In light of such circumstances, Mitsui has elected to shift its mode of support from providing physical items used in education to instead providing direct tuition assistance to pupils-assistance deemed as better tailored to community needs-so that students of Brazilian schools in Japan may continue to attend their current schools.

Scholarships for Brazilian children in Japan of 20,000 yen per person provided to a total of 100 pupils on a monthly basis are to be disbursed through Brazilian schools in Japan to cover the cost of tuition for students in need of support. The task of facilitating scholarship payments has been entrusted to Action for a Better International Community (ABIC)-an NPO established by the Japan Foreign Trade Council, Inc. (JFTC) which itself has thus far been working with Mitsui on programs that provide educational support for Brazilian children in Japan, activities of ABIC include reviewing attendance records and grade performance of students receiving financial assistance. The schools themselves are also being asked to submit student assessments and to facilitate the program through other such means. Schools slated to receive the funds, such as Coégio Pitágoras Brasil and Escola Alegria de Saber, were selected based on recommendations made by an advisory committee made up of leaders of the Brazilian community in Japan from bodies such as the Embassy of Brazil in Japan, and the Chamber of Commerce of Brazil in Japan (CCBJ).

Mitsui has long been involved in a wide range of business dealings with Brazil, and as such we realize the importance of addressing the challenges at hand in order to further deepen the partnership shared between Japan and Brazil. Clearly, the educational challenges facing children of Japan's Brazilian community cannot possibly be resolved by one company acting on its own. However, we believe that by helping to create momentum that spreads throughout society, and by gaining the participation of other companies in the scholarship program, our initiatives toward meeting the educational needs of the Brazilian community can make a difference.

Assistance Overview

1. Current and past Mitsui initiatives to support for the education of Brazilian children living in Japan

2. Recent initiatives

In addition to the initiatives mentioned in the foregoing section, Mitsui has taken following activities to support the Brazilian community in Japan.

Notice:
This press release includes forward-looking statements about Mitsui. These forward-looking statements are based on the current assumptions and beliefs of Mitsui in light of the information currently available to it, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause Mitsui's actual results, performance, achievements or financial position to be materially different from any future results, performance, achievements or financial position expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The risks, uncertainties and other factors referred to above include, but are not limited to, those contained in Mitsui's latest annual report on Form 20-F, which has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
This press release is published in order to publicly announce specific facts stated above, and does not constitute a solicitation of investments or any similar act inside or outside of Japan, regarding the shares, bonds or other securities issued by us.