Division Strategy

The Aerospace & Transportation Project Division is involved in three major forms of transportation: air transportation using aircraft, land transportation on railroads, and maritime transportation via ships. We also take part in businesses in peripheral areas necessary to the operation of such transportation methods, including various aircraft life cycle support services;airport operation; railroad engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) projects; and railcar maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) operations. The functions of this division include those provided by our historic sales representative business as well as the multifaceted functions we exercise in the areas of asset ownership and management and investment in operating companies.

With this broad business scope and diverse functions, the Aerospace & Transportation Project Division has a business portfolio that is resilient to the impacts of operating environment changes and market fluctuations in the aerospace, railway, and marine vessel fields while also allowing for synergies between our different functions in these areas. With eyes to the period of the next medium-term management plan and to the year 2030 that lies beyond, we will continue to build our ideal business portfolio. At the same time, the Aerospace & Transportation Project Division will seek to respond to market needs related to next-generation air mobility, hydrogen-fueled aircraft, and maritime vessels that use new eco-friendly fuel sources by utilizing the skills of our staff of individuals who are highly knowledgeable in these specialized fields.

Strengths of the Division

External Environment

Businesses

Business Map

■Commercial Aircraft Sales Agent Business and Aircraft Asset Business

Sojitz has served as a sales agent for Boeing commercial aircraft for over 65 years since signing its first sales agreement with The Boeing Company in 1956. Sojitz has since collaborated with Boeing to supply passenger aircraft to airlines in Japan and currently holds the top share of the domestic market. With bases in Tokyo, Amsterdam, and Singapore, our aircraft leasing business handles operating leases, Japanese Operating Leases (JOLs), and post-sales management and remarketing of client-owned aircraft. As an exit strategy within the aviation value chain, our parts-out business takes reusable and resalable parts retrieved when aircraft are dismantled for disposal and returns these parts to the aircraft market. Through this parts-out business, Sojitz is helping to increase the business efficiency of companies in the aviation industry and ultimately improve the industry’s positive environmental impact through the effective use of resources.

■Business Jet Business

Sojitz invested in Phenix Jet Group, in 2017, and began collaborating with ANA HOLDINGS INC. in 2018. In July 2022, Sojitz acquired full ownership of Japcon Group, a company providing business jet operation and maintenance services in Japan. Business jet demand has remained strong, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and we also look to capitalize on the new demand projected to emerge after the pandemic. In addition, we are examining the possibility of conducting M&A activities for the purpose of enhancing functions so as to supply higher-value-added services that accommodate a more diverse range of customer needs and to thereby expand earnings in this area.

Sojitz Business Jets website

■Transportation Infrastructure Business

Sojitz is contributing to infrastructure development in India through collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on construction projects including a dedicated freight corridor between Delhi and Mumbai, and a high-speed railway between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The Canadian MRO company in which we invested in 2015 is also continuing to ensure steady earnings for our North American railway business. Sojitz also invested in a North American railcar leasing company in March 2021. Our goal going forward is to stabilize our earnings while broadening our scope of operations in North America so that we can leverage our accumulated expertise in a variety of ways.

■Airport Management Business

We are actively involved in the airport management business, both overseas in countries including Palau and in Japan in locations such as Shimojishima and Kumamoto. The division aims to contribute to the revitalization of regional communities through steady expansion of existing airport business operations. We are using the experience gained from these businesses to strengthen our airport management and operation functions and working to achieve synergy with other Sojitz Group businesses, including the catering business, as we seek to expand our earnings foundation.

■Marine Vessel Business

Sojitz transferred its marine vessel business from Sojitz Marine & Engineering Corporation (now Sojitz Machinery Corporation) to the Aerospace & Transportation Project Division in April 2021. The division leverages Sojitz’s extensive knowledge and vast network (including two operating bases in Japan and five overseas) in order to provide a one-stop service that encompasses a wide range of marine transport needs, including purchase and sale of new and secondhand vessels, ship chartering, freight transport, and owned vessel management.

In addition to our existing trade partnerships in matured business fields, we are aiming to convert to a fee-based revenue model by transitioning from the vessel ownership business to a fund-saving vessel management business that leverages outside capital. Moving forward, we seek to seize current green energy and digital transformation trends to enter new business fields including new marine fuels and ship demolition in order to increase the positive environmental impact of the marine transport industry.