Social Contribution in Areas of Business
Sojitz Group is working together with local communities to contribute to societies all over the world. We have named “personal connection” as one of the key concepts behind our CSR activities and are currently providing provide educational support and other assistance which directly impacts the people in these communities.
Training Future Leaders through Sojitz’s Tuna Farm Aquaculture Business
Sojitz established Sojitz Tuna Farm Takashima in 2008 in Takashima-cho, Matsuura City, Nagasaki Prefecture. Since then, the tuna farm has been engaged in the tuna farming business.
Since May 2021, Sojitz has used its tuna farming business to provide students from Kyoritsu Women’s University and Tokyo Kasei University with an opportunity to learn about the business and to experience a real business environment as part of an effort to help train the next generation of professionals and leaders. The program also aims to raise the visibility of the farm among consumers by having the participants develop menu items using tuna from the farm. Through the program, the participating students can gain experience working in a frontline industry while experiencing the characteristics and challenges of the marine products industry in Japan.
Every year in November, Sojitz Tuna Farm Takashima welcomes local fifth grade elementary schoolers to visit the tuna processing plant. The students learn about the aquaculture industry by listening to explanations on-site and getting a close-up look at the processing and shipping of the tuna immediately after they are taken out of the water, which is something that the public is not normally able to see.
In addition, about three times a year, young fishermen in Takashima-cho, Matsuura City hold an “Ocean Market” where they sell freshly caught fish. Sojitz Tuna Farm Takashima supports this event and holds a tuna carving show. Sojitz Tuna Farm is promoting initiatives to support the local community, and Takashima’s tuna has become a popular hometown tax return gift in Matsuura City. Sojitz Tuna Farm Takashima will continue to produce tuna that is widely prized for its delicious flavor while pursuing activities that contribute to children and the local community as it strives to raise recognition for its tuna.
Airport Fieldtrip for Students in Palau
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Sojitz is an investor in Palau International Airport Corporation, which has been managing operations of the Palau International Airport terminal since April 2019.
A construction project to expand and renovate the airport, including the terminal facilities, is scheduled for completion in March 2021. The airport anticipates making even greater contributions to Palau’s core industry, tourism, through an increase in the number of tourists visiting the island nation.
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In January 2020, the airport invited twenty-two students from the Japanese supplementary school in Palau to take part in a behind-the-scenes tour designed to teach them about the airport’s operations.
The students were able to view airport facilities, including the runway, that are not typically accessible to the public, and learned about the airport staff’s work.
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Every year on Halloween, the airport decorates the arrivals hall and hosts a Halloween event where local children can play and enjoy themselves.
At the Halloween event held at the end of October 2020, the airport welcomed over 400 attendees from the area—exceeding initial expectations—with the guests immediately snapping up all the Halloween treats that had been prepared ahead of time, making the event a great success.
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The airport will continue to work towards building a positive relationship with the local people.
KMI’s Social Contributions in Indonesia
Kaltim Methanol Industri (KMI), an 85% Sojitz equity interest, is located in Bontang on the Indonesian island of Borneo. It has been producing methanol made from locally-sourced natural gas since 1998, and has been contributing to job creation in the country as well as to the acquisition of foreign capital by utilizing Sojitz Group’s sales network to export its product.
Since 2017, the company has provided scholarships for two to three junior high school, high school, and university students every year. Furthermore, KMI contributes to regional English education. The company has hosted English conversation classes led by KMI employees for 62 junior high school students (from 32 schools) with the goal of improving the students’ English conversation skill, holding one class every weekend a total of 15 times. Official commendations are also awarded to students who perform exceptionally well. These classes are very well received by the local community, with the mayor of Bontang observing a class on one occasion and expressing her deep gratitude.
On the environmental front, KMI is working to safeguard the local environment and preserve biodiversity.
At the request of the local government of the city of Bontang, KMI is helping to raise trees on Borneo Island which will be used for afforestation of vacant land in the city, with the end goal of turning the space into a botanical garden. This project, called the Methanol Park project, is being undertaken in collaboration with Gadjah Mada University’s Faculty of Forestry.
Furthermore, KMI is making donations to support activities aimed at conserving the natural environment and biodiversity in Kutai National Park, which is a home to a wide variety of animals including orangutans.
Bontang is located directly on the equator, and as a way to support regional tourism, KMI renovated an old equator monument and developed a new playground nearby, and presented them to the city of Bontang in 2011. Since then, KMI has cooperated with residents to clean and maintain the monument site.