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.jpg) Headquarters inMarunouchi,Chiyoda, Tokyo | |
Native name | 三菱商事株式会社 |
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Romanized name | Mitsubishi Shōji Kabushiki-gaisha |
| Formerly | Kowa Jitsugyo Kaisha Mitsubishi Shoji Kaisha, Ltd. |
| Company type | Public |
| TYO:8058 LSE: MBC Nikkei 225 component (8058) TOPIX Core30 component (8058) | |
| Industry | General trading company |
| Founded | Incorporated in 1918; 108 years ago (1918) Refounded in 1954 |
| Headquarters | Marunouchi,, Japan |
Number of locations | 121 |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Takehiko Kakiuchi (chairman) Katsuya Nakanishi (president and CEO) |
| Services | Energy Industrial finance Machinery Chemicals Construction Metal Food Consumer Goods |
| Revenue |  ¥18.61 trillion (US$169.61 billion) (2024)[1] |
 ¥1.39 trillion (US$12.7 billion) (2024)[1] | |
| ¥1.08 trillion (US$9.88 billion) (2024)[1] | |
| Total assets | ¥21.5 trillion (US$195.94 billion) (2024)[1] |
| Total equity | ¥10.15 trillion (US$92.52 billion) (2024)[1] |
Number of employees | 4,477 (March 31, 2025) 62,062 (March 31, 2025, including subsidiaries) |
| Parent |
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| Subsidiaries | Mitsubishi Shokuhin (61.99%) Lawson (50.12%) Princes Group |
| Website | mitsubishicorp.com |
Mitsubishi Corporation (三菱商事株式会社,Mitsubishi Shōji Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese generaltrading company (sogo shosha) and a core member of theMitsubishi Group. For much of the post-war period, Mitsubishi Corporation has been the largest of the five greatsogo shosha (Mitsubishi,Mitsui,Itochu,Sumitomo,Marubeni) by revenue as well as profits.[2]
The company was originally spun off from Mitsubishi & Co., Ltd, the holding company of the Mitsubishi Group at the time, in 1918 byKoyata Iwasaki. It was later split into three smaller trading companies by order of theAllied Occupation Forces, as majorzaibatsu, including Mitsubishi, were deemed the backbone of Japan's pre-war economy. These companies re-merged in 1954, once again assuming the name Mitsubishi Corporation.[3]
Mitsubishi’s operations began shifting away from the mere importing and exporting of goods in the 1960s. Starting with aninvestment in a liquefied natural gas field in Brunei in 1968, Mitsubishi rapidly moved towards investing directly in projects and companies overseas, rather than simply trading products.[4]
Today, Mitsubishi holds interests in numerous large energy, mining, chemical, and infrastructure projects abroad, which generate the bulk of the company's revenue. It also operates consumer-facing businesses, such as a 50% share in the convenience store chainLawson, along with other ventures in finance, healthcare, food, and apparel, both in Japan and overseas. In recent years, Mitsubishi has also been active in investing in technologystart-ups andclean energy projects.[5]
Mitsubishi Corporation is listed on theTokyo Stock Exchange, where it is part of theblue-chipTOPIX Core 30 and theNikkei 225 indices. It is also known as one of the highest-paying publicly listed employers in Japan.[6] In terms of global recognition, Mitsubishi Corporation was ranked 65th in theFortune Global 500,[7] and 78th in theForbes Global 2000 in 2024.[8]
The company traces its roots to theMitsubishi conglomerate founded byYataro Iwasaki. Iwasaki was originally employed by theTosa clan of modern-dayKōchi Prefecture, who posted him toNagasaki in the 1860s. During this time, Iwasaki became close toSakamoto Ryōma, a major figure in theMeiji Restoration that ended theTokugawa shogunate and restored the nominal primacy of theemperor of Japan in 1867. Iwasaki was placed in charge of the Tosa clan's trading operation,Tsukumo Shokai, based inOsaka. This company changed its name in the following years toMitsukawa Shokai and then toMitsubishi Shokai. Around 1871, the company was renamedMitsubishi Steamship Company and began a mail service between Yokohama and Shanghai with government sponsorship.[9]
Under Iwasaki's leadership in the late 1800s, Mitsubishi diversified its business into insurance (Tokio Marine Insurance Company andMeiji Life Insurance Company), mining (Takashima Coal Mine) and shipbuilding.[9] Following his death in 1885, his successorYanosuke Iwasaki merged the shipping operation with a rival enterprise to form theNippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and refocused Mitsubishi's business on coal and copper mining. In 1918, the group's international trading business was spun off to formMitsubishi Shoji Kaisha.[10]Mitsubishi Goshi Kaisha served as the parent company of the group throughWorld War II, during which group companyMitsubishi Heavy Industries (launched in 1934) produced ships, aircraft and heavy machinery for the war effort.[11]
After the war,the administration of Douglas MacArthur called for the dissolution of the "zaibatsu" corporations that dominated the Japanese economy. Mitsubishi was the only major zaibatsu to initially refuse this request, at the orders of the presidentKoyata Iwasaki, who shortly thereafter fell seriously ill.[11] Mitsubishi eventually dissolved in 1947, and under restrictive rules imposed by the occupation authorities, the employees of the Mitsubishi Shoji trading arm rebranded into 100 separate companies. Beginning in 1950, the restrictions on re-consolidation of thezaibatsu were eased, and by 1952 most of the former Mitsubishi Shoji had coalesced into three companies.[12]
The current Mitsubishi Corporation was founded by the merger of these three companies to formMitsubishi Shoji Kaisha, Ltd. in 1954; Mitsubishi listed on theTokyo Stock Exchange andOsaka Stock Exchange in the same year. It changed its name to "Mitsubishi Corporation" in 1971.[13] Concurrently with its relaunch, Mitsubishi opened fourteen liaison offices outside Japan, as well as a US subsidiary calledMitsubishi International Corporation with offices in New York and San Francisco. By 1960, Mitsubishi had fifty-one overseas offices.[14] Mitsubishi's first large-scale investment outside Japan was aliquefied natural gas project inBrunei, committed to in 1968.[13]
Along withMitsubishi Bank, Mitsubishi Corporation played a central role in international trading for other constituents of the former Mitsubishizaibatsu during the postwar era, such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and theMitsubishi Motor Company, forming a majorkeiretsu business group centered around the Second Friday Conference (Kinyo-kai) of company managers.[15]
In March 1998 the Mitsubishi Corporation received the quarterlyGreenwash Award, which alleged that it falsely portrayed its business operations as environmentally friendly.[16] As of 2009, Mitsubishi held between 35% and 40% of the worldwide market for bluefin tuna.[17][18]
In the 1950s Mitsubishi showed interest in theiron mining business in Chile which boomed after an export ban was lifted andtax cuts were introduced for iron mining.[19][20] The corporation proceeded in 1958 to purchase the iron ore deposit ofAdrianitas inAtacama Region.[20] This proved a failure as there was nomineral reserve estimation at the time of the purchase and Mitsubishi's later exploration showed them to be much smaller than originally thought.[20] In 1985 Mitsubishi Corporation inaugurated an era of Japanese investment in theChilean copper mining industry by investing inMinera Escondida.[21] Until 2010 Mitsubishi Corporation owned 50% of Compañia Minera Huasco which operated the iron mine ofLos Colorados in Chile. Compañia Minera Huasco was merged intoCompañía Minera del Pacífico (CMP) in 2010 and Mitsubishi Corporation obtained a 25% ownership of CMP; 15.9% by the folding and 9.1% by capital injection to CMP.[22][23][20] In 2011Anglo American plc sold a 24.5% stake of copper mining companyAnglo American Sur to Mitsubishi Corporation as part of a maneuver to hinderCodelco taking control of a 49% stake.[24]
By 2015 Mitsubishi was again the top-ranked general trading company by net earnings. However, Mitsubishi saw its first postwar net loss in the fiscal year ended March 2016, amid a slowdown in the Chinese economy and a slump in the commodity markets, causing Mitsubishi to lose its #1 position toItochu.[25]
In November, 2019, Mitsubishi Corporation stated that it will buyEneco, a company that focuses on renewable energy, in a deal valuing the Dutch energy firm at $4.52 billion.[26]
Berkshire Hathaway acquired over 5% of the stock in the company, along with four other Japanese trading houses, over the 12-month period ending in August 2020.[27]
In February 2024, TVS Mobility, a distribution and after-sales company, entered into a joint venture with Mitsubishi. TVS Mobility will be renamed TVS Vehicle Mobility Solution (TVS VMS), Mitsubishi will take a 32% stake in the new business by investing ₹300crore (₹3 billion) and will enter theIndian automotive market.[28]
In December 2024, Mitsubishi Corporation reported a financial loss due to unauthorized trading activities. The company's Singapore-based petroleum unit, Petro-Diamond Singapore, incurred losses of approximately $90 million (13.2 billion yen) from derivatives trading. This incident occurred when a trader who was responsible for crude oil derivatives for China allegedly manipulated the unit's risk management system and conducted unauthorized trades since January.[29] Mitsubishi Corporation stated that they discovered the issue in mid-November during a routine middle office review. The trader in question was fired and reported to the police. The company has also filed a complaint against the trader and is considering taking further legal action.[30]
Mitsubishi was the subject of a boycott by theRainforest Action Network for its role in the destruction of rainforests through its forestry activities.[31][when?]
Mitsubishi Corporation businesses are divided into eight business sections:
Of these segments, energy is the largest by far, accounting for almost half of the company's consolidated net income in the first half of the fiscal year 2015.[42]
In 2008 Mitsubishi Corporation was crowned In-House of the Year - Trading Company In-House Team of the Year at the2008 ALB Japan Law Awards.[43]
In 2023, the company’s seat inForbes Global 2000 was 75.[44]
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