Mitsui USA Gives $100,000 to Tsunami Disaster Relief and Matches All Employee Donations Dollar-for-Dollar

NEW YORK--Jan. 6, 2005--Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. (Mitsui USA) announced a $100,000 cash donation in response to U.S. President George W. Bush's call to help relief efforts in southern Asia from the December 26, 2004 Tsunami disaster.

Mitsui USA's donation will be given to the American Red Cross, International Response Fund, Washington, D.C., a well-established, on the ground, organization that can deploy resources effectively.

Additionally, Mitsui USA President & CEO Hiroshi Tada announced that The Mitsui USA Foundation, New York, Mitsui USA's charitable arm, will make a special match of employee donations to any qualified 501(c)(3) U.S. charity involved in the Tsunami recovery efforts for the full month of January. The Foundation's matches will be disbursed in February to those charities close to employees' hearts.

Mr. Tada noted, "We are a community of one world, and Mitsui has long been a concerned global citizen. With such a tragedy facing southern Asia, I hope my company and employees can help."

Incorporated in the state of New York in 1966, Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. (Mitsui USA) is a leading international trading and diversified service company, aspiring to be "Your Global Business Partner(R)". The company has 11 Business Divisions and 11 offices nationwide, with about 400 employees. It operates nearly 90 consolidated subsidiaries in various industries across the country.