Message from the President

Established in 1961 as a trading company with a focus on construction materials, Itochu Kenzai Corporation has since used its forward-thinking vision to develop into a leading company in the industry and a provider of diverse value, primarily in the housing sector. On July 1, 2011, we commemorated our 60th anniversary.

The motto that guides us in our actions as a company is based on three key words: Connect, Create, and Serve.

"Connect" expresses our role as a trading company with a focus on midstream business, helping to connect suppliers and buyers.

"Create" symbolizes our creation of new businesses focused on the needs of our customers, and our cultivation of new functions and value in the distribution of construction materials.

"Serve" represents our unwavering commitment to continually meeting the expectations of our customers, suppliers, employees and society as a whole.

With Japan's declining birthrate and aging population, long-term trends suggest that we are unlikely to see significant growth in the number of new housing projects going forward. However, from the qualitative point of view of housing, energy conservation, energy creation, and energy storage are becoming more important in Japan, a country which aims to create a decarbonized society. The need for safe and secure homes that can withstand natural disasters such as earthquakes and flood damage is also increasing. Comfortable homes with the latest cutting-edge home equipment are also becoming more widespread. I believe that in the future, the quality of housing will continue to improve.

It is our mission to recognize these kinds of changes as business opportunities, and provide products and new business functionality to cater to the needs of customers.

Our strengths include our access to a wealth of information supported by the combined strength and network of the ITOCHU Group, as well as our solid trusting relationships with around 1,600 customers across Japan. Moving forward, we stand firmly committed to taking on the unique challenges in the housing sector of tomorrow as only the Itochu Kenzai Corporation can.

Hiroshi Sekino
President and Chief Executive Officer