3-1,MARUNOUCHI 2-CHOME, CHIYODA-KU, TOKYO 100-8086, JAPANFY2019 Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement
1.

About the Statement

As a company which carries out a portion of its business in the United Kingdom (hereinafter“UK”), Mitsubishi Corporation (hereinafter “MC”) has produced this FY2019 Slavery andHuman Trafficking Statement (hereinafter “this Statement”) in line with the requirements ofSection 54 of the UK Government’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 (hereinafter “the Act”).
This Statement is intended to communicate the steps that MC has taken during theprevious fiscal year (hereinafter “FY2019”) to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is
not occurring in any part of its business or supply chains.
The definitions of “slavery” and “human trafficking” are laid out in Sections 1 and 2 of theAct. However, in recognition that these issues can manifest themselves in many ways
depending on local circumstances, this Statement covers MC’s efforts to prevent any formof slavery and human trafficking; ensuring that workers are safe throughout its business
operations and supply chains; and that all relevant laws and international standards arebeing upheld.
This Statement has been approved by MC’s Board of Directors and has been signed by Mr.
Masakazu Sakakida, Member of the Board and Executive Vice President for MC.
This Statement is publicly available on MC’s website.
2.

About Mitsubishi Corporation

With offices and subsidiaries in approximately 90 countries worldwide and a network ofaround 1,700 group companies, MC conducts its business with a multinational workforce ofapproximately 86,000 people.
MC is a global integrated business enterprise that develops and operates businesses
across virtually every industry through its 10 Business Groups: Natural Gas, Industrial
Materials, Petroleum & Chemicals, Mineral Resources, Industrial Infrastructure, Automotive& Mobility, Food Industry, Consumer Industry, Power Solution and Urban Development.
MC’s current activities have expanded far beyond its traditional trading operations to1

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include project development, production and manufacturing operations, working incollaboration with our trusted partners around the globe.
For more information on MC’s business groups and their activities, please visit the followinglink: http://www.mitsubishicorp.com/jp/en/bg/
3.

MC’s Philosophies and Principles

The Three Corporate Principles – Corporate Responsibility to Society; Integrity andFairness; and Global Understanding through Business established early in MC’s history,serve as MC’s core philosophy.
MC has constantly endeavored to enhance its compliance initiatives. Measures haveincluded establishing the Corporate Standards of Conduct to set forth expectations withregard to how business should be conducted, in conjunction with developing various
compliance-related internal rules, introducing a compliance officer system, and expanding
and upgrading risk management frameworks.
MC requires employees to conduct business in compliance with local laws and regulations
as well as global standards such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights establishedby the United Nations (UN) and the core labor standards of the International Labour
Organization (ILO). It also requires employees to act in a socially responsible manner bycomplying with the highest ethical standards by pledging to follow the Mitsubishi
Corporation Code of Conduct.
4.

MC’s Commitments in Relation to Slavery and Human Trafficking

MC is committed to respecting human rights and strives to ensure that its businessactivities do not cause or contribute to adverse human rights impacts, including slavery andhuman trafficking. This commitment is expressed through a variety of channels including
the following:•MC’s Social Charter states that MC “will fully respect human rights” and will also
“fully respect fundamental labor rights and endeavor to ensure the provision ofproper working environments with consideration for safety, health and otheraspects.”2

3-1,MARUNOUCHI 2-CHOME, CHIYODA-KU, TOKYO 100-8086, JAPAN•MC’s Basic Stance on Human Rights affirms MC’s commitment to various
international standards including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, theILO International Labor Standards and the Voluntary Principles on Security andHuman Rights.

•MC is a signatory of the UN Global Compact, declaring MC’s commitment to the 10
universal principles in the fields of human rights, labor, environment and anticorruption. Principle 4 of the Compact states that MC should strive for “theelimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labor.”•MC has identified 7 Key Sustainability Issues (Materiality) for MC’s sustainablegrowth as mileposts to help MC realize the simultaneous generation of economicvalue, societal value and environmental value. Through “Procuring and Supplying ina Sustainable Manner” as one of the Key Sustainability Issues, MC will continue toimplement a sustainable approach to procurement and supply operations while
taking into account environmental and social factors not only in MC’s own businessbut also throughout the supply chain.

•MC’s commitment to respect and uphold human rights also extends to its supply
chains. In order to convey this stance to suppliers, MC created the Mitsubishi
Corporation Policy for Sustainable Supply Chain Management (hereinafter “thePolicy”), which all suppliers are expected to understand, embrace and abide by.
Article (1) of the Policy states that “suppliers shall employ all employees of theirown free will with no employee being subject to forced or bonded labor.” The Policy
goes on to further address issues such as child labor, freedom of association andsuitable remuneration.

•MC has established the Timber and Paper Products Procurement Guidelines andthe Palm Oil Procurement Guidelines, which set out MC’s stance on human rights
in relation to the procurement of those products.

5.

MC’s Activities in FY2019 in Relation to Prevention of Slavery and Human
TraffickingA) Training and Awareness Raising
MC’s policies and guidelines, including those related to respecting human rights
through its businesses and supply chains, are communicated to all new recruits andreinforced at various internal training sessions on a regular basis. These policies and3

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guidelines are also conveyed to employees of overseas businesses and affiliatedcompanies at various internal training seminars on a regular basis.
In addition, content related to child labor and the Act are incorporated into an elearning program which all executives and employees are required to take every year,
in order to cultivate a better understanding toward slavery and human trafficking ineach of the employees.
For a description of MC’s training programs and their features, please see the following
link: https://www.mitsubishicorp.com/jp/en/about/resource/training.html
B) Loan and Investment Proposal Screening
In order to ensure that the direct business operations and relationships that MC enters
into do not cause or contribute to adverse human rights impacts, all loan andinvestment proposals are vetted through a screening process that considers not only
financial and legal risks but also environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors,including human rights. MC’s ESG screening takes into account various standards
which emphasize the importance of human rights. The standards include theInternational Finance Corporation (IFC) guidelines and the Guidelines for Confirmationof Environmental and Social Considerations published by the Japan Bank forInternational Cooperation (JBIC). Further details are available via the following link:
https://www.mitsubishicorp.com/jp/en/csr/management/framework/C) Supply Chain Managementa) Formulation of Policies and Guidelines
MC strives to ensure that it does not contribute to adverse human rights impacts
throughout the supply chain. As part of these efforts, MC has established the Policy,
which is made available to MC’s suppliers.
In addition, in FY2019 MC established the Timber and Paper Products Procurement
Guidelines and the Palm Oil Procurement Guidelines, and started initiatives aiming toresolve specific issues related to those products.
b) Supplier Assessments
In order to confirm that its policies and guidelines are being upheld, MC conducts
regular supplier assessments for products that are considered to have high levels of4

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human rights risks, including slavery and human trafficking. In FY2019, MC launchedand began using the internet-based System for Sustainable Supply Chain Survey(hereinafter “the System”). In addition to improving access for suppliers to MC’s
policies, guidelines and supplier survey, the System allows MC to efficiently monitor its
supply chains in real time and take necessary corrective measures in a timely fashion.
Based on the results of the assessment, MC has incorporated a mechanism to monitor
suppliers in terms of their governance and operations, identify high-risk suppliers, anddetermine whether further surveys or site visits are required. In the event that potential
or actual adverse impacts are identified, or further improvement is deemed necessary,
MC commits to engaging with suppliers to ensure that corrective measures andimprovement plans are implemented. Should a supplier fail to take the necessary steps
to cease or prevent the adverse impacts identified, MC will reevaluate its business
relationship with the supplier. The level of communication with suppliers achieved
through these surveys and site visits provides a valuable opportunity to deepen thesuppliers’ understanding of MC’s stance on sustainability. It also gives MC theopportunity to deepen communication with its suppliers and provide them with training
and assistance as necessary.
Furthermore, in order to improve the effectiveness of the supplier assessments, MC
continuously reviews the content of the questionnaire. In FY2019, besides increasing
the number of open-ended questions, MC added a question for Japanese suppliers inorder to better understand the situation related to employment of foreign technicalinterns.
For the assessment conducted in FY2019, MC received replies from approximately
300 companies in 30 countries including China and Thailand. As previously, the resultsof this assessment are shared with stakeholders via the ESG Data Book. MC alsobegan disclosing the number and percentage of suppliers the company is working withto share concerns, solve issues, etc., in order to increase transparency and share
progress with all stakeholders.
The details of MC’s Supply Chain Management are available at the following link:53-1,MARUNOUCHI 2-CHOME, CHIYODA-KU, TOKYO 100-8086, JAPANhttp://www.mitsubishicorp.com/jp/en/csr/management/supplychain.html
6.

Looking Ahead

Within the context of its broader human rights commitments, MC recognizes the importanceof maintaining constant vigilance to identify and address any impacts associated withslavery and human trafficking throughout its global operations and supply chains. In
recognition of the salience of these issues, MC is committed to continuing to enhance its
capacity to identify, prevent and mitigate any actual or potential impacts in this field.
7.

Approval by MC’s Board of Directors

I, Masakazu Sakakida, hereby certify that the information contained in this Statement isfactual and has been approved by Mitsubishi Corporation’s Board of Directors.

July 17, 2020_________________________________________
Masakazu Sakakida
Member of the Board, Executive Vice President
Mitsubishi Corporation

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