Mitsui &amp; Co.Mitsui &amp; Co. Mitsui & Co. History. The company was established in 1876 with 16 members including the founder, Takashi Masuda. As Japan's international trading was dominated by foreigners since the end of the Edo period, it aimed to expanding business owned by Japanese citizens. By the end of World War II, it became a dominant trading giant, but was dissolved by the order of GHQ. The current Mitsui & Co. was established in 1947 as Daiichi Bussan Kaisha, Ltd. ("First Bussan Corporation Ltd"). In 1959, it merged with several other trading companies and changed its name to Mitsui & Co., Ltd. During Japan's  period of rapid postwar economic growth, the firm was a key player in several major natural resources projects. In 1971, it took a stake in an offshore gas field near Das Island in Abu Dhabi, which supplies liquefied natural gas to Japan on an exclusive basis; it invested in a major Western Australian LNG project in 1985 and in the Sakhalin II project in 1994. Its subsidiary Mitsui Oil Exploration's MOEX Offshore had a 10% stake in the "Deepwater Horizon" well in the Gulf of Mexico through a subsidiary, and in May, 2011, MOEX agreed to pay US$1.07  billion to settle British Petroleum claims against it over the explosion and oil spill at the well. Some analysts had thought BP would realize a larger settlement from MOEX but there was also relief to have a first step toward resolving the multiple claims. 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. Business areas. Mitsui engages in six major business areas: Mitsui & Co. History. The company was established in 1876 with 16 members including the founder, Takashi Masuda. As Japan's