Apr. 01, 2026Marubeni Corporation
On April 1, newly hired employees for FY2026 (recent graduates of university or post-graduate programs) officially began their employment at Marubeni Corporation. They were welcomed to the company by President & CEO Masayuki Omoto, who gave the following address at the start of new employee orientation at the Marubeni Tokyo Head Office.
To all of my new colleagues: On behalf of everyone at Marubeni, I wholeheartedly welcome you all to the company. Today is your first day—a day where you will join your Marubeni Group colleagues in taking a significant step toward new global heights—and I am so pleased to welcome you to the team.
As you are all officially becoming members of the Marubeni Group today, I would like to begin by sharing what I consider to be some uniquely Marubeni characteristics that all of us can share.
The first is the desire to “fulfill your mission as a human being”—in other words, to keep learning throughout the course of your work and life in order to continuously grow into a better person. We can see this in our history when we reflect on the era of Marubeni Shoten—while we were originally founded in 1858, the company name of “Marubeni” officially started to be used when Marubeni Shoten, our direct predecessor, was established in 1921. The managing director of Marubeni Shoten, Tetsujiro Furukawa, not only laid the foundation of the Marubeni we are today, but left us these words of wisdom: “There is no other way but to perfect one’s character through one’s profession and thereby fulfill one’s mission to the nation and society. Before becoming a businessperson, first become a person.” This mindset of consistently striving to contribute to society, pursuing lifelong learning through one’s work, and aiming to grow into a better person is a concept that the Marubeni Group has always valued since its foundation. Today, the Marubeni Group’s commitment to this value is evident in our aims to significantly grow both our business and our human capital—ourselves—towards new global heights.
Three more key Marubeni characteristics are united by our company creed: “Fairness, Innovation, and Harmony” (Sei, Shin, Wa). This creed comes from the speech our first president, Shinobu Ichikawa, gave when Marubeni Corporation was established as a modern enterprise in 1949, and set forth the universal values that serve as our foundation. I would like to take some time to delve into each part of the creed with you today.
First is “Fairness” (Sei). Fairness refers to whether one is consistently fair and sincere. In practice, this means we must always rigorously question ourselves internally whether any given matter is fair and firmly speak up and correct it if it is not—and this value is the top priority we must uphold. By bringing fairness and sincerity to every situation, we form the foundation for building long-term, trusting relationships not only with clients and partners but also with all our stakeholders, including all our colleagues here and at Group companies. This crucial value of fairness is imperative to the continuation of Marubeni.
Next is “Innovation” (Shin). This refers to whether one is always taking a panoramic view of the world, anticipating changes in the era through insights gained from such a panoramic perspective, and striving to renew oneself on the front lines of business. The “Maru” (circle) of Marubeni symbolizes the world and all the directions of the compass; Marubeni is defined by its ability to maintain a panoramic view of global change and continuously grow and reinvent itself. Particularly as shifts in the global landscape and the emergence of technological innovations—including generative AI—accelerate at an ever-increasing pace, creating new value requires us to view these changes from a global perspective and constantly reinvent and bring forth innovation within ourselves.
The final part of the creed is “Harmony” (Wa). This refers to whether we are consistently confronting change and differing views, and whether we are successfully integrating and harmonizing these diverse changes and views in our work. As we can clearly see when we consider the wide range of our businesses, what we do at Marubeni is made possible by the support of many, including our clients, our partners, and our Group colleagues, who are working hard on the front lines (gemba). By working in tandem with our clients and partners, respecting one another, and synthesizing and transcending our respective differences and strengths, we can accomplish work that is more significant and more meaningful for society.
Having achieved our goal of a market capitalization exceeding 10 trillion yen ahead of schedule last fiscal year, the Marubeni Group will ambitiously aim for new global heights starting in FY2026. We will boldly implement initiatives as we aim to become a world-class corporate group that transcends the traditional framework of a sogo shosha (diversified trading conglomerate), surpassing what stakeholders can currently imagine. Specifically, we will put the following three initiatives into practice: 1) uphold our established management discipline and stay true to the basics; 2) recognize our strengths and further reinforce them; and 3) benchmark ourselves against world-leading companies, humbly acknowledge the gaps between us and those companies, and work to bridge those gaps.
In turn, I hope that all of you, as my new colleagues, will also boldly aim to reach the highest levels in the world and strive to become a version of yourself beyond what you can imagine today. In your own way, each and every one of you can take inspiration from the three initiatives that Marubeni is implementing to reach new global heights, and I would like to speak a little further on how they can serve as guideposts for pursuing personal growth.
First and foremost, always stay true to the basics. This means putting your heart into your work, as work done wholeheartedly will always resonate with others. While there are many exciting jobs, I believe the majority of work is more down-to-earth. But no matter the task, putting your heart into it each and every time is, to me, what it means to stay true to the basics.
Next, recognize and fully leverage your strengths. I believe this means being able to ask questions, taking action even when unsure and being willing to make mistakes, learning from those mistakes to create winning strategies, and valuing the attitude of actively learning from the experiences of those around you every day.
Finally, remember that aiming for the highest levels in the world means never holding yourself to your past limits, but rather identifying a role model who embodies the heights you aspire to reach, then boldly striving to become that person.
Marubeni is home to many wonderful colleagues with tremendous growth potential actively contributing on the front lines and is truly a place where you can grow through your work. I firmly believe that you can become a version of yourself beyond what you can imagine today, and I can confidently say that if you implement the three initiatives I’ve outlined today into practice, you are sure to achieve significant growth.
There is one final point I would like to emphasize: everyone, please cherish your smiles. A smile is the embodiment of a youthful spirit—the belief that tomorrow will be better than today. The “beni” (crimson) in Marubeni represents not age or experience, but the passion of a youthful spirit that is constantly learning and always striving for growth.
Throughout your career, while there will certainly be days blessed with clear skies, you will just as surely experience the storms of difficult challenges. But if you keep your smile, information will come to you, colleagues will gather around you, and meaningful work will find its way to you. So, if you happen to pass by me in the office, please do greet me with a smile. I will also do my utmost to return your smiles wholeheartedly.
In closing, everyone here today has reached this stage after undergoing a rigorous selection process. You have joined us with the expectation that you will be the talent who will support the next generation of the Marubeni Group. Believe in the high potential within yourself and make the most of the Marubeni Group as a platform for growth to develop yourselves to the fullest.
I will end by expressing my great hopes for your continued growth and success, starting today and going well into the future. Congratulations on joining Marubeni!
