ITOCHU Corporation is one of the largest and most-respected trading companies in Japan. Founded in 1858 as C. Itoh Company, ITOCHU Corporation has grown to handle nearly $100 billion of transactions every year, ranking on the Forbes International 500 list. The company operates nearly 300 domestic and overseas subsidiaries involved in a wide array of industries, including energy, machinery, electronics, manufacturing, information technology, and chemicals.

Trading companies are "market makers." Most firms wishing to penetrate Japanese or Chinese markets lack the necessary knowledge and contacts; in addition, they face language, cultural, and geographic barriers. ITOCHU combines local market and cultural knowledge with world-class industry expertise and functional capabilities including marketing and distribution, manufacturing, trade finance, project management, human resources, logistics and investment.

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