Mitsui USA Executives Meet this Year’s I-House/Mitsui USA Scholars

On October 28th, International House was honored to welcome Mitsui USA Executive Vice President and I-House Trustee Katsumi Ogawa and his wife, Mitsui USA Foundation President & CEO Shinichi Hirabayashi and three other colleagues for a  luncheon to introduce them to this year’s Mitsui USA Scholars Dean Kakazu and Greg Van de Ven.

Since 1989, Mitsui & Co (U.S.A.) and The Mitsui USA Foundation have generously donated nearly $200,000 to support the programs and events at International House and to establish the “International House/Mitsui USA Scholars” program, which supports residents at International House who are dedicated to the promotion of international understanding and closer U.S.-Japan exchanges.

In the Home Room, Mitsui USA’s Katsumi Ogawa (center) and senior Mitsui USA executives met with I-House President Don Cuneo, the 2009 Mitsui Scholars and I-House Staff members.

Mitsui USA is committed to sustainable growth and good corporate citizenship. The Mitsui USA Foundation, established in 1987 in New York, is the company's charitable arm for active Corporate Social Responsibility and good corporate citizenship. The Foundation runs programs in U.S. communities where the Company does business with a focus on Mitsui USA “named” projects, such as the “International House / Mitsui USA Scholars” program.

The “I-House/Mitsui USA Scholars” program, which is supported by the Mitsui USA Foundation, makes a big difference in the lives of the students it funds.

“I offer gracious thanks to all the members from the Mitsui USA Foundation for helping to defray the costs of my graduate education. For my part, I will work hard to fully utilize this time of opportunity in my life and hope to be able to give back in the future,” said current I-House/Mitsui USA Scholar Dean Kakazu.

The longstanding partnership between International House, Mitsui USA and the Mitsui USA Foundation is based on a shared belief in internationalism and a common vision to train emerging global leaders and foster cross cultural understanding.