Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake

On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, causing massive damage centered in the Tohoku and Kanto regions.We grieve deeply for the people who lost their lives in this disaster, and offer our sincere condolences to all others who were affected.
As no Toyota Tsusho employees suffered personal injuries in the calamity and our structures and facilities sustained only light damage, we directed our efforts to providing support for the stricken region.

Immediate Post-Earthquake Response

In response to the earthquake, which struck at 2:46 p.m., at 3:30 p.m. Senior Managing Director Mikio Asano (Chief Division Officer of the Administrative Division) established a Disaster Response Headquarters at the Nagoya Head Office. The headquarters immediately began work to determine the safety of all employees, and by March 15 the safety of all Toyota Tsusho employees had been confirmed. Furthermore, by March 17 the headquarters had determined the safety of three employees of affiliated companies, whose whereabouts had been uncertain until then.

As an initial response in the aftermath of the disaster, on April 18 the Disaster Response Headquarters established the Restoration and Recovery Measures Headquarters, charged with directing efforts to restore the Group's operations to normality. The Restoration and Recovery Measures Headquarters was dissolved on June 27, 2011.

Impact of the Earthquake on Toyota Tsusho

Toyota Tsusho suffered no personnel injuries in the disaster.
Some shops operated by TD Mobile Corporation, an affiliated company involved in the sale of mobile phones, were swept away by the post-earthquake tsunami, and for several days we were unable to confirm the whereabouts of some of its employees.
Soon, however, we were able to verify that they were unharmed.

However, the Group sustained some damage to its structures and facilities. In addition to the damage at TD Mobile, the grain elevators of Kanto Grain Terminal Co., Ltd., and Tohoku Grain Terminal Co., Ltd., which own feed grain silos, were damaged.
In addition, some of the production lines were damaged at First Baking Co., Ltd., a bakery, and the agricultural producer Vegi Dream Kurihara Co., Ltd., suffered damage to its storage tanks.
In all instances, the damage was slight, and the companies have returned to normal operation.

Owing to the major impact of the disaster, we delayed until after June the intake of new graduates who initially had been scheduled to start work at the Group in April.

Supporting the Disaster-Stricken Region

As emergency support measures in response to requests from the head of the Miyagi prefectural government and our Sendai Branch, we dispatched two-ton trucks with emergency supplies, making three trips to the affected region. In addition, we responded to requests from Miyagi Prefecture by providing 58 drum lid openers, one underground tank kerosene feed pump and approximately 100 wheelchairs.

To cheer the children in the affected region, affiliated company First Baking Co., Ltd. made some 10,000 special Pokemon-shaped bread loaves, which it delivered to children via the related municipalities. Another affiliated company, Fukusuke Corporation, sent approximately 58,000 articles of clothing—socks and underwear—that it had produced.

Toyota Tsusho provided ¥100 million in donations to the region through the Central Community Chest of Japan. Affiliated companies in Japan and overseas similarly donated ¥37 million, and employees provided another ¥6 million in donations.

First Baking Co., Ltd., provides some 10,000 loaves of “Pokemon bread” to the affected region

  

Fund-raising activities in cooperation with the Toyota Tsusho Labor Union
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