Southwest China has been severely affected by an unprecedentedly large-scale drought, following a period of hot, dry weather that has persisted since last fall. It is reported that 6.45 million hectares of farm land has been affected and more than 20 million people are suffering from a shortage of drinking water.

The afflicted area includes the province of Yunnan, an area targeted by Sumitomo Corporation in its scholarship program for low-income students, which the company has been running since 2008.

In view of the situation, Sumitomo Corporation China Group, which serves as the foundation for Sumitomo's business activities in China, provided a monetary donation in the amount of 100,000 RMB to Poverty Alleviation Office of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, People's Republic of China. This donation will be used to help Yunnan Province recover from the damage wrought by the drought. The office that will disperse the funding runs the Foreign Ministry's charitable support program and fully supports Sumitomo's scholarship program for students living in poor areas within Yunnan Province.

On March 17, Kenji Kajiwara, our Senior Managing Executive Officer and General Manager for China CEO, presented the donation to Honorary Ambassador of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Le Aimei. In return, the ministry provided Mr. Kajiwara with a Certificate of Honor and a letter of appreciation. The event at which this exchange took place has been featured on the ministry's website.

In addition to the donation, Sumitomo Corporation Group will promote activities that seek to help those in disaster areas to recover from this unfortunate event as quickly as possible.