Social Contributions Overseas

On Sep 6, 2008, 26 employees of local subsidiary MHCB (China)'s Shenzhen Branch visited an old people's home in Shenzhen City. In addition to delighting the residents with songs and dramas, they presented them with fruits and cakes.

MHCB's Seoul Branch supported the Japan-Korea People's Exchange Festival held in Seoul on Sep 27 and 28, 2008 to contribute to cultural exchange between Japan and Korea. This was the fourth time the festival had been held, and the branch took the initiative in inviting the families of employees taking part to an office near the festival venue with a view to deepening interchange between them.

In Oct 2008, MHCB held its annual Mizuho Volunteer Day in Australia, Brazil, Canada, England and the United States. Over 200 employees, family members and friends volunteered for the Bank's day of community service. MHCB personnel organized a wide range of activities including park clean ups, distributing food and clothing to the homeless in Los Angeles, and building homes for low-income families. In addition to the volunteer activities held on this special day, staff in several Mizuho offices volunteer year-round for varied community service activities such as assisting with meals distribution by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to the aged, reading to schoolchildren, and a charity walk.

MHCB's Dusseldorf Branch held an auction on Dec 5, 2008 with household items and toys donated by employees. The auction raised some EUR 700 in proceeds, which were donated to a poverty relief program run by a Franciscan monastery in the city. The money was used to provide hot meals and clothing to unemployed workers in need as well as assistance with medical bills.

When MHCB's Bangkok Branch replaced its emergency stocks of drinking water and food with new supplies on Jan 30, 2009, it donated 2,800 bottles of water and 2,800 meals to a charity that supports needy children. Emergency water and food supplies are replaced with new products twice a year by rule, but some of the supplies that are replaced have not yet reached their expiration dates. These were the products that were donated.

The Labuan Branch of MHCB upgraded six computers no longer used at the branch and donated them to a local welfare facility for people with disabilities and a local elementary school. The upgrading, which included expanding the memory, was carried out with donations collected by the branch. The students at the welfare facility were visibly delighted to see their first computer.

In Jul 2008 MHCB's Singapore Branch joined with the business school of the National University of Singapore in a commitment to establish a scholarship program for low-income students in need of economic help. Local and Japanese staff carried out voluntary initiatives and events to raise funds for the scholarship. These included selling ice cream and holding a drawing in which people donating at least SGD 10 would be entered to win a prize. The events facilitated understanding of the cause and encouraged staff who did not know how much to contribute or who felt embarrassed about making too small of a donation. The initiative ended up raising SGD 62,000 (approximately JPY 3.97 million), well above the original target.

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