Revisiting the legacy of Mitsui Takatoshi (4) — The MITSUI Public Relations Committee

The MITSUI Public Relations Committee is a collaborative effort by 24 Mitsui Group companies to contribute to the prosperity and well-being of society through initiatives that would not be possible separately. Introduced here are the Committee’s 50-year history and some of its most notable activities.

Nurturing and disseminating a rich culture For over half a century

The MITSUI Public Relations Committee, which launched in 1972, has had a storied history of over a half century of activities to promote culture and cultural exchange: the 1972 establishment of the Diamond Glove Award (from 1986, the MITSUI Golden Glove Award) to recognize underrepresented defensive talent in Japanese professional baseball; the Close-ups of Japan cultural exchange programs to introduce Japanese culture globally (1983-98); the MITSUI Festival Tokyo, which brought international performing arts to Japan (1988-96); The MITSUI Golden Takumi Award (2015-) to honor and nurture the development of traditional Japanese crafts; and many others.

Promoting the development of Japanese baseball The MITSUI Golden Glove Award for superlative fielders

A growing number of Japanese players have been join teams in US Major League Baseball, the world’s top league. The MITSUI Golden Glove Award has been contributing to the improvement of Japanese professional baseball for over 50 years by honoring players who have contributed to their teams through outstanding defensive play. Past recipients include Suzuki Ichiro, Darvish Yu, Matsuzaka Daisuke, and Matsui Hideki. At the 50th awards ceremony in 2021, the year that the Japanese team won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, nine-time recipient Oh Sadaharu offered his congratulated and appreciation: “This award has raised players’ and teams’ awareness of the importance of fielding. It’s fair to say that The MITSUI Golden Glove Award has transformed baseball.

Oh Sadaharu gives a speech at the 50th awards ceremony. His career total of 868 home runs is a world record

The glove-shaped trophy made of golden leather

The MITSUI Golden Takumi Award

To preserve Japan’s proud tradition of artisanal crafts for the future, The MITSUI Golden Takumi Award aims at preserving for future generations Japan’s proud tradition of artisanal crafts, the survival of which is threatened due to the lack of successors. Since 2015, the award has been given five times, to a total of 25 individuals and organizations. A key feature of this award is that it recognizes effort rather than outstanding works. Additionally, the event highlights the people who produce the materials that are essential to passing on these traditional crafts. Examples include an organization that harvests and plants Japanese snowdrop trees, the raw material for Japanese umbrellas, and a lacquer maker, who developed a lacquer resistant to ultraviolet rays, wind, and rain and whose products have been used in the restoration of Japan’s Important Cultural Properties, including Nikko Toshogu Shrine. The fifth MITSUI Golden Takumi Award, presented last year, featured pioneering initiatives that go beyond the conventional framework of traditional crafts: Ikeda Terumasa incorporates cutting-edge technologies such as laser equipment into traditional mother-of-pearl inlay techniques, and Hisatsune Toshiharu has collaborated with university researchers to develop a plant-based dye to address the water pollution caused by chemical dyes used in textiles. The sixth Award is scheduled for 2026. By focusing on the potential and creativity of traditional crafts and raising awareness about them, The MITSUI Golden Takumi Award will continue to strengthen Japan’s rich heritage of traditional craftsmanship.