Our History

Home Our History

WHO WE ARE

Sojitz Throughout History

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Sojitz Corporation is the merger of Nichimen Corporation and Nissho Iwai Corporation, both companies with an incredible long history. For over 150 years, our businesses supported the development of several countries and regions. Currently, Sojitz Group has around 400 subsidiaries and affiliates, located in Japan and over the world, developing trading business among countries and regions.

TIMELINE

OUR HISTORY

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1950s

Established offices at São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

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1955

First company to export iron ore to Japan.

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1965

Signed long term contract with Japanese steel mills companies;

Improvements in Tubarão Port, for iron ore, through financing by Japanese Government;

Developed long term businesses with CVRD (current Vale) for over 50 years – Total quantity exported to Japan: 25 million tons.

 

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1970s

Equity share of Camaçari petrochemical pole, together with Petrobras, Odebrecht and other companies.

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1980s

Established scholarship programs for Chemistry degree at Universidade Federal da Bahia. 

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1990s

Long term financing to Petrobras, for offshore platforms (total financing of JPY 120 billion);

Invested in Campo de Frade at(??) Bacia de Campos, together with Texaco (current Chevron), by presentation of Petrobras (exploration phase);

Participation on Campo de Petroleo Abacora, together with Petrobras and Inpex.

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2001

Indicated by Petrobras to REFAB – Refinery Modernization Project (total amount of USD 311 millions) ~ Requested JBIC / Buyers of Credit to Petrobras (USD 264 millions).

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2002

Braskem, through its reorganization, established a petrochemical industry in Brazil – Sojitz became the largest foreign shareholder in this year through merger of Trikem/Poliaden by Braskem.

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2007

Established ETH Bionergia S.A. together with Odebrecht to produce Bioethanol and sugar, in addition to power generation through biomass.

Sojitz was nominated by CITEPE, subsidiary of Petrobras, for the largest textile plant production project in South America (total of 13 billion JPY).

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2008

Long term buying agreement with Braskem for Bio-ETBE.

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2009

Started petroleum production at Campo de Frade, in joint operation with Petrobras/Chevron/Inpex/Jomec ~ First production of Brazilian Petroleum Field(??) by Japanese company. 

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2011

Investiment on CBMM, Brazilian producer of Niobium, through partnership Japan-South Korea with JFE Steel/Nippon Steel/JoGMEC, POSCO and NPS.

Long term buying contract of Butadiene from Braskem.

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2012

Acquired Braskem’ sales rights of green polyethylene resin (sugar cane ethanol as raw material) to Asia.

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2014

Investment on CGG Group, specialized company of grain trading and operations at terminal, in January/2014.

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2015

Joining in car and motorcycles sales Market, together with Top Car Veiculos S.A., at Santa Catarina State, with BMW and Mini.

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2018

Joining in car sales Market, together with Intercontinental Comércio de Veiculos S.A., at Rio Grande do Sul State, with Audi.