Mitsui Marine and Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., (Chairman, President, and CEO: Takeo Inokuchi), and its affiliates Mitsui Mirai Life Insurance Co., Ltd. (President: Katsuya Watanabe), and Interisk Corp. (President: Mitsuhiro Shiraishi) are pleased to announce that, on December 28, 2000, all of the three companies' 244 branches in Japan were awarded ISO14001 certification by the Japan Quality Assurance Organization (JQA), Japan's leading quality assurance body and which is accredited to inspect and certify companies based on International Organization for Standardization (ISO) criteria. ISO14001 is ISO's globally recognized standard for environmental management systems (EMSs).

Mitsui Marine is the first company in the Japanese non-life insurance industry to obtain ISO14001 certification for all its operating premises(*) , and Mitsui Mirai Life, similarly, is the first company in the life insurance industry to do so.

In October 1999, to prepare for the nationwide obtaining of ISO14001 certification at the three Group companies, Mitsui Marine established an ISO14001 Promotion Office within its General Administration Department to draw up the necessary plans. Supported by the twin precepts of "nationwide branch activities engaging all employees," and "an approach guided by concerned departments at the head office", Mitsui Marine pushed ahead with the installation of EMSs in accordance with the vision set out in the Mitsui Marine Group's Environmental Policy.

In accordance with the EMSs that had been put in place, nationwide branch activities commenced in April 2000, and comprised the promotion of garbage separation and recycling initiatives; programs to reduce the volumes of photocopier and printing paper used; and campaigns to cut down on the amount of electricity consumed. These initiatives were not restricted to energy and resource conservation-they had the effect of raising employees' awareness of environmental issues and their awareness of the need to participate in environmental preservation activities.

The approach guided by concerned departments at the head office led to Mitsui Marine and its affiliates embarking on and pursuing environmental initiatives on a number of fronts, which have won praise from JQA. Mitsui Marine has been encouraging the adoption of its Environmental Automobile Inspection Program, an automobile check and maintenance system designed to minimize the release of harmful emissions gases from automobile exhausts. We have also introduced a new automobile insurance product, "Sokomadeyaru-Car (You cover all this)," with special clauses for postaccident repair payment limits.(**) And our affiliate Mitsui Marine Asset Management Co., Ltd., has launched a type of Eco-fund named "Eco-Balance; Umi to Sora (Sea and Sky)".

In line with the provisions of the Mitsui Marine Group's Environmental Policy, the Group has switched to the use of energy-conserving automobiles in its corporate fleet, implemented green-purchasing policies for such items as photocopier paper and stationery, adopted kenaf fiber for its business cards as a paper substitute, and held Citizens' Environment Lectures for the general public. The Group has embraced the cause of environmental preservation, as evinced by its early obtaining of ISO14001 certification for its Chiba New Town head office, which consumes more power and paper than any other Group facility. The Mitsui Marine Group aims to continue setting the pace in environmental sensitivity and is anxious to enhance the contribution it makes to the resolution of environmental problems through the expanding provision of products and services that address environmental issues.

(*)Although there are cases of other non-life insurers whose operating premises are ISO14001 certified in part on a building-by-building basis, Mitsui Marine is the first company to have obtained certification for both all its branches and its head office. Mitsui Marine's Chiba New Town head office obtained ISO14001 certification on August 20, 1999.

(**)Even if the cost of repairs exceeds the amount for which the automobileis insured (i.e., the value of the automobile at the time), the special clauses of the insurance contract cover repair costs within agreed limits. Automobiles which would otherwise have been scrapped can continue to be used after repairs.