Nihon Marukou Chief Executive Officer: We are no longer a trading company.

Trump's tariff policy has prompted Berkshire Hathaway-backed Marubeni Corp to "withdraw" from its trading business. The head of Marubeni Corporation in Japan said that the tariffs accelerated the Japanese group's transformation into investment areas unaffected by global trade, and Marubeni "is no longer a trading company". Masayuki Omoto, who took over as CEO of the Japanese trading company in April, said that the impact of US President Donald Trump's tariff policy has led to a long-term trend towards the polarization of the global order, prompting companies to focus more on conducting business in individual countries and regions. "We are no longer a trading company," he told the Financial Times. "In fact, most of our business is conducted domestically in various countries." This investment strategy marks a transformation for Marubeni Corporation. The company was established in 1858 as a linen trading company and played a core role in Japan's post-war economic revival, acquiring resources through investments in fossil fuel projects, mines, and port infrastructure, while marketing Japanese manufactured goods in global markets.