ANNUAL REPORT 2007

The Company’s association with Marunouchi goes back more than a century, beginning in 1890. At the behest of the Meiji Government, Mitsubishi Company acquired the Marunouchi site, which had comprised the residences of feudal lords during the Edo Period. At the time of the purchase, the site was actually a barren field called Mitsubishi-ga-hara, literally meaning “the Mitsubishi flatland.” The Mitsubishi Ichigokan was completed in 1894 as Japan’s first modern office building. Starting from the strong conviction that Japan’s future prosperity required a modern office district, building such a business center became a primary objective.