Is Mitsubishi Corporation profitable in 2026?

Yes. Mitsubishi Corporation posted FY2025 (ended March 31, 2026) consolidated net income of 800.5 billion yen, beating its own 700 billion yen forecast, and guides to 1.1 trillion yen net income for FY2026, a 37% year on year jump, per its May 1, 2026 results presentation.

Could AI replace Mitsubishi Corporation's business?

Unlikely. Mitsubishi Corporation's value rests on owned physical assets like LNG fields, mines, Lawson stores, food distribution and salmon farms, plus decades long offtake contracts and keiretsu deal access. AI can automate back-office and analytics but cannot replicate physical asset ownership or negotiated licenses as of 2026.

Who is Mitsubishi Corporation's biggest competitor?

Its closest rivals are Japan's other sogo shosha, especially Itochu Corporation, which posted net profit of 900.2 billion yen in FY2025 (ended March 2026), edging past Mitsubishi Corporation and hitting a record, while Mitsubishi's own profit declined that year, per a May 1, 2026 industry report.

Who owns Mitsubishi Corporation?

It is publicly traded with 876,274 registered shareholders as of March 31, 2026, and no controlling parent. Berkshire Hathaway holds its largest position, reaching 11.1% as of April 30, 2026, a stake Berkshire has said it intends to hold for decades, per a July 17, 2026 report.

Why is Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway invested in Mitsubishi Corporation?

Berkshire Hathaway's Mitsubishi stake, its largest Japanese holding, cost roughly $4.2 billion and was worth about $9.2 billion at end 2025, paying 273 million yen in dividends in 2025. Berkshire raised its stake from 10.8% at end 2025 to 11.1% by April 30, 2026.

Did Mitsubishi Corporation do a share buyback?

Yes. Between April 2025 and March 2026, Mitsubishi Corporation completed a 1 trillion yen share buyback, canceling 318.4 million shares, about 7.9% of shares outstanding, leaving roughly 3.71 billion shares outstanding as of April 30, 2026.

Manufacturing companies · Japan

Mitsubishi Corporation

mitsubishicorp.com ↗

Japan's largest trading house, owns LNG, mines, Lawson stores, and food supply chains.

Hard to displace

Assessed 20 July 2026 · Evidence as of 20 July 2026

Strong structural protection; the business model survives ai pressure.

On the recordSince 20 July 2026 · Checkable from November 2026 · Every call on the record Checkpoint: FY2026 interim results test whether Mitsubishi hits its ¥1.1tn profit guidance and regains ground on Itochu

The call

A century-old owner of physical assets and long contracts, currently trading profit rank with Itochu while AI stays a back-office tool, not a threat to what it owns.

Mitsubishi Corporation buys, sells, and operates real stuff: oil and gas fields, mines, grocery stores, salmon farms, and shipping routes. It is extremely hard to copy because it owns these physical assets outright, has signed deals with customers that lock in sales for decades, holds government permits no newcomer can easily get, and sits inside a network of Japanese companies that do business with each other first. No AI software can replace oil wells or salmon farms, and no competitor can quickly build the same web of contracts and licenses. The one thing to watch is whether Mitsubishi can run its own business as efficiently as its rivals do; if it keeps falling behind on profit compared to other big Japanese traders, even its solid assets may not be enough to keep it on top.

Why

AI pressure: None apparent. AI tools could speed up trading and logistics analytics but cannot replace owned mines, gas fields, or supply contracts. Could AI do the core job? Unlikely.

Bigger players: Itochu Corporation. Itochu posted higher FY2025 profit and holds the only Morningstar moat rating among Japan's trading houses, edging past Mitsubishi in rankings. Could a giant copy it? No, they are blocked.

What protects it. Decades-long offtake contracts, physical ownership of gas fields, mines, and Lawson stores, plus keiretsu deal access no outsider can copy.

What would change this call

MC's FY2026 interim results (expected Nov 2026) show whether it regains profit lead over Itochu. Would show if MC is closing or widening the capital-efficiency gap versus its top peer.
Berkshire Hathaway's quarterly 13F filings show stake changes beyond the current 11.1%. Would show whether a major outside investor still sees MC as undervalued or is trimming exposure.
MC announces AI adoption initiatives comparable to MUFG's 35,000-banker ChatGPT rollout. Would show whether MC is closing its internal AI-adoption gap versus sister Mitsubishi group companies.

Key numbers

FY2025 net income ¥800.5bn, beat own ¥700bn forecast (2026-03-31)
FY2026 guidance: ¥1.1tn net income, 37% YoY growth (2026-05-01)
Berkshire Hathaway stake at 11.1% (2026-04-30)

Named risks

MC's FY2025 profit declined while four of six Big 7 peers hit record profits. Severity: medium
Guided 37% FY2026 profit jump to ¥1.1tn depends on commodity prices amid Middle East/Strait of Hormuz tensions. Severity: medium
MC has shown little public evidence of internal generative AI deployment versus sister firms MUFG and Mitsubishi Electric. Severity: low
Only Itochu among Big 7 sogo shosha carries a Morningstar moat rating, implying analysts see MC's competitive edge as less differentiated. Severity: low
Execution risk on Corporate Strategy 2027 targets, including ¥85bn from executed projects and ¥60bn from new investments, is self-flagged by MC. Severity: medium

Rivals, as read in July 2026

Rival	Direction	Evidence
Itochu Corporation	losing to	Itochu net profit rose 2.3% YoY to ¥900.2bn in FY2025, edging past MC, reported 2026-05-01
Sumitomo Corporation	losing to	Sumitomo hit a record FY2025 profit while MC's profit fell, per 2026-05-01 report
Marubeni Corporation	losing to	Marubeni hit a record FY2025 profit while MC declined, per 2026-05-01 report
Toyota Tsusho	losing to	Toyota Tsusho posted record FY2025 profit versus MC's decline, per 2026-05-01 report
Mitsui & Co.	contesting	Both MC and Mitsui saw net profit declines in FY2025 amid similar resource-heavy exposure
Berkshire Hathaway (as investor, not rival)	gaining on	Berkshire raised MC stake from 10.8% end-2025 to 11.1% by 2026-04-30, signaling confidence

Questions people ask

Is Mitsubishi Corporation profitable in 2026?: Yes. Mitsubishi Corporation posted FY2025 (ended March 31, 2026) consolidated net income of 800.5 billion yen, beating its own 700 billion yen forecast, and guides to 1.1 trillion yen net income for FY2026, a 37% year on year jump, per its May 1, 2026 results presentation.
Could AI replace Mitsubishi Corporation's business?: Unlikely. Mitsubishi Corporation's value rests on owned physical assets like LNG fields, mines, Lawson stores, food distribution and salmon farms, plus decades long offtake contracts and keiretsu deal access. AI can automate back-office and analytics but cannot replicate physical asset ownership or negotiated licenses as of 2026.
Who is Mitsubishi Corporation's biggest competitor?: Its closest rivals are Japan's other sogo shosha, especially Itochu Corporation, which posted net profit of 900.2 billion yen in FY2025 (ended March 2026), edging past Mitsubishi Corporation and hitting a record, while Mitsubishi's own profit declined that year, per a May 1, 2026 industry report.
Who owns Mitsubishi Corporation?: It is publicly traded with 876,274 registered shareholders as of March 31, 2026, and no controlling parent. Berkshire Hathaway holds its largest position, reaching 11.1% as of April 30, 2026, a stake Berkshire has said it intends to hold for decades, per a July 17, 2026 report.
Why is Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway invested in Mitsubishi Corporation?: Berkshire Hathaway's Mitsubishi stake, its largest Japanese holding, cost roughly $4.2 billion and was worth about $9.2 billion at end 2025, paying 273 million yen in dividends in 2025. Berkshire raised its stake from 10.8% at end 2025 to 11.1% by April 30, 2026.
Did Mitsubishi Corporation do a share buyback?: Yes. Between April 2025 and March 2026, Mitsubishi Corporation completed a 1 trillion yen share buyback, canceling 318.4 million shares, about 7.9% of shares outstanding, leaving roughly 3.71 billion shares outstanding as of April 30, 2026.

Timeline

2026-06-30Mitsubishi Corporation profile lists 4,456 parent employees, 63,037 consolidated
2026-05-08MC guides FY2026 net income of 1.1 trillion yen, up 37% year on year
2026-05-01FY2025 results: net income 800.5bn yen beats 700bn yen forecast
2026-05-01Itochu posts record 900.2bn yen profit, edging past MC among Big 7 shosha
2026-04-30Berkshire Hathaway stake in MC rises to 11.1 percent
2026-04-30MC cancels 318.4 million shares after completing 1 trillion yen buyback
2026-03-31876,274 registered shareholders recorded for MC
2026-03-251 trillion yen share buyback program completed, started April 2025
2026-03-25Sister firm Mitsubishi Electric invests in Sakana AI for generative AI tools
2026-01-01Sister firm MUFG deploys ChatGPT Enterprise to about 35,000 bank employees

Revision history

20 July 2026

First assessed. Hard to displace. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.

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