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MOL, Hokkoku Financial Holdings Team up to Support African Workers in Japan

August 01, 2025

TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) today an initiative to help African personnel working in Japan through a business agreement with Hokkoku Financial Holdings, Inc. (President: Shuji Tsuemura; Headquarters: Kanazawa-shi, Ishikawa Prefecture) (Note 1), and the Kenyan subsidiary of Hokkoku Financial Holdings, CC Innovation Africa Ltd. (Managing Director: Yutaro Shimizu; Headquarters: Kenya).

Leveraging the experience and expertise it has accumulated over many years in training international seafarers, MOL has developed a foreign human resources consulting business, which places workers in a wide range of industries, serving companies that are considering hiring new employees from abroad or expanding their recruitment of foreign personnel. Fierce competition with other countries and the effects of the yen's depreciation, has made it increasingly difficult to secure Asian personnel, and MOL focused on the potential of Kenyan personnel who are unable to find employment locally despite their high levels of education. Recognizing this potential, the company is promoting a pilot project called "Project Link" (Note 2) with the support of the U.S. NPO Labor Mobility Partnerships (LaMP) (Note 3) to introduce Kenyan personnel to Japanese companies facing labor shortages.
CC Innovation Africa Ltd. commenced operations in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 20, 2024, and as the first African subsidiary of a Japanese banking group, the company supports Japanese companies' operation in Africa, mainly through investment, financing, and consulting. MOL is about to celebrate the centennial anniversary for the opening of the East African shipping route and has already taken the lead in Africa-related business. MOL was looking to collaborate with companies that were focusing on recruitment of Kenyan personnel, which led to this agreement.
Participating in this alliance will enable MOL to determine various needs related to African personnel by leveraging CC Innovation Africa's wide range of channels and networks. At the same time, the alliance will address labor shortages in Japan and promote sustainable development in local communities by introducing Japanese companies to a wide range of personnel, not only from Kenya, but from throughout Africa as well.

(Note 1) Please refer to the following for information on Hokkoku Financial Holdings, Inc.
Hokkoku Financial Holdings

(Note 2) "News" From Kenya to Japan: A Staffing Project Building New Pathways | MOL Africa

(Note 3) Home - Labor Mobility Partnerships (LaMP)

MOL Group 5 Sustainability Issues
MOL Group identifies "Sustainability Issues" (Materiality) as our key issues for sustainable growth with society through realization of the Group Vision.
We anticipate this initiative to contribute especially to the realization of "Human & Community -Contributing to the growth and development of people and communities-."