At the 2025 Berkshire Hathaway Annual General Meeting, Chairman Warren Buffett said he plans to hold on to his investments in Japan’s five major trading houses—Itochu, Marubeni, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, and Sumitomo—for the long haul, possibly another 50 years.
“I’d say I can speak for Greg as well, even beyond my time, over the next 50 years. And I hope he’s the one running things. I don’t even think about selling those,” Buffett said.
Greg Abel, Buffett’s top deputy who is gradually taking over the company’s daily operations, echoed the same sentiment. “As Warren mentioned, our plan is to hold these investments for 50 years or even forever. But more than that, we’re also working on building partnerships with each of these companies. We really hope to do bigger things together,” Abel said.
Buffett also talked about how he initially decided to invest in the five firms. He pointed out that the trading companies in Japan were significantly undervalued when he first came across them. So he spent about a year studying the businesses before buying stakes that approached the 10% ownership limit.
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He also mentioned how other American brands are performing well in Japan. “American Express would tell you they sell their product very, very well there. Coca-Cola, which we’re invested in, does extremely well too. Japan has habits and a culture that are very different from ours—but it works, and it’s by far the biggest market in that sense,” he said.
Buffett praised Japan’s unique culture and pointed out the opportunities that come from working with companies in such an environment.
“Around the world, you see different ways of thinking and doing business. That’s part of why we’re committed to a long-term relationship with these companies. It’s very long-term. They have different customs, different business styles. And that’s the case not just in Japan, but globally,” he said.
By the end of 2024, Berkshire Hathaway had invested $23.5 billion into the five trading houses, marking one of its most significant international bets.
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