Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKa) has increased its stake in Mitsubishi Corp. (TYO:8058) to over 10%, the Japanese trading house announced Thursday, boosting both its own shares and those of its peers.
In a filing to the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Mitsubishi said National Indemnity Company, a Berkshire subsidiary, raised its holding to 10.23% from 9.74%.
Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire and one of the world’s most influential investors, has long praised Japan’s “sogo shosha” — the country’s five major trading houses — and currently holds stakes in all of them. Alongside Mitsubishi, Berkshire has positions in Itochu Corp. (TYO:8001), Marubeni Corp. (TYO:8002), Mitsui & Co. (TYO:8031), and Sumitomo Corp. (TYO:8053).
Shares of Mitsubishi rose 2.5% on Thursday, erasing earlier losses, while the other four trading houses advanced between 1.5% and 3.5%, helping lift the Nikkei 225 index by 0.6%.
Buffett signaled in May that Berkshire intended to hold these stakes for the long term. In late 2024, Berkshire also secured agreements with the five firms, allowing it to increase ownership beyond the 10% threshold.
Buffett has often compared the five trading houses to Berkshire itself, highlighting their diversified investments across domestic and international markets. Currently, Berkshire holds between 8% and 9.5% stakes in the other sogo shosha outside Mitsubishi.
