Buffett-backed Japan trading houses hit by Trump uncertainty

'We are heading into something never experienced,' says Sumitomo CEO

20250502 Trading Company

Japan's five major trading houses are struggling to plan ahead due to uncertainties created by U.S. President Donald Trump's policy shifts. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Getty Images)

SHOTARO TANI

TOKYO -- Japan's five biggest trading houses anticipate significant hits to their earnings this fiscal year, as the key holdings of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway try to deal with the global economic uncertainties brought about by the U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policy.

Two of the five biggest by profit, Mitsubishi Corp. and Mitsui & Co., expect their net profit for the year ending March 2026 to fall for the third time in as many years, while the other three said they expect to take a dent worth tens of billions of yen in their earnings, given the uncertainties in the global economy.

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