SOMEC Establishes Shipowner JV with Three Maritime and Shipbuilding Companies for Japan’s First Industry-wide Scheme to Jointly Order Vessels

TOKYO, Japan – January 30, 2026 – ORIX Corporation (“ORIX”) announced today that its consolidated subsidiary that engages in marine vessel trading businesses, SOMEC Corporation (“SOMEC”), has signed a capital and business alliance agreement with SHOEI KISEN KAISHA, LTD. (“SHOEI KISEN”), a group company of Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (“Imabari Shipbuilding”); KAMBARA KISEN Co., Ltd. (“KAMBARA KISEN”), a TSUNEISHI group company; and Onomichi Dockyard Co., Ltd. (“Onomichi Dockyard”), for the purpose of establishing a joint venture (“JV”).
Following the completion of required regulatory approvals, the parties plan to establish a new company, Sakura Ocean Corporation (“Sakura Ocean”), which will engage in ship owning operations, and commence its business. The shareholding ratio in Sakura Ocean will be 30% for SHOEI KISEN, 30% for KAMBARA KISEN, 30% for Onomichi Dockyard, and 10% for SOMEC.

Sakura Ocean will place orders for a total of three new vessels, one vessel each with Imabari Shipbuilding, TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING Co., Ltd., and Onomichi Dockyard. Delivery is scheduled by 2030, and the vessels are expected to be chartered on a time-charter basis to domestic maritime companies.
Under this initiative, SHOEI KISEN, KAMBARA KISEN, and Onomichi Dockyard will leverage the expertise, knowledge, and networks they have cultivated over many years in the shipping industry to support the smooth business operation and sustainable growth of Sakura Ocean.
SOMEC will draw on its expertise as a marine vessel trading company to undertake brokerage services related to new vessel orders and chartering contracts as well as management administration at Sakura Ocean. In addition, Santoku Senpaku Co., Ltd. (“Santoku Senpaku”), a wholly owned subsidiary of ORIX, will be responsible for construction supervision and vessel management services, while ORIX will handle the planning of this scheme and coordination among the shareholders.

In Japan’s maritime industry, this initiative represents the first case^*1 in which companies forming the industry value chain—including shipowners, a shipbuilder, and a marine vessel trading company—have established a JV in an industry-wide manner and jointly conducted business operations. As an All-Japan framework in which shipowners, a shipbuilder, a marine vessel trading company, charterers, and a vessel management company are all domestic companies, the initiative aims to strengthen the international competitiveness of Japan’s maritime industry.

ORIX began a secondhand vessel leasing business in Japan in the latter half of the 1960s and has been building up expertise in ship investment (owning and operations); ship purchases, sales, and brokerage; and international ship financing. In 2024, ORIX acquired all shares of Santoku Senpaku^*2, which engages in ship ownership and vessel management. In 2025, ORIX also acquired shares of SOMEC^*3, which was established through a corporate split of Sojitz Corporation’s marine vessel trading businesses, and SHOEI KISEN, KAMBARA KISEN, and Onomichi Dockyard currently participate in SOMEC as shareholders^*4. Through this initiative, ORIX will advance its ship asset management business in addition to its existing shipping-related businesses and seek further expansion of its asset management field.

ORIX and SOMEC will continue to contribute to the development of the maritime industry, which serves an important role as a social infrastructure, through industry-wide collaboration centered on SOMEC.

*1 According to in-house research
*2 ORIX Signs Share Transfer Agreement for Santoku Senpaku (February 15, 2024)
*3 ORIX Invests in Marine Vessel Trading Business of Sojitz Corporation (March 19, 2025)
*4 Marine Vessel Trading Company SOMEC Receives Capital Participation from Marine Transport and Shipbuilding Companies (July 18, 2025)

■Overview of newly established company

■Overview of SOMEC

■Overview of SHOEI KISEN

■Overview of KAMBARA KISEN

■Overview of Onomichi Dockyard

Contact Information:
Investor Relations and Sustainability Department
ORIX Corporation
Tel: +81-3-3435-3121

About ORIX Group:
ORIX Group (ORIX Corporation TSE: 8591; NYSE: IX) was established in 1964 and has grown from its roots in leasing in Japan to become a global, diverse, and unique corporate group. Today, it is active around the world in financing and investment, life insurance, banking, asset management, real estate, concession, environment and energy, automobile-related services, industrial/ICT equipment, ships and aircraft. Since expanding outside of Japan in 1971, ORIX Group has grown its business globally and now operates in around 30 countries and regions across the world with approximately 36,000 people. ORIX Group unites globally around its Purpose: “Finding Paths. Making Impact.” combining diverse expertise and innovative thinking to help our world develop in a sustainable way.
For more details, please visit our website: https://www.orix.co.jp/grp/en/
(As of September 30, 2025)

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements:
These documents may contain forward-looking statements about expected future events and financial results that involve risks and uncertainties. Such statements are based on our current expectations and are subject to uncertainties and risks that could cause actual results that differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, those described under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s annual report on Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and under “(4) Risk Factors” of the “1. Summary of Consolidated Financial Results” of the “Consolidated Financial Results April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2025” furnished on Form 6-K.