The nation's top two trading houses reported increased group net profit for the first half to Sept. 30, thanks to solid performances in the metal and food businesses, company officials said Wednesday.
Mitsubishi Corp., the largest trading house, said its group net profit for the April-September period was 43.95 billion yen, up 4.8 percent from the same period a year earlier, due to strong performances by coal and metal-related units.
According to the earnings report, compiled under U.S. accounting rules, group operating profit for the six-month period came to 41.64 billion yen, up 16.5 percent.