Thank you for taking time today. Consolidated net profit for FY 2025 1Q-Q3 increased by 4.3% year-on-year, a record high of JPY 705.3 billion, representing solid progress at 78% toward the full-year forecast of JPY 900 billion. The slowdown in resource sector, such as metals and minerals, was offset by record-high profits in non-resource sector, including food, The 8th, and textile. Core Profit was JPY 573.5 billion, remaining roughly at the same level as the previous fiscal year. Gross investments on a cash-out basis amounted to JPY 697 billion, and decisions on high-quality investment projects have been progressing steadily. Regarding shareholder returns, at the time of the first half business results announcement, we disclosed a JPY 2 increase in dividends per share on a post-share split basis and raised the dividend payout ratio to 33%.
Given the solid performance, we have decided on an additional share buyback of JPY 20 billion to be completed by the end of March 2026. This raises the Total Payout Ratio from 50%- 52%, further enhancing shareholder returns. There are three material subsequent events disclosed on page 12 of the consolidated financial results. First, the 5-for-1 common share split, effective January 1, 2026. Second, a newly announced JPY 20 billion share buyback. Third, the issuance of JPY 48.7 billion in corporate bonds as of February 5, 2026. Segment results are detailed on pages 5-6 of the presentation materials. Food was the main growth driver, achieving a record high in Core Profit, with strong performance in provisions-related transactions and companies. Dole made a turnaround in both packaged foods business and the Asian fresh produce business, delivering favorable results.
Nippon Access and Itochu-Shokuhin in the food distribution sector also performed extremely well, benefiting from product price increases. FamilyMart of The 8th, with results already disclosed, also posted a record-high core profit, with higher daily sales from strengthened product competitiveness and various marketing initiatives, as well as store rebuilding and strong results from new businesses. In addition, we executed new investments in Seven Bank and PHARMA, advancing new initiatives. Core profit in textile also reached a record high, driven by robust performance in Descente, especially in China, as well as steady progress in overseas sports-related and OEM businesses. In others, in addition to a gain from the sale of CPP in Q1, CITIC's profit contribution was slightly negative year-on-year due to yen appreciation, but overall performance was supported by solid results in the comprehensive financial services segment. Machinery achieved a record high in consolidated net profit.
Although core profit declined slightly due to the absence of gains on ship sales in the previous year, core businesses such as the North American power business and increased profit contribution from Hitachi Construction Machinery remained robust. In ICT and financial business, although the increase in profit is not significant, core profit reached a record high. Core businesses such as CTC and Hoken No Madoguchi continued to perform well. Valuation gains in funds increased at quarter end, and overseas retail finance business also performed strongly, offsetting the negative impact from the termination of contracts in mobile phone insurance business. In energy and chemicals, although the decline of car life segment at Itochu Enex, and volume and price decreases at Japan South Saka Oil, and CIECO Azer, these were offset by solid performance in chemical businesses such as C.I. Takiron and Itochu Plastics.
Regarding the factors behind the slight weakness in Core Profit, metals and minerals and general products and realty were major factors, as in the first half. In metals and minerals, the turnaround projects two cooking coal projects did not achieve the initially expected profit improvements this fiscal year. However, appropriate measures have been taken, and these projects are expected to return to profitability from the next fiscal year. The Brazilian iron ore business, CM, in which we made an additional investment last fiscal year, was negatively impacted by foreign exchange valuation losses, as appreciation of the Brazilian real against the U.S. dollar led to exchange valuation losses on U.S. dollar holdings at the sales company. Structural changes are underway to prevent this impact in the next fiscal year.
Although the loss from CM in Q1-Q3 was -JPY 0.1 billion and remained in deficit, operations themselves are steady, and a full-year profit is expected. The impact from the appreciation of Brazilian real was an unexpected factor. IMEA, in addition to lower sales prices, increased costs due to inflation and resulted in a significant year-on-year decline in profit margins. For Marubeni-Itochu Steel, weak performance in North American steel and pipe markets has continued. Due to these factors, the decline in profit in metals and minerals has widened. In general products and realty, as disclosed on February fifth, we have decided to partially sell our shares in Metsä Fibre and will classify as a non-affiliated company. As explained in previous quarterly earnings presentations, we took fundamental measures, including capital restructuring.
Following the deterioration in profit structure, resulting from factors such as the rise in Finnish timber prices after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, we engaged in negotiations on raw material prices and made approaches to the Finnish government. After long-term negotiations with local management regarding the proportion and amount to sell, we decided on a partial sale at this time. As a result, losses will not be carried over into the next fiscal year, though losses up to Q3 remain recognized. In addition, Daiken, which is Japan domestic building materials business, remained sluggish, and the North American construction materials business also underperformed due to rebound from the previous fiscal year, et cetera, resulting in weak performance for the entire segment. This summarizes the favorable and unfavorable performances by segment. Other major quantitative items are as follows: Please refer to page 33 of the presentation materials for the balance sheet.
Shareholders' equity increased by JPY 558 billion from the end of March 2025 to JPY 6.3 trillion. Total assets increased by JPY 1.4 trillion to JPY 16.6 trillion, due to yen depreciation, et cetera. Net DER stands at 0.52 times. Gross interest-bearing debt is JPY 3.8 trillion, and net interest-bearing debt is JPY 3.3 trillion. Extraordinary gains and losses are detailed on page 31 of the presentation materials. As of the first half, extraordinary gains and losses amounted to JPY 121.5 billion. In Q3, we recorded around JPY 10 billion in extraordinary gains, mainly from the sale of businesses in textile and group reorganization of a battery-related company in Power & Environmental Solution Division, bringing the cumulative total to JPY 132 billion.
There is a slight gap compared to the annual forecast of around JPY 100 billion. For group companies, please refer to page 13 of the presentation materials. Among 267 group companies, the ratio of profitable companies is 87.6%, and we are steadily working toward achieving 90% for the full year. Total profit of profitable companies is about JPY 600 billion, a decrease of around JPY 20 billion year-on-year, which is almost entirely attributable to a JPY 19.6 billion decline at IMEA, reflecting the significant drop in resource sector profits this fiscal year. The number of companies with increased profit year-on-year was 139, and those with profit below JPY 2 billion accounted for around 55% of the total, 148 companies.
There are eight group companies with profit exceeding JPY 10 billion as of the end of Q3: CITIC, IMEA, FamilyMart, CTC, Tokyo Century, Marubeni-Itochu Steel, Nippon Access, and I-Power, which oversees the North American power business. As of the end of December, there are three listed subsidiaries: ITOCHU ENEX, Prima Meat Packers, and ITOCHU-SHOKUHIN. 14 domestic-listed equity-method affiliates, including Seven Bank and Tsuji Hongo IT Consulting, and a total of 24 listed subsidiaries and affiliates, including overseas entities. For investments, please refer to page 12 of the presentation materials. Gross investment in Q3 alone was JPY 305 billion, a relatively high amount, bringing the cumulative total to about JPY 697 billion. New investments totaled approximately JPY 500 billion, and CapEx at approximately JPY 200 billion, resulting in cumulative investments of approximately JPY 700 billion.
While the target image up to JPY 1 trillion has not been reached, we have steadily executed investment projects contributing to future growth up to Q3 and are continuing discussions on many projects in Investment Consultative Committee in Q4. Major investments in Q3 include JPY 63.7 billion in Seven Bank, tens of billions JPY in Wood Partners, a North American multifamily residential developer, JPY 21.6 billion in the North American power business, and JPY 16.2 billion in Pharma, a generic pharmaceutical business in Japan. Major investments in the first half included Kawasaki Motors, the squeeze out of Descente, additional investment in Hitachi Construction Machinery, and Aichi Corporation.
Gross investments breakdown by segment is around JPY 200 billion in machinery, slightly less than JPY 130 billion in The 8th, JPY 80 billion in general products and realty, and JPY 40 billion-JPY 60 billion in each other segments, et cetera. Rather than making massive investments in specific sectors, we conduct careful selection of projects, including CapEx, and execute investments while maintaining diversification. For shareholder returns, please refer to page 10 of the presentation materials. In November 2025, we announced an increase in dividends per share from JPY 200 to JPY 210 on a pre-share split basis. In line with our long-term management policy of the higher of JPY 200 per share or 30% payout ratio, the initial dividend per share was rolled over at JPY 200.
However, through a dialogue with shareholders, we became aware that the absence of dividend increases and progressive dividends may not have fully aligned with shareholder expectations. We proactively decided to implement a visible 10 JPY per share increase, which is equivalent to JPY 20 billion, following strong first-half results. As for share buybacks, JPY 150 billion out of the initial plan of JPY 170 billion was under progress until end of December. The remaining amount would be addressed according to progress afterward. Therefore, we described the amount as JPY 150 billion or more. On this occasion, given the robust progress in consolidated net profit...
With the progress rate reaching 78.4% of the initial full-year plan and marking a record high, we decided today to announce additional share buybacks of the remaining JPY 20 billion within this fiscal year in order to complete the initial plan of JPY 170 billion. As a result, we have exceeded the long-term management policy of a dividend payout ratio of 30% and a total payout ratio of 40% or higher for the second consecutive year, and also surpassed the level of previous fiscal year. In doing so, we have further strengthened shareholder returns, achieving 11 consecutive years of dividend increases and continuously executing share buybacks for 10 consecutive years. This approach is based on the belief that the amount of share buybacks set in the initial plan should be firmly executed as a commitment.
It also serves as supplementary information to help stakeholders understand our perspective for the next fiscal year and beyond, taking into account the financial matrix presented in our management policy. While though the period is short, only two months or 29 business days in practice, we intend to proceed with the purchases swiftly. Regarding the forecast for FY 2025, I will explain in detail. While there is no change to the consolidated net profit forecast of JPY 900 billion, individual segments have been revised. Metals and Minerals is revised downward by JPY 10 billion. The eighth is revised upward by JPY 3 billion, and others, including CITIC, are revised upward by JPY 7 billion. The Core Profit forecast, which was previously disclosed as a range of JPY 800 billion-JPY 820 billion, has now been revised to approximately JPY 800 billion.
This change reflects the revision of the foreign exchange assumption from 145 JPY to 150 JPY to the US dollar, the incorporation of recession risk into organic growth. At this point, there are no factors hindering the achievement of JPY 900 billion in consolidated net profit and do not anticipate issues in achieving ROE of around 15%. While it is difficult to forecast the share price at fiscal year-end, we believe that from the perspective of average balances used in finance and borrowings, our market capitalization is the highest among the trading companies in the most of days. We will continue to aim for the triple crown among trading companies and will remain focused in Q4.
Regarding the full-year forecast on page 7 of the presentation materials, extraordinary gains and losses, which supplement Core Profit, are unchanged at approximately JPY 100 billion, representing the difference between consolidated net profit of JPY 900 billion and Core Profit of JPY 800 billion. The term approximately is used to reflect the potential for fluctuations between Core Profit and extraordinary gains and losses in Q4. Possible factors of this fluctuation include the exchange rate sensitivity of approximately JPY 0.8 billion per 1 yen in Q4. Forecast is based on JPY 150 to the dollar, but the recent rate is around JPY 156, JPY 158 to the dollar. In addition, some businesses such as CTC, Textile, Food, and part of Machinery are expected relatively strong performance during Q4. In some segments, gains on sales from asset replacements are included in Core Profit.
There may also be upward or downward fluctuations in the year-end valuation of assets, and in the case of disposals, these are included in extraordinary gains and losses. In consideration of these factors, we maintain the forecast for extraordinary gains at approximately JPY 100 billion. To reiterate the thinking behind the forecast, recession risk has been incorporated into organic growth for each segment, and impact of increased US import tariffs or geopolitical risks, which were concerned through the first half, are not expected to have an excessive impact in Q4. Recession risk, organic growth, and profit contributions from new investments in FY 2025 are integrated with a fluctuation factor of JPY +15 billion. The growth in Core Profit is slower than that of consolidated net profit, which forms the basis for shareholder return calculations and should be evaluated over multiple years rather than a single year.
Furthermore, we have consistently increased consolidated net profit in increments of JPY 100 billion, steadily strengthening our foundation at each stage, which has enabled us to reach the current profit level of JPY 900 billion. The resource sector, which once accounted for about 25% of Core Profit, has recently gradually declined in absolute terms and now accounts for less than one-sixth or around 15% of total Core Profit. The current structure, which supplements this decline with growth in high-quality non-resource sector and profit contributions from new investments, has been in place since FY 2021, when we reached the profit level of JPY 800 billion. Non-resource sector is inherently less volatile and delivers steady profit growth, although the growth tends to be gradual.
The reason for the slowdown in Core Profit growth this fiscal year is entirely due to the delay in improvements at two Coking Coal projects and IFL pulp business. Measures for these have already been completed, and positive effects are expected from the next fiscal year. For example, even if the profit from the two Coking Coal projects is zero, combined with IFL, we expect an improvement in Core Profit of JPY tens of billions. Considering profit contributions from new investments made since FY 2024, we expect the slowdown in Core Profit growth to ease from the next fiscal year. Regarding the individual factors in the full-year forecast on page 7 of the presentation materials, the initial full-year plan assumed a Forex impact of -JPY 40 billion at 140 JPY to the USD....
But this has been revised to 150 yen to dollar, with an impact of -JPY 10 billion expected, which is a slightly more conservative assumption than the recent market condition. The impact of resource prices remains unchanged at -JPY 10 billion from the initial full-year plan, for a combined impact of -JPY 20 billion from forex and resource prices. Turnarounds were initially expected to contribute +JPY 30 billion, but were revised to +JPY 20 billion as of end of first half, reflecting the underperformance of two coking coal projects and IFL, with no further revision at Q3. The status of improvement in two coking coal projects is unchanged from first half. Losses widened at IFL, but as described, measures have been taken and being offset by the strong performance of Dole, which serves as a positive factor.
The profit contribution from new investments in FY 2024 was initially expected to be +JPY 20 billion, revised downward to about +JPY 15 billion as of end of first half, including a negative forex valuation impact of about JPY 5 billion at CM in the Brazilian iron ore business, which has already been addressed. Performance of DESCENTE and others is much higher than expected. The initial full-year plan for recession risk was about -JPY 40 billion, of which the direct tariff impact was estimated at about -JPY 15 billion to -JPY 20 billion, with reference to the decline in Core Profit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on results up to first half, the impact of tariffs and geopolitical risks was deemed limited, and the forecast was revised to -JPY 20 billion as of first half and further incorporated into organic growth this time.
The forecast for organic growth and profit contributions from new investments in FY 2025 was initially presented as a range of JPY 40 billion-JPY 80 billion, revised to JPY 50 billion-JPY 70 billion as of end of first half, and now, considering delays in becoming profitable of new investments and the inclusion of recession risk of -JPY 20 billion, is set at net +JPY 15 billion. Extraordinary gains and losses have accumulated to JPY 132 billion as of Q3, but the forecast remains at approximately JPY 100 billion. We will continue to monitor the various factors that may cause increases or decreases in Q4.