PRESIDENT KITAOKA OF MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC TO BE AWARDED ORDER OF NATIONAL MERIT

Tokyo, February 12, 1997 -- Mitsubishi Electric Corporation is proud to announce that its president Takashi Kitaoka is to be decorated as " Officier," an Order of National Merit (L'ORDRE NATIONAL DU MERITE) by the Government of France.

This medal is awarded to those who have performed distinguished services for France. President Kitaoka is to be decorated by the French government in recognition of his contributions toward the industrial developments in France.

Mitsubishi Electric, in developing its business in France, established an elevator distribution company in Paris in 1975, established Mitsubishi Electric France S.A., to sell electronic devices in 1989, built a factory to produce automobile cellular phones in Bretagne in 1991, and founded a research laboratory to study information and telecommunications, for Mitsubishi Electric Information Technology Centre Europe B.V. in Rennes, in 1995.

The decoration ceremony, hosted by the Ambassador to Japan, Mr. Jean-Bernard Ouvrieu, is to be held on February 12th, 5:30 p.m. at the French Embassy (located at Minami-azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo).