Mitsubishi Corp. and Mitsui & Co., Japan's two largest trading houses, on Tuesday reported record earnings for the year through March, helped by surging petrochemical and natural resources markets.

Mitsubishi, the No. 1 trader in terms of revenue, said its net profit for fiscal 2003 jumped 85 percent to a record 115.37 billion yen. Sales rose 14 percent to 15.18 trillion yen.

It was also the first time for a Japanese trading house to post a net profit topping 100 billion yen, the company said.