Human Rights

Basic Concept

We consider respect for human rights to be an extremely important element in aiming to develop and expand its business not only in Japan but also globally. Based on this way of thinking, we anticipate the experiences of all stakeholders involved in our corporate activities and promote a variety of initiatives while deepening our understanding of human rights. By doing so, we contribute to the realization of a society where human rights are respected.

Major Initiatives

Establishing, Promoting, and Disclosing Our Basic Policy on Human Rights

We have established the Basic Policy as a guideline for promoting respect for human rights, and its content has been approved by the Board of Directors. Officers and employees are informed of this policy through internal information sharing tools and it has been set as one of the themes of our annual compliance training. It has also been disclosed to all stakeholders through our website.

Initiatives to Identify, Mitigate, and Prevent Human Rights Issues

Using the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the Japanese Government’s Guidelines on Respecting Human Rights in Responsible Supply Chains, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Reference Material on Practical Approaches for Business Enterprises to Respect Human Rights in Responsible Supply Chains as references, we identify and assess human rights issues in the Group’s business activities from a perspective that covers each country and region in the Company’s business segments, service content, and supply chains, based on the results of a questionnaire survey of Group employees. The outcomes of these assessments were deliberated on by the Compliance Committee.

The main human rights issues that are a concern for the Group at present are as follows.

  1. (1) Preventing harassment in the workplace
  2. (2) Protecting personal information and considering privacy in the course of promoting DX services
  3. (3) Considering human rights in the supply chain

The following measures are being taken to prevent the occurrence of the issues described above.

  1. (1) Initiatives to prevent harassment in the workplace

    In order to turn encounters into innovation that leads to solutions to business challenges, we believe it is essential to create opportunities and establish workplace environments that can empower all members of our richly diverse workforce. Therefore, we strictly forbid acts of discrimination, disadvantageous treatment, or harassment on any grounds, including political beliefs; ideologies; religion; gender, gender identity and sexual orientation; physical characteristics; illness; age; nationality; race; or ethnicity, and we are taking the following steps to prevent the occurrence of such acts.

    • Point of contact for harassment consultations

      We have established a dedicated point of contact for harassment consultations to provide a channel for employees to safely report or consult about any issues or inappropriate actions within workplace environments, including sexual and other forms of harassment, bullying, and discrimination.

    • Harassment prevention training

      We conduct annual harassment prevention training sessions, which includes prevention of power and sexual harassment, for all employees in an effort to improve their understanding of harassment and its prevention. The percentage of participants taking harassment prevention training is disclosed in our ESG Data.

    • Harassment training for new managers

      To ensure that they are able to make appropriate choices in their speech and conduct as managers, we hold harassment training each time a new manager is appointed.

    • Handling by the Compliance Committee

      Harassment-related reports and matters for consultation received through the internal reporting contacts are reported to the Compliance Committee, with care taken to protect the confidentiality of the person making the report. The Committee then takes steps to correct the matter and prevent reoccurrences.

  2. (2) Initiatives to protect personal information and consider privacy in the course of promoting DX services

    The services we provide facilitate the management and use of a variety of data concerning companies and individual users. We position the handling and protection of personal information and other vital information assets as our most critical management concern. We strive to prevent the violation of privacy by the leakage of personal information and the use of information for other purposes. For details, please refer to the Data Privacy and Information Security page below. Additionally, the number of cases of personal information leakage or data theft/loss and the proportion of employees qualified as a Protection of Individual Information Person are disclosed in our ESG Data.

  3. (3) Initiatives to consider human rights in the supply chain

    Transactions with important outsourcing partners within our supply chain are assessed for human rights risks based on the nation or region each partner is located and the specifics of their operations. We also acquire consent in writing that they understand and support the purpose and content of our Basic Policy on Human Rights and our efforts to promote respect for human rights.

Remedial Measures and the Handling of Grievances

We have established internal reporting contacts to provide channels for consultation on human rights issues that arise within the Group. Reports and matters for consultation received through these channels are reported to the Compliance Committee. The Committee then takes appropriate steps to deal with violations of laws, regulations, or internal regulations, including the Basic Policy on Human Rights, such as correcting the violation, taking action against the perpetrator, and introducing measures to prevent reoccurrences. Additionally, internal regulations stipulate that whistleblowers are to be kept confidential and that any disadvantageous treatment of whistleblowers is prohibited.

Other

At present, we are not aware of any risks that will lead to an obstruction of workers’ rights within the Group, such as the right to form a labor union, participate in a labor union, or the right to collective bargaining. Furthermore, we are not aware of any incidents of child labor or forced labor in the Group’s business operations to date. Additionally, in light of the proliferation of social media and the degree of risk that their use poses to individuals and our Group, we provide social media training to all employees and are working to improve its literacy.