Respect for Human Rights

1. Scope of Application

The Policy applies to all directors, auditors, officers and employees working within the Group.
We also expect all business partners who are associated with the Group’s products, systems and services to comply with the Policy.

2. Basic Perspective

We promote our commitment to respecting human rights based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, with our support and high regard for the following international rules and agreements related to human rights.

• ・The United Nations International Bill of Human Rights (consisting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights)
• ・The International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
• ・The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

3. Responsibility to Respect Human Rights

We will not infringe on the human rights of those affected by our business activities, and if an adverse human rights impact occurs through our operations, we will take appropriate action to remedy the situation. This is the way we fulfill our responsibility to respect human rights and build a responsible supply chain.

4. Human Rights Due Diligence

We establish a human rights due diligence process to identify, prevent and mitigate actual or potential adverse impacts on human rights.

5. Communication and Consultation

While implementing the Policy, we have honest communication and consultation with our stakeholders, drawing on independent external expertise in human rights.

6. Education and Training

We provide appropriate education and training so that the Policy is embedded throughout our business operations and effectively implemented across the Group.

7. Remediation

If our own activities cause adverse human rights impacts, or if it becomes clear that we are involved with adverse human rights impacts through our business relationships, we will provide remedies to redress the harm through communication and appropriate procedures based on international standards.

8. Director in Charge of Policy Implementation

We officially designate a director in charge of the Policy implementation and oversee the progress of the implementation.

9. Disclosure

We disclose the information on the progress and results of our human rights-related activities on our website and through other media.

10. Applicable Laws

We comply with laws and regulations of countries and regions where we operate. If there is any conflict between internationally recognized human rights and laws and regulations of a country or region, we will seek ways to honor international human rights principles to the greatest extent possible.

e-Learning on Human Rights

To improve understanding of human rights issues, all employees in the Group are provided with opportunities to learn about the Group’s Guidelines of Behavior, which prohibit any discrimination, harassment or abuse.

In fiscal 2021, following the previous two years, we conducted an e-learning program on business and human rights for a total of 850 members (officers and applicable employees of the group companies stated below) who had not yet taken the program. The program uses an online material co-developed by the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center “Hurights Osaka” and Amnesty International Japan. (The completion rate of the program for fiscal 2021 was 99 percent.)

For the three years from fiscal 2019, the program was attended by a total of 5,806 members, who learned about the relationship between business activities and human rights, as well as international norms such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

We will continue to engage in human rights education to ensure that respect for human rights becomes an integral part of our corporate culture.

Compliance News Letter for Human Rights Education

We issue Compliance Newsletter on our intranet on a quarterly basis to raise awareness of compliance among officers and employees of the Group. The January 2022 newsletter presented a special feature on human rights.

The feature article focused on the importance of responsible supply chain management, discussing human rights issues by showing actual examples of child labor and forced labor mainly in emerging countries.

The newsletter also explains the Group’s Human Rights Policy and Procurement Policy to raise awareness of human rights among all group members.