Diversity

For the Taiyo Yuden Group to continue developing sustainably even as the world changes, it is essential for diverse people with various differences, including nationality, culture, gender, generation, and company history, to interact and generate new ways of thinking and ideas that have never existed before.
Therefore, we believe that "difference is value," and promoting diversity that connects and utilizes diverse individuality is the source of corporate competitiveness. We also believe that each individual working with a sense of purpose and vitality is the realization of "Employee well-being," which is our management philosophy, and is one of the important management issues.
As part of these efforts, we aim to improve human resource power and organizational strength and realize a unique and attractive excellent company by fostering a mindset, developing an environment, and implementing human resource development measures that allow diverse human resources to fully perform.

We have obtained the 3-star "Eruboshi" certification mark, which is given to companies with excellent initiatives for promoting women's participation.
The "Eruboshi" certification is a system where the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare certifies companies that have formulated and submitted action plans based on the Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace, and meet evaluation criteria for women's participation in professional life, including 1. Recruitment, 2. Continuous employment, 3. Working styles such as working hours, 4. Percentage of women in management positions, and 5. Diverse career paths.
We will continue our efforts to meet the expectations of our stakeholders, including our employees, and strive to increase our corporate value.

We had received the "Kurumin" certification from the Gunma Labor Bureau as a "child-rearing support company" in June 2021, but after various reviews and new initiatives, we were recognized as a company that supports child-rearing at an even higher level and received the "Platinum Kurumin" certification on July 25, 2023.

We recognize that promoting the active participation of women, who are the largest minority group, is the first issue to be addressed in realizing diversity management. Taiyo Yuden will strongly commit to creating an environment where people can play active roles regardless of gender by advancing efforts from three directions: "recruitment and active participation of diverse human resources," "promotion of flexible work styles," and "awareness reform and fostering of culture."

As a first step to understand and share a common recognition of "why we promote diversity," we conducted position-specific diversity training in fiscal year 2023. For managers, it provides an opportunity to understand the diversity of employees and develop subordinates, while for general employees, it provides an opportunity to think positively about their careers and work-life balance.

We hold employee exchange events mainly for women to promote active communication within the company and form horizontal connections. These events, where employees from different departments and locations who do not usually interact can openly discuss their concerns and anxieties related to careers and life events, lead to increased motivation for participants.
In March 2024, we held "Diversity Day ZERO" to coincide with the United Nations' "International Women's Day." The name ZERO embodies our intention to use this day as a starting point to elevate Taiyo Yuden's diversity promotion efforts to the next level. On the day, we held skill-up seminars, panel discussions on work-life balance, and networking events for participants. We also received video messages from female leaders and managers working at our overseas offices, whose vibrant speeches inspired us with courage and power to take on challenges. We plan to hold similar events in the future.

We send young female employees to external training sessions held by sponsor companies to broaden their perspectives by exposing them to new values through interaction with peers from various industries. The six-month group work provides participants with opportunities to gain stimulation and new insights from outside the company. Furthermore, by sharing information within the company, it has a positive influence on those around the participants.

We have a series titled "COLORFUL WORK: Everyone Shines" in the Taiyo Yuden Group's company newsletter. We regularly disseminate information to promote the necessity of diversity, introduce activity examples, and encourage active use of systems, aiming to raise common awareness within the company.

Taiyo Yuden has established a comprehensive support system for childcare, including childcare leave, child nursing care leave, and shortened working hours for childcare that exceed legal requirements. We also distribute a childcare guidebook that explains various procedures and allowances.
We support male employees' participation in childcare so that everyone, regardless of gender, can achieve their desired work-life balance. We distribute "Career and Childcare Balance Support Guidebook (for supervisors)" to managers. This helps create an environment where subordinates can easily consult about taking childcare leave, as it provides methods and principles for supporting subordinates' childcare leave and conducting interviews, as well as team management for work efficiency. We also distribute "Career and Childcare Balance Support Guidebook (for men)" to male employees whose partners are expecting a child. This not only prompts them to consider taking childcare leave but also provides know-how during childcare leave and information on balancing career and childcare after returning to work.

To further expand employees' opportunities, we have established a system for transferring from general to comprehensive job categories and promote it through training sessions. We support motivated employees to further advance their careers according to their roles.

Menstruation, a health issue unique to women, is a challenge that cannot be overlooked in promoting women's advancement. We aim to create a workplace environment where women can work with peace of mind even in emergencies by installing menstrual products in women's restrooms as standard equipment. Also, from April 2024, we changed the name of menstrual leave and newly granted 14 days of F leave (100% guaranteed) per year. It can be taken in hourly units. We believe that taking proper rest when needed leads to improved work productivity.

Taiyo Yuden formulates and implements an action plan for promoting women's advancement to create an employment environment where many motivated women can play active roles. We also disclose information about women's advancement as follows.

In line with our diversity policy, Taiyo Yuden actively employs disabled people. While promoting acceptance in each department, we also have a support system for accepting departments, as there are points that require consideration on the accepting side, such as understanding each individual's characteristics. In 2023, we opened a café and bakery as a specialized work area within the Takasaki Global Center, providing freshly baked bread and a café menu, creating new employment opportunities. This not only improves employee welfare but also leads to a better understanding of employing disabled people. In the future, we aim to expand sales to other sites in Gunma Prefecture and further broaden the field of activity for disabled people.

The Taiyo Yuden Group actively recruits talented local personnel at its locations outside Japan.
The rate of local talent in management positions at overseas locations is 81.1%. (FY2022)