President and Representative Director
We at Mitsui Kinzoku Group have established our management philosophy as "With creativity and productivity, We, Mitsui Kinzoku Group, will explore products of value to society, and seek an eternal growth of our group" and to achieve this, innovation is indispensable. Recognizing that human resources, as the source of innovation, are the most important management resource, we promote diversity and inclusion as our management strategy to allow the engagement of diverse people and continued improvement of our corporate value.
There are more than 13,000 employees working for Mitsui Kinzoku group around the world. In this age of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA), where the environment surrounding us can change drastically, in order to be able to respond flexibly to those changes, personnel with diverse values are needed. We seek to embrace diversity of race, nationality, religion, creed, culture, birthplace, disability, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity. At the same time, we aim to create a workplace where all members of staff respect the diverse values of their colleagues and where they can put their varied opinions and experiences to use. In short, we seek to create a diverse and inclusive workplace.
As I'm sure you're all aware, diversity and inclusion coincide with a fundamental principle of the SDGs: "Leave no one behind." We also recognize that this is a globally shared issue, and at the same time, indispensable for our sustainability. At the core of this recognition, is identifying diversity as one of the initiatives supporting the progress of Mitsui Kinzoku Group's materiality, and we are making efforts to best use the varied skills, attributes and values of employees. We are promoting the active involvement of female employees, an area where Japan is lagging many other countries, and establishing systems that give members of our diverse workforce choices about how they work.
To enact innovation in this constantly evolving society where globalization has spread, each and every employee must understand about diversity and inclusion and embrace the values and experience that each has.
To realize our goal of becoming a company that embraces diversity such that all employees can energetically engage in their work, we continue to deepen and accelerate our initiatives.
Management System
In October 2021, we established the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office dedicated to deepening and accelerating ongoing group-wide initiatives. Furthermore, in April 2024, we established the Rewarding and Engaging Work Promotion Office, an organization dedicated to accelerating job satisfaction reforms. We strive to create an environment in which employees can feel comfortable and fulfilled, and to be a company for which people choose to work.
We have also organized the Diversity Promotion Committee, a deliberative body chaired by the President. The committee regularly discusses and decides policies and measures, managing its progress. The issues and initiatives of the committee are reported to the Board of Directors to facilitate the continued implementation of initiatives in accordance with the management olicy as well as ensure the establishment and permeation of measures.
Diverse Employees
Action Plan
Mitsui Kinzoku has established and announced an action plan based on the Law for Promoting Women's Success and the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children. In this action plan, we are setting goals, mainly for improving the ratio of female management, the percentage of male employees taking parental leave, and the ratio of female leaders.
We take various measures to achieve these goals, including, efforts to equalize the ratio of female hires in each job category, promoting male employees to take childcare leave, and raising awareness of promotion of diversity throughout the company. Owing to the praise received for these activities, in October 2023 we acquired the second tier of the “Eruboshi” certification mark.
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Companies Promoting Women’s Advancement database
[only available in Japanese]
Active Involvement of Female Employees
Diversity on the Board
Promoting diverse people to decision-making positions is crucial in terms of making the most of diverse thinking and values. Based on this recognition, we focus first on female employees and have set a target to increase the share of female directors to 10% or more. As of June 27, 2024, out of the ten directors, two are women (one of whom is a director serving as an Audit and Supervisory Committee member), making the percentage of female directors 20%.
Developing female executives and managers
As for employees whose ability to work is temporarily constrained due to life events or other reasons, we ensure merit-based appointment and promotion. We are also making efforts to increase female candidates for executive and managerial roles, such as providing a management strategy course for female executive candidates and candidate training program for female manager candidates.
Extension of Retirement Age
Mitsui Kinzoku raised its retirement age to 65 in FY2021. We have rehired employees after the age of 60 in principle in accordance with the Law Concerning Stabilization of Employment of Older Persons in order to pass on skills and knowledge. We will continue to create an environment where veteran employees can make the most of their strengths and prepare for employment after the age of 65 according to trends in laws and regulations.
Employment of People with Disabilities
Committed to establishing an environment where employees with disabilities can work vibrantly, we collaborate with public organizations such as Hello Work (public employment security office) in each region to expand job fields and create a more accommodating work environment. Additionally, we conduct seminars and training sessions using internal learning platforms to raise awareness among employees.
Workplace for people with disabilities "Laundry Center Raccoon” at Asamuta Plant in the Miike area in Omuta, Fukuoka, Japan
Workplace for people with disabilities "Step & Support Center” at Head Office, Osaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Workplace for people with disabilities "Step & Support Center” at Head Office, Osaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Support for each life stage
Support for Balancing Work with Child/Nursing Care
Mitsui Kinzoku is developing various systems to support the balancing of work with child/nursing care.
We provide longer parental leave than the statutory period and a short-time work system and staggered working hours that can be utilized until the child reaches the sixth grade of elementary school, as well as eased or expanded the requirements for childcare leave. In order to support the balance between nursing care and work, we have introduced paid nursing care leave that can be taken for a day, half a day, or by the hour.
In addition, we have introduced a telework system at some offices which allows employees to freely choose a workplace, such as their home. After the COVID-19 outbreak, employees at the Tokyo Head Office and the Osaka Office have started working from home as much as possible. After the COVID-19 outbreak, employees at the Tokyo Head Office and the Osaka Office have started working from home and continue to have the option to telework. The telework system allows for a variety of flexible work styles, making it easier to balance work with childcare, nursing care, and medical treatment, and is expected to improve the work-life balance.
Leave and return system
In order to enable employees to flexibly design their lives according to their life stages and realize their long-term success, Mitsui Kinzoku has introduced a "Transfer Avoidance System," a "Leave System for Spouse's Relocation," and a "Comeback System."
・Transfer Avoidance SystemThis system allows employees with certain circumstances to apply for and receive approval to avoid a transfer that requires relocation for up to three years, limited to once during their tenure.
・Leave System for Spouse's RelocationThis system allows employees to take a leave of absence for up to three years if they are unable to continue their work due to relocation accompanying their spouse's transfer.
・Comeback System
This system allows employees who have resigned due to unavoidable circumstances such as nursing care, after notifying the company of their intention to use this system, to be rehired as employees within a certain period of time after resignation, following interviews and other necessary processes.
Diversity Training
Mitsui Kinzoku provides diversity training programs for employees at each rank. In order to enhance the competence to understand and utilize diversity as a required common ability for employees, we offer not only lecture-style group training but also various video programs as a cafeteria-type training.
Unconscious Bias Training
Mitsui Kinzoku offers Unconscious Bias Training as a mandatory program for non-managers. Unconscious bias is a "biased way of thinking" that everyone unconsciously has. Through awareness of this fact, we are fostering a culture that respects the individual, which is the foundation for promoting diversity.
Diversity Management Training
Mitsui Kinzoku conducts Diversity Management Training for managers. In the training, participants deepen their understanding of the impact of unconscious bias on their respective workplaces and develop management skills required to create a highly engaged workplace where diverse human resources can play an active role and to strengthen our organizational power by enhancing psychological safety within our organization and improving the quality of employee relationships.
Unconscious Bias Training at Tokyo Training Center
We held an "LGBTQ+ Seminar" for executives, inviting an external lecturer. The seminar was attended by our executives, including the President, as well as all executive officers at the level of Senior Executive Officer and above. During the seminar, participants learned about global and domestic trends in sexual diversity and gender equality, as well as what companies and individuals can do to support these issues.
To create a workplace where diverse employees can be active and work with peace of mind, we are continuously raising awareness about harassment through various measures. These include the issuance of a zero-tolerance declaration against harassment by top management, continuous training, and the promotion of internal and external consultation services.
Especially in terms of training, in addition to sessions that confirm basic knowledge for all employees, we conduct "Line Care Training" as a Basic Skill (mandatory program) for managers. In the "Line Care Training," we provide information on specific examples and types of harassment, ensuring that managers not only avoid committing harassment themselves but also understand the appropriate actions to take as managers when harassment is reported or discovered. We are also working on training for HR department personnel who serve as consultation points, thereby establishing a system that enables prompt responses.
At Mitsui Kinzoku, we raised our goal for the percentage of male employees taking childcare leave to 85% by 2027. We are promoting a workplace that facilitates the acquisition of parental leave through awareness campaigns using an original guidebook, explanatory videos, and posters, as well as by introducing case studies in the company newsletter and intranet.
In addition, we are carrying out D&I workshops (male employee parental leave version) for managers and supervisors with the objective of getting each division to consider suggestions for measures to address factors hindering an understanding of necessity and acquisition of parental leave by male employees.