- Targets and Results
- DEI Promotion System
- Education and Training
- Working to Understand, Embrace, and Take Action toward DEI Promotion
- Promoting Women's Empowerment
- Promoting a Better Understanding of LGBTQ People
- Promoting the Employment and Empowerment of People with Disabilities
- Promoting Senior Empowerment
- Promoting the Employment and Empowerment of Global Talents
- External Evaluation
The Sanyo Chemical Group promotes DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion), an initiative to realize a work environment where all employees can play an active role, and where human rights and diverse values are respected and acknowledged. Our goal is to be a company where everyone is satisfied with their job because their individuality is valued and they can work with comfort and peace of mind. Through the active participation of diverse human resources toward creating added value, we will contribute to realizing a sustainable society.
DEI at Sanyo Chemical
Diversity：Respecting differences
The Company is a very diverse place with respect to age, gender, values, career, education, family background, nationality, and background. We respect and recognize each other's differences, and are committed to building a safe and comfortable work environment for everyone.
Equity：Guaranteeing fair treatment
Equality refers to treating everyone the same without taking individual differences into account.
Equity refers to giving each individual what they need to achieve his or her goals, with an eye to individual differences.
In order to value others' individuality, it is critical to adopt an equity-based mindset and focus on individual differences, rather than an equality-based mindset. To this end, we promote the creation of systems and initiatives that suit the circumstances and environment of each worker.
Inclusion：Increasing others' sense of belonging to an organization
It refers to "recognizing and accepting each other's individuality and working as one." A diverse and equitable organization is not necessarily one in which employees feel a greater sense of belonging. Recognizing that unconscious biases and assumptions can exist, we will work to improve psychological safety within the Company to create an environment where diverse individuals and groups are respected, supported, and valued.
Targets and Results
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| Policies | Details/Items | Targets (deadlines) | FY2024 results | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall DEI promotion | Checking of various initiatives | Received highest award from D&I Award 2024 |
Certified in FY2024 | Ａ |
| Women’s empowerment |
|
|
|
(1) Ｂ (2) Ｂ (3) Ｂ |
| LGBTQ | Raising awareness inside and outside the Company | Received GOLD award from PRIDE Index 2024 | Certified in FY2024 (six consecutive years) |
Ａ |
| Employees with disabilities | Employment rate | 2.7% (FY2026) | 2.41%*3 | C |
| Foreign nationals (non-Japanese) | Number of foreign employees hired | 2 or more hired every year | 3 people | A |
Rating guideline A: Target achieved B: Steady progress C: Target not achieved despite improvement (or progress) D: Target substantially missed or efforts insufficient
- As of March 31, 2025
- Calculated according to the provisions of the Act on the Promotion of Women’s Active Engagement in Professional Life
- As of June 1, 2025
DEI Promotion System
In order to further accelerate the provision of support for a diversity of talent in the Company, the Group has strengthened related internal infrastructure, which includes appointing a dedicated DEI promotion officer.
Education and Training
FY2024 Results
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| Topic | Course/training name | Eligible participants | Instructors | Participants (people) |
Total time (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEI Promotion | Four-company joint lecture : "Building Teams that Leverage Diversity through Psychological Safety - Everyone as a Stakeholder" | Executives / employees | External experts | 165 | 218 |
| DEI Understanding Training | New employees | Internal staff | 25 | 25 | |
| DEI lecture for learning from case studies at other companies | Executives / employees | External experts | 218 | 317 | |
| Women’s empowerment | External, Open Training, 21st Century Seminar for Women’s Empowerment | Employees (mainly female leaders) | External experts | 2 | 78 |
| Outside Female Directors Salon | Directors, General Managers, Senior Managers, and equivalent | Outside Directors | 117 | 234 | |
| Seminar to support balancing work and childcare | Employees who have had a child and their leaders, and internal and external partners (optional) | External experts | 40 | 40 | |
| Osaka University Style Industry-Academia Co-Creation Educational Business Development Program | Employees (women suitable for program content) | External experts | 7 | 136.5 | |
| LGBTQ | Salon by LGBTQ people | Employees | Internal staff | 7 | 10.5 |
| Talk Session on Gender Diversity | Executives / employees | External experts | 49 | 73.5 | |
| Online event: "Thinking about LGBTQ through the manga 'My Brother's Husband'" | Executives / employees | Internal staff | 56 | 56 | |
| Employees with disabilities | Training to Promote Understanding of Employees with Disabilities (for receiving departments) | Employees | External experts | 23 | 11.5 |
| Other | Harassment Prevention Training | New employees | External experts | 25 | 50 |
Reference: Major Training and Seminars Held until FY2023
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| Topic | Course/training name | Eligible participants | Instructors |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEI promotion | Seminar to Better Understand DEI | Executives and employees (compulsory) | External experts |
| DEI Training (Development and Management of Diverse Employees) | New management appointees | External experts | |
| Online Mini Lecture on Unconscious Bias | Executives and employees | Internal staff | |
| Improving Teamwork for Better Work Performance | Executives and employees | Reknowned authority | |
| Joint Lecture by Four Companies “Age Diversity from the Perspective of Intergenerational Gaps” | Executives and employees | External experts | |
| Women’s empowerment | IkuBOSS Keynote Speech (for executives) | Executives | External experts |
| IkuBOSS seminar | Executives and employees | External experts | |
| Living Proactively in an Age When People Live to 100 |
Executives and employees | Advisors from other companies | |
| Internal, Open Training, Women’s Network Seminar | Employees (women) | External experts | |
| LGBTQ | Training to Better Understand LGBTQ | Executives and employees | External experts |
| LGBTQ Workshop (movie viewing and discussion) | Executives and employees | External experts | |
| Online Mini Lecture SOGI (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity) | Executives and employees | Internal staff | |
| Employees with disabilities | Training to Promote Understanding of Employees with Disabilities (for executives) | Executives | External experts |
| Training to Promote Understanding of Employees with Disabilities (for employees) | HR and general affairs staff at each business site (open to all employees) | External experts | |
| Online Mini Lecture Employees with Disabilities | Executives and employees | Internal staff | |
| Other | Seminar to Support Balancing Work with Nursing Care (Basics) | Executives and employees | External experts |
| Seminar to Support Balancing Work with Nursing Care (Management) | Executives and (primarily) managers | External experts | |
| Online Mini Lecture on Color Universal Design | Executives and employees | Internal staff | |
| Seminar on In-home Nursing Care | Executives and employees | External experts |
Working to Understand, Embrace, and Take Action toward DEI Promotion
Diversity Month
Since FY2021, we have designated December as Diversity Month in conjunction with Human Rights Week (annually, from December 4 to 10), and have been holding seminars and events related to DEI to further raise awareness among our executives and employees. In FY2024, we created a multinational menu for the cafeteria and held a lecture on learning from other companies' examples, talk session on gender diversity, and a lecture on the theme of "psychological safety" jointly with four companies (our company and three others), as well as events and exhibitions unique to each workplace.
Launch of the DEI Promotion Portal Site
With the aim of helping each and every employee understand, embrace, and take action toward DEI, we have launched the DEI Promotion Portal Site for internal use to collect and regularly disseminate information on the Group's efforts to promote DEI.
Creation of the DEI Ally Network
To better carry out employee-led efforts to DEI promotion activities, the DEI Ally Network has been created in cooperation with volunteers from each workplace in Japan. The network enables employees to regularly meet to share objectives and information and exchange views, as well as to discuss and take steps towards realizing DEI promotion activities tailored to each workplace.
- We define "ally" as an inclusive supporter of DEI Promotion, not limited to LGBTQ people.
Employee Survey
Every three years, we conduct an employee survey concerning DEI to check changes in employee awareness and help us formulate related measures.
Promoting Women's Empowerment
Since FY2014, the Group has promoted the Women's Empowerment as one of our corporate policies, shifting its focus from supporting continued employment to promoting women's empowerment. We have formulated an action plan based on the Act on the Promotion of Women’s Active Engagement in Professional Life, which came into effect in 2016, and are implementing a number of related initiatives.
FY2024 Targets and results
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| Targets | Results |
|---|---|
| Survey all employees (following up every three years) | The survey was conducted in January and February 2025, with 1,503 people responding. (Response rate: 96.5%) |
| Conduct interviews at each workplace regarding the career development of female employees | Conducted group interviews with 117 executives, general managers, senior managers, and equivalent. Based on the results of the interviews, we aim to establish a committee in FY2025 to discuss career development plans and rotation plans for female employees across the Company. |
| Formulate training plans and rotation plans based on the core work experience of female employees | |
| Survey employees eligible for taking childcare leave | Conducted individual and group interviews of 28 male employees, approximately half of all male employees who had children in FY2023. Developed countermeasures to address issues. |
| Plan measures to address the issue of taking 28 days or more of leave in total | To create a corporate culture conducive to employees taking leave, we created a video of a "Seminar to support balancing work and childcare" that has been viewed by a portion of our executives, managerial staff, and employees before the birth of their child. Leading to the full-scale launch in FY2025. |
Since March 2017, we have been participating in the Male Leaders Coalition for Empowerment of Women, supported by the Cabinet Office.
Male Leaders Coalition for Empowerment of WomenThe 4th Action Plan based on the Act on the Promotion of Women’s Active Engagement in Professional Life (April 2024 - March 2026)
Number/ratio of female leaders
Number/ratio of female managerial staff
Employees Taking Childcare Leave (as of March 31)
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Reduced Work Hours for Childcare (as of March 31)
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Reform of Employee Awareness and Corporate Culture
We hold workshops at executive training camps, training sessions for managerial staff, grade-based training sessions, and networking receptions for people inside and outside the Company. We also allow the use of maiden names within the Company, encourage male employees to take childcare leave, and participate in the IkuBOSS Declaration and IkuBOSS Corporate Alliance.
Encouragement of Men to Take Childcare Leave
By eliminating the concept of gender roles for both men and women, we will achieve a good work-life balance for all employees while boosting women's motivation to work. In FY2024, 37 male employees took childcare leave.
- In-line with revisions to the Act on the Welfare of Workers Who Take Care of Children or Other Family Members Including Child Care and Family Care Leave in October 2022, a total of 28 days of salary is paid to the relevant employee after the start of childcare leave, including postpartum paternity leave, regardless of gender.
Number/rate of male employees taking childcare leave
- The rate of male employees taking childcare leave is calculated according to the provisions of the Act on the Promotion of Women’s Active Engagement in Professional Life
Measures to Promote Women’s Empowerment
In addition to implementing various measures to create a workplace where both men and women can work comfortably and feel fulfilled, we offer various seminars and training opportunities to motivate women and improve women's skills.
FY2024 Training
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Seminar to support balancing work and childcare for those returning to work from childcare leave
21st Century Seminar for Women’s Empowerment
Major Support Systems for Women's Empowerment
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Major Systems to Support Continued Employment
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As part of our work style reforms, we have also established a number of other systems aimed at achieving ideal work-life balance, including exemption from overtime work, sick child leave, expanded nursing care leave, and a re-employment request registration system, as well as an hourly paid leave system and super flextime system for all employees.
Gender Pay Gap
(Unit: %)
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- Workers include those transfers to subsidiaries and affiliates.
- Calculated based on provisions of the Act on the Promotion of Women's Active Engagement in Professional Life (Act No. 64 of 2015).
- In our HR system, there is no gap in wages between men and women in the same position or role.
- Factors contributing to the gap in wages between men and women by position are as follows:
- Includes retiree rehires, part-time workers, and fixed-term contract employees, and excludes dispatched workers. The wage gap in this group is due to the fact that many retiree rehires are men with higher wage levels, including those treated as managers.
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| Position | Gender wage gap |
Factors behind wage gap |
|---|---|---|
| Managerial staff | 91.3% |
The wage gap is due to the fact that men receive higher role allowances and unaccompanied assignment allowances. Reference: The wage gap between men and women for standard wages excluding various allowances is 97.3% (as of March 2025). |
| Rank-and-file employees | 79.8% |
Most workers who do shift work, for which shift work allowances are paid, are male. As a result, various allowances (surplus wages) based on family status and other factors such as family allowances and unaccompanied duty allowances are paid more to men. Meanwhile, women stay longer in lower grades due to the past "course" system (the general employment course was abolished in 2017). Reference: The wage gap between men and women for standard wages excluding various allowances is 91.2% (as of March 2024). |
Initiatives to Correct the Gender Wage Gap
As part of efforts to support female employees' development and advancement to higher ranks while increasing the number of female managers and leaders, we will continue to implement various internal and external training programs, establish committees to promote the active participation of diverse talent, and formulate training plans for female employees and rotation plans aimed at expanding their job scope. In this way, we will work on measures to support the development of female employees.
We will also make business reforms using IT and AI, as well as work style reforms from a variety of perspectives, in order to achieve balanced work styles for both men and women.
Promoting a Better Understanding of LGBTQ People
The Sanyo Chemical Group* has been working on initiatives related to LGBTQ members, who are sexual minorities, since 2018.
To create an environment that respects diverse values, in addition to carrying out internal initiatives, we also promote better awareness in society at large by cooperating with and participating in the activities of external organizations.
- Excluding certain countries that have LGBTQ-related regulations under laws (the same applies below for LGBTQ-related policies).
LGBT Consultation Services
The Group has established both internal and external LGBT consultation services. To enable anyone to seek consultation without worry, we have established a policy to protect the privacy of those seeking consultation and prohibit disadvantageous treatment for having done so.
Revision of Company Regulations
In July 2019, we reviewed our benefits program and revised systems to accept spouses of either the same or opposite sex (to be eligible for such systems, employees may self report regarding their spouse without official documents).
We have also eliminated the gender field from employment applications, and have standardized uniforms for both men and women (the same work uniforms and lab coats can be chosen regardless of gender). In line with these changes, we revised our company regulations.
Reform of Employee Awareness and Corporate Culture
We conduct various training programs and events to promote a correct understanding of LGBTQ issues.
Major Training Programs, etc. in FY2024
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| Training, etc. | Date | Eligible participants | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thinking about LGBTQ through the manga "My Brother's Husband" | September, 2024 | Executives / employees | In collaboration with other companies, an online event was held based on the manga "My Brother's Husband," allowing participants to think about and deepen their understanding of the difficulties faced by LGBTQ people and the prejudices the participants themselves may have. |
| Talk Session on Gender Diversity | December, 2024 | Executives / employees | A panel was held with LGBTQ people and our LGBTQ ally employees to discuss how to create a workplace where everyone can work comfortably, regardless of their sexual orientation. |
| A small gathering of LGBTQ people | December, 2024 | Executives / employees | A small group of participants discussed LGBTQ-related topics and deepened their understanding. |
| Information session for pride event participants | June, October, 2024 | Executives / employees (Pride event participants) |
A talk on basic facts about being LGBTQ was given to participants of the pride event. |
Since August 2020, we have welcomed Kazue Chan, a YouTuber and an LGBTQ person working to raise awareness about LGBTQ issues, as an employee to work with us on further reforming our corporate culture.
Talk Session on Gender Diversity
Salon by Kazue-chan
Become an Ally!
The term “ally” refers to someone who expresses their understanding of LGBTQ people and actively supports them. Declaring oneself an ally sends a strong message of support to LGBTQ people. To enable employees to show that they are allies, we have created goods that can be worn by or attached to the belongings of those who have declared themselves as such.
Currently, we define allies as comprehensive supporters of DEI promotion, not limited to supporters of LGBTQ people.
Goods for indicating ally status in Japan
All-gender Restrooms
At the Kyoto Head Office, we have installed an all-gender restroom that anyone can use regardless of gender. We are also building all-gender restrooms at other workplaces in the Group. The all-gender restroom at the Kyoto Head Office has three restroom stalls, one of which is a multi-function toilet accessible to wheelchair users.
All-gender restroom
Participation in External Activities
With the aim of creating a diverse and inclusive society in which all people, including LGBTQ members and other sexual minorities, can live comfortably, we participate in Rainbow Pride events in the regions where our domestic offices are located (Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka). We also give lectures at high schools and universities, as well as to corporations.
Participation in Rainbow Pride events
On-site lessons
Promoting the Employment and Empowerment of People with Disabilities
The Sanyo Chemical Group aims to create a workplace where everyone, regardless of disability, can work together with their peers and play an active role with peace of mind. To reach this goal, we promote various initiatives. We have established and begun operating a support system for continued employment.
Employment Rate of Employees with Disabilities (as of June 1)
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- Includes those transfers to Group companies
As of June 1, 2025, Sanyo Chemical employs 28 people with disabilities, for a 2.41% employment rate (the statutory rate is 2.5%)
Training to Promote Understanding of Employees with Disabilities
"Training to Promote Understanding of Employees with Disabilities " was conducted by external instructors for executives as well as HR and general affairs staff at each facility. A video was also streamed to all employees.
To promote a better understanding of working with members who have disabilities, we have also created an online course (video) that provides basic information about disabilities and explains about reasonable accommodations, and encourage all employees to take the course.
Support for Continued Employment
We have established a support system that enables members with disabilities and those who work with them to expand their sphere of activity with peace of mind, providing support when they join the Company and follow-up support afterwards, along with conducting periodic interviews.
In addition, we have established the Work Support Consultation Office, an external consultation service to help with concerns caused by disabilities in the workplace and stresses at job sites.
Promoting Senior Empowerment
Through a reemployment system that allows employees to continue working after retirement, we are expanding opportunities for experienced employee to utilize their wealth of experience and knowledge to engage in a broader range of pursuits as they pass on skills and develop their successors.
Reemployment of Retired Employees
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| FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reemployed people | 14 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 29 |
| Reemployment rate (%) | 81 | 87 | 100 | 79 | 74 |
- Includes those transfers to Group companies
Promoting the Employment and Empowerment of Global Talents
A diversity of human resources from various cultures is essential to the global business that the Sanyo Chemical Group aspires to. Through efforts such as explaining internal systems, policies, and HR systems; translating internal documents into English; and helping with visa procedures, we are working to create an environment in which employees whose first language is not Japanese can play an active role. We will also continue to actively employ and advance global talents.
Number of Employees with Non-Japanese Nationality (as of March 31)
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| FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Japanese employees | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 14 |
- Includes those transfers to Group companies
External Evaluation
Received the highest rating of GOLD in the PRIDE Index for the sixth consecutive year
For the sixth consecutive year, the Company received the highest rating of GOLD in PRIDE Index 2024, which evaluates initiatives related to LGBTQ and others.
Developed by the voluntary organization "work with Pride," the PRIDE Index recognizes companies that are making outstanding efforts to disseminate specific initiatives to society, and aims to promote and establish workplaces where LGBTQ and other sexual minorities can work with peace of mind.
Recognized for the third consecutive year as the Best Workplace, the highest award category in the D&I AWARD.
The D&I AWARD 2024 is a certification system that recognizes companies leading the way in diversity and inclusion. Sanyo Chemical Group, which is actively engaged in DEI, was recognized as a Best Workplace, the highest award, for the third consecutive year. The D&I AWARD, sponsored by JobRainbow Co., Ltd., has four levels of awards awarded according to a score given based on evaluating 100 items comprising five aspects: LGBTQ+, the gender gap, disability, multicultural coexistence, and childcare/nursing care.
Acquired the 3-star L-boshi (the highest grade)
In March 2022, we acquired the 3-star L-boshi (the highest grade) by the Kyoto Labor Bureau. L-boshi is a system under which the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare certifies companies that have formulated and submitted action plans based on the Act on the Promotion of Women's Active Engagement in Professional Life and that are in good standing in terms of their implementation. There are three levels of certification, and we received a 3-star certification because we met the criteria for all evaluation items.
Awarded Kurumin / Platinum Kurumin certification
In August 2017, we received Platinum Kurumin certification from the Kyoto Labor Bureau. Kurumin certification is granted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to "companies that support parenting," and Platinum Kurumin certification is awarded to Kurumin certification holders that demonstrate a particularly high level of commitment.
In 2007, we were the first company in Kyoto Prefecture to receive Kurumin certification.
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