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Respect for Human Rights and Labor

Considering the growing social demand for companies to respect human rights, Japan Post Group formulated the Japan Post Group Human Rights Policy in April 2019 based on the United Nations (UN) Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and other concepts.
Through this policy, we demonstrate our respect for human rights, and through building a framework for human rights due diligence and identifying negative impacts on human rights, we promote human rights awareness activities to foster a sense of human rights among all employees. We also support the UN Children's Rights and Business Principles and will promote the realization of children's rights. Human rights awareness activities will be reviewed periodically through deliberations by the Sustainability Committee, taking into account changes in corporate activities and the business environment.

We aim to examine initiatives carefully so that the whole company can understand the importance of sustainability management as viewed by senior management, while considering the importance of business and human rights, taking into account advice from experts, arranging a structure for promoting initiatives, and having a basic concept and policy.

Dialogue with outside experts

The Japan Post Group undertakes the following human rights due diligence process in order to respect the human rights of persons who are impacted by its business activities.

In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, an in-house seminar on business and human rights was held for all employees of Japan Post Holdings by inviting a lecturer from the Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau.
Each employee is learning the importance of being considerate of the human rights of all people, through involvement with various stakeholders including employees, consumers, business partners, shareholders and investors, and the local communities.

■Training provided
Purpose	Actions	Intended for
Encouraging understanding of business and human rights	Connections between business and human rights	Japan Post Holdings Co., Ltd. (Approx. 1,000)

With the largest workforce in Japan, the Japan Post Group operates a variety of businesses, including the post office business, logistics business, bank business, and insurance business, through about 24,000 post offices nationwide. We identify priority risks by developing an overview of latent and apparent human rights-related risks occurring in connection with our businesses.
Identifying priority risks refers to such guidelines as "Research and Study on Business and Human Rights Report on Study of Business and Human Rights (March 2021)" (, The Ministry of Justice) and a "Hhandbook for Mmanagement that Rrespects Hhuman Rirights published by Keidanren (December 2021)" (Keidanren) , the expertise of external consultants, results of employee questionnaires relating to human rights awareness, and other materials.
The following priority risks were identified.

〈Priority risks〉

Power harassment and sexual harassment
Excessive or unreasonable working hours
Insufficient or unpaid wages, and a living wage

〈Reference: Employee questionnaire results (human rights awareness survey)〉

Question: What do you think are highly likely to become priority risks related to human rights in the business activities of the Japan Post Group? Choose the three most applicable ones^*.

* To be chosen from 25 human rights-related risks given in Research and Study on Business and Human Rights(March 2021 The Ministry of Justice).

Number of respondents: 965 (response rate: approx. 90％)

We will manage the identified risks through monitoring and other means and review them.

Preventive and Corrective Actions The following shows the implementation of preventive and corrective measures against the negative impact of apparent and latent risks relating to human rights. We will review and enhance activities according to the situation of the assessed impact on human rights.

Offering education and training	Full staff training (twice a year) Training provided for all employees on how to use consultation counters and an internal reporting contact, human rights awareness, and prevention of harassment New employee orientation and promotion training by job level Training provided for raising human rights awareness and preventing harassment at the time of employment and promotion (by job level) Training with external specialists as lecturers Training provided for all employees to raise their human rights awareness and prevent harassment with external specialists invited as lecturers (once a year) Diversity seminars Seminars held multiple times a year to develop a mindset of respecting diverse values and accepting each other Training for harassment consultation staff Training provided to improve the quality of harassment consultation staff
Establishing internal environments and systems	Initiatives to promote diversity Raising awareness/behavioral reform, promoting women (increasing the ratio of women in management position), recruitment and appointment of mid-career and foreign nationals, support to senior employment, promoting the employment of persons with disabilities, addressing sexual diversity, etc. Initiatives to create a comfortable workplace Helping balance work and childcare/nursing care/recuperation, realizing a human resource system adaptive to environmental changes, reducing overwork, promoting telework, etc. Developing a pleasant workplace Prevention of child labor and forced labor Endorsing the UN's Children's Rights and Business Principles and promoting the realization of children's rights. Checking age on recruitment and introducing work regulations that guarantee the freedom to resign Note: We employ staff based on applications by job seekers, issue a notice of employment conditions in advance, and guarantee the freedom to resign to prevent forced labor by clearly stating in the work regulations that employees may leave the organization 14 days after submitting their notice. Toll Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement Initiatives to eradicate harassment Communicating messages pertaining to harassment from senior management, undertaking a range of initiatives in employee education and awareness, supervisory training using case studies, the distribution of booklets and other materials, etc. Note: We thoroughly protect whistleblowers, have a "one-stop consultation and internal platform" for responding to those seeking consultation and have built a structure that allows staff with investigative expertise to conduct investigations. Promote health management Establishing the Japan Post Group Health Management Promotion System, formulating the Japan Post Group Declaration on Health, reducing long working hours, providing health guidance toward prevention of lifestyle-related diseases, mental healthcare, etc. Health Management Initiatives of the Japan Post Group Setting up consultation contacts for mental and physical health We set up consultation contacts for persons having concerns or anxiety about life or work: mental and physical health consultation contact at health management facilities around Japan, telephone counseling at Japan Post Mutual Aid Association, and a contact for a counseling service outsourced to an external specialized company. Benefits added to workers' accident compensation We provide additional benefits for injury, disease, disability or death arising from occupational accident or commuting accident when employees receive benefits under the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act. Occupational health and safety management system To prevent occupational accidents, prevent damage to the health of employees and create a comfortable workplace environment, we observe the occupational health and safety laws and other related laws and regulations, and implement initiatives to ensure the safety of employees, maintain and advance their health. Initiatives to be conducted by business partners, a management structure related to health and safety, a risk management structure related to health and safety, responses to occupational accidents, etc. Occupational Health and Safety Initiatives at the Japan Post Group
Supply chain management	Determination of "Japan Post Group's Approach to Procurement Activity" The Group has supported the Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption raised by UN Global Compact since 2018. With respect to above-mentioned matters, we established the "Japan Post Group CSR Procurement Guidelines" to show our specific efforts required of our suppliers, and have promoted our procurement activities considering social responsibilities such as human rights, labor standards and the environment in our whole supply chain.

Offering education and training

Full staff training (twice a year)
Training provided for all employees on how to use consultation counters and an internal reporting contact, human rights awareness, and prevention of harassment
New employee orientation and promotion training by job level
Training provided for raising human rights awareness and preventing harassment at the time of employment and promotion (by job level)
Training with external specialists as lecturers
Training provided for all employees to raise their human rights awareness and prevent harassment with external specialists invited as lecturers (once a year)
Diversity seminars
Seminars held multiple times a year to develop a mindset of respecting diverse values and accepting each other
Training for harassment consultation staff
Training provided to improve the quality of harassment consultation staff

Establishing internal environments and systems

Initiatives to promote diversity
Raising awareness/behavioral reform, promoting women (increasing the ratio of women in management position), recruitment and appointment of mid-career and foreign nationals, support to senior employment, promoting the employment of persons with disabilities, addressing sexual diversity, etc.
Initiatives to create a comfortable workplace
Helping balance work and childcare/nursing care/recuperation, realizing a human resource system adaptive to environmental changes, reducing overwork, promoting telework, etc.

Developing a pleasant workplace

Prevention of child labor and forced labor
Endorsing the UN's Children's Rights and Business Principles and promoting the realization of children's rights. Checking age on recruitment and introducing work regulations that guarantee the freedom to resign

*Note: We employ staff based on applications by job seekers, issue a notice of employment conditions in advance, and guarantee the freedom to resign to prevent forced labor by clearly stating in the work regulations that employees may leave the organization 14 days after submitting their notice.

Toll Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement

Initiatives to eradicate harassment
Communicating messages pertaining to harassment from senior management, undertaking a range of initiatives in employee education and awareness, supervisory training using case studies, the distribution of booklets and other materials, etc.

*Note: We thoroughly protect whistleblowers, have a "one-stop consultation and internal platform" for responding to those seeking consultation and have built a structure that allows staff with investigative expertise to conduct investigations.

Promote health management
Establishing the Japan Post Group Health Management Promotion System, formulating the Japan Post Group Declaration on Health, reducing long working hours, providing health guidance toward prevention of lifestyle-related diseases, mental healthcare, etc.

Health Management Initiatives of the Japan Post Group

Setting up consultation contacts for mental and physical health
We set up consultation contacts for persons having concerns or anxiety about life or work: mental and physical health consultation contact at health management facilities around Japan, telephone counseling at Japan Post Mutual Aid Association, and a contact for a counseling service outsourced to an external specialized company.
Benefits added to workers' accident compensation
We provide additional benefits for injury, disease, disability or death arising from occupational accident or commuting accident when employees receive benefits under the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act.
Occupational health and safety management system
To prevent occupational accidents, prevent damage to the health of employees and create a comfortable workplace environment, we observe the occupational health and safety laws and other related laws and regulations, and implement initiatives to ensure the safety of employees, maintain and advance their health.
Initiatives to be conducted by business partners, a management structure related to health and safety, a risk management structure related to health and safety, responses to occupational accidents, etc.

Occupational Health and Safety Initiatives at the Japan Post Group

Supply chain management

Determination of "Japan Post Group's Approach to Procurement Activity"
The Group has supported the Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption raised by UN Global Compact since 2018.
With respect to above-mentioned matters, we established the "Japan Post Group CSR Procurement Guidelines" to show our specific efforts required of our suppliers, and have promoted our procurement activities considering social responsibilities such as human rights, labor standards and the environment in our whole supply chain.

The following shows monitoring of the risks related to human rights. We will review monitoring items and methods according to the status shown by the assessment of the impact on human rights.

Employee and workplace environment surveys
- Human rights and harassment check (twice a year)
- Stress Checks at all business locations (once a year)
- Improvements to workplace environment by inviting employees to give examples of near misses at business locations
- Initiatives to correct excessive overtime
  Checking the number of hours of overtime at each department (monthly), monitoring of working hours and others on site (as necessary), managing working hours by checking IC cards (monthly)
- Fatigue Checks (for employees with 80 hours or more of overtime per month; monthly)
Exchanging opinions with the labor union
- Holding a subcommittee meeting with the labor union to discuss work-life balance and other matters (once to twice a year)
- Exchanging opinions with the branches of the labor union on such matters as actual overtime hours once every two months
Supply chain management
- Conducting a survey on CSR procurement to suppliers (once a year)
  The Japan Post Group ensures procurement activities engaging in global environment and local community in cooperation with our suppliers based on the Japan Post Group's Approach to Procurement Activity. As in the previous year, we conducted a survey on CSR procurement to our suppliers in 2022 for the purpose of understanding efforts related to CSR of our suppliers and of striving to continuously improve our efforts in whole our supply chain.
  ■Survey overview
  - Survey period: December 2022
  - Number of suppliers surveyed: 209
    (Breakdown)
    Japan Post Holdings Co., Ltd.: 67
    Japan Post Co., Ltd.: 49
    Japan Post Bank Co., Ltd.: 43
    Japan Post Insurance Co., Ltd.: 50
  - Questionnaire details
    We adopted the self-assessment questionnaire (SAQ) created by the UN Global Compact Network Japan in 2017.
    We adopted SAQ for two reasons.
    1. Conform to the ten principles in four areas of the United Nations Global Compact.
    2. Reduction of burden on our suppliers to respond by means of using uniform format across business and industry.
    This questionnaire consists of nine items, each of which has sub-items. Each item asks about "recognition of the law", "policy", "structure and responsibility", "confirmation of the results of initiatives", and "corrective actions". The status of their efforts are scored.
    
    <Nine survey items (main items)>
    (2) (1) corporate governance for CSR, (2) human rights, (3) labour, (4) the environment, (5) fair business activities, (6) quality and safety, (7) information security, (8) supply chain, and (9) coexistence with local communities
  ■Sharing survey results
  
  We give feedback on the results of survey to all suppliers who responded CSR questionnaire.
  If any issues are revealed as a result of this survey, we will work with suppliers to address these issues for improvement rather than immediately suspending or canceling a transaction.
- Specific Initiatives

Annual Report (disclosure document)
Japan Post Group Sustainability Report（Japanese）

As activities for raising human rights awareness and those for eradicating harassment, the Group tries to develop awareness through varied types of training and listens to employees in connection with compliance overall with a "one-stop consultation and internal platform" and other tools prepared for those needing consultation.
When employees seek advice about or report harassment, we will investigate each case based on their intentions and recognize cases of harassment if applicable. We strictly deal with cases recognized as harassment under the disciplinary action rules prescribed by each Group company. Additionally, we reflect cases in personnel evaluations and/or such measures as personnel transfers, depending on the details.

Japan Post Holdings	FY2019	FY2020	FY2021	FY2022
Number of cases of harassment^*1	118	134	88	108^（*2）

Number of cases of disciplinary action relating to harassment
The incidence of harassment was about 0.03％ among all employees (about 370,000 in total).

Coverage: Japan Post Holdings Co., Ltd., Japan Post Co., Ltd., Japan Post Bank Co., Ltd., and Japan Post Insurance Co., Ltd.

Initiatives on Internal Reporting System

In light of rapid changes in the business environment, the Japan Post Group is reviewing its labor force composition with an eye on future business and responding to laws and regulations related to equal pay for equal work. Regarding employee treatment, we will continue to promote employees from contract worker to full-time employee status, further improve employee treatment, and make efforts to realize a simple and more acceptable salary system.

The Japan Post Group complies with the laws and regulations relating to the Article 36 agreement and maintains a policy of reducing excessive working hours. Under the policy, we ensure appropriate management of working hours at each workplace and take a variety of initiatives to reduce overtime by increasing business efficiency and reforming the work climate so that all employees can exhibit their capacities to the full and fully enjoy working.

The Japan Post Group complies with the Industrial Safety and Health Act and related laws and regulations and ensures constant and thorough management and confirmation to prevent violations in existing business operations. We also check compliance with the Industrial Safety and Health Act and the presence of a structure that prevents legal violations when any company is newly formed or M&A takes place.

To make sure that all people can maintain the minimum standards of wholesome and cultured living as set out in Article 25 of the Constitution of Japan, the Japan Post Group, as its basic policy, complies with labor-related laws and regulations, pays a wage superior to the minimum wage of the region, and pays a fair wage according to jobs such as positions. We also conduct labor-management consultations every year to improve the wage level, including salaries, bonuses, and benefits, so that employees and their families in all regions can lead a richer life. We promise we will make further improvement.
Endorsing "the principle of equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value" in C100 - Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) of the International Labour Organization, the Japan Post Group maintains standards for paying equal remuneration without sexual discrimination for work of equal value.

In existing business operations, the Japan Post Group complies with labor-related laws and regulations and ensures the constant management and confirmation to prevent legal violations. We also check compliance with labor-related laws and regulations and the presence of a structure that can prevent legal violations when any new company is set up or M&A takes place.

The Japan Post Group respects labor rights (the right to unionize and the right to work in groups for collective bargaining and others) in accordance with the Constitution of Japan and the Labor Union Act.
Within the Japan Post Group, there are labor unions including the Japan Postal Group Union. Collective bargaining is carried out for varied working conditions such as the wages and working hours of employees while equality is ensured between labor and management.

*Note: Number of employees eligible for collective bargaining and agreement (Japan Post Holdings, Japan Post, Japan Post Bank, Japan Post Insurance): Approx. 340,000 (approx. 91.6％ of all employees of four companies; as of the end of March 2024)