We consider diversity, equity & inclusion (DE&I) to be one of our most important management strategies as we believe that harnessing each employee’s individual qualities and helping them fully demonstrate their abilities are essential for companies to attain sound growth and ensure happiness for all employees. We strive to recognize and accept diverse human resources regardless of gender, age, disability, nationality, as well as lifestyle and personality, and to provide each with the best support and opportunities in a fair manner. We utilize new values and ideas coming from an employee-friendly workplace that accepts such people by combining different “knowledge.”
The Niterra Group aims to be an organization where leaders with diverse backgrounds can thrive to realize our vision. We are especially focused on empowering women and have set targets for 2030 to achieve a 30% or higher ratio of women and foreign nationals as directors, a 30% ratio of women, foreign nationals, and mid-career employees in managerial posts (Group in Japan), and a 10% ratio of women employees in managerial posts (non-consolidated), and are moving forward with these initiatives. Among these, we have already achieved the target for the ratio of women and foreign nationals as directors.
To promote an increase in the percentage of women in managerial positions, we've been running the selective development program for women managerial candidates, the "Raise UP Program," since 2019. This program provides a venue for participants to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and mindset for management, with support from executives and supervisors. So far, 28 women have gone on to succeed in managerial roles after participating. Thanks to the effectiveness of this training, the percentage of women managers is increasing yearly, and a culture that nurtures diverse leaders is steadily taking root.
The Niterra Group will continue to promote the development of diverse leaders, centering on the empowerment of women. We will prioritize deep-level diversity, including the diversity of experience and thought, and continuously work to develop an organization where diverse human resources can thrive and the leaders who drive it.
This is a selective training program for women whose next stage of growth is a managerial position, where participants explore their own vision of leadership, based on the concept of R.A.I.S.E. UP; Resilient, Active, I (true to oneself), Smart, and Exceed (one step forward) UP.
In addition to workshops during the program, participants gain the perspective required of managers through interviews with executives and supervisors designated as advisory board members. Through this training, we support participants to mentally prepare for a managerial role and feel confident in taking on this challenge.
At our Group, there are no differences in our corporate systems based on gender, and when viewed by job grade, there is virtually no pay gap between men and women.
However, a remaining challenge is that the proportion of women in managerial positions is lower compared to that of men. Therefore, we are committed to advancing further initiatives to increase the percentage of women in management going forward.
Number of Female Employees in a Managerial Posts
Proportion of Female EmployeesThe growth of employees leads to the sustainable growth of the company. Based on this recognition, we are working to provide employees with workplaces where they can choose the right career for themselves, enhance their expertise and skills, and continue to make a meaningful contribution.
Specifically, we are building a multifaceted support system to provide diverse career options and further promote the success of all employees. We have established a Career Consultation Helpline with dedicated consultants to help employees navigate their careers with clarity and confidence. Furthermore, we support employee growth by implementing specific career measures tailored to various life stages.
As a tool to help employees to look back on their past, set their future vision and commit themselves to achieving the vision, we use “My Career.” Employees annually input information about their career to date and their future aspirations into “My Career,” which their managers then refer to in interviewing them to support their career development.
Effective April 2025, we have revised our continuous employment system to further enhance career opportunities for employees after the mandatory retirement age.
This initiative reflects our commitment to fostering an environment where diverse talent can continue to thrive, regardless of age or tenure.
Under the new system, we have established a job grading framework that covers a wide range of roles, allowing senior employees to perform the equivalent duties to what they did before retirement and leverage the skills and knowledge they have cultivated. This enables diverse working styles tailored to both the company's expectations and the individual's wishes. Furthermore, we have realized a fair compensation system based on roles and performance, creating a mechanism that is satisfactory to employees.
We will empower our senior employees to continue thriving by cultivating an environment that boosts individual morale and ensures they remain highly motivated.
Number of Retirees Reemployed under the SystemWe established Nittoku Smile Co., Ltd. in order to promote employment of workers with disabilities and it was certified as a special subsidiary in January 2018. We aim to create a comfortable environment for workers with disabilities.
The percentage of employees with disabilities at the end of FY2024 was 2.71%, reaching the mandated employment rate of 2.3%.
We continue to create a better working environment by promoting understanding of employment of workers with disabilities within the company.
Percentage of Disabled EmployeesOur Ise Plant has been certified as a "Support Company/Organization for Persons with Disabilities," an initiative promoted by Ise City.
This system aims to realize a society where people with disabilities can live with peace of mind in the communities they are accustomed to. It certifies companies and organizations that are proactive in areas such as the employment of persons with disabilities, support for their employment, and the purchase of goods produced by them. Our Ise Plant has maintained this certification continuously since 2018.
We are promoting the employment of foreign nationals in our effort to adapt to the rapid progress of globalization and encourage diverse talent to play active roles. For new graduates, we have been employing, recently with a special focus on the employment of foreign nationals who have studied the Japanese language at overseas universities and want to work in Japan, in addition to those who have studied in Japan.
In order to help newly-hired foreign national employees smoothly adapt to life in Japan, we offer them various supports, including a help site Nittokupedia created by their senior colleagues, a work buddy program to work with Japanese peers, teaching of Japanese language and cross-cultural training. With non-Japanese new graduates and mid-career employees, including both engineers and office personnel, demonstrating their abilities at our workplaces, we can increase our diversity awareness across the company.
We are recognized as a company that has been proactively employing highly-skilled foreign professionals,* and our efforts shown above are covered in "Fifty Japanese Companies Providing Successful Careers for Highly-skilled Foreign Professionals" released by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and in a publication issued by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to introduce a collection of successful case examples that help improve employment management to create an attractive working environment for highly-skilled foreign professionals. In addition, we have been selected for the Japanese government project "Visionary Management 2021," which selects about 100 companies from all over Japan that are working on employing highly-skilled foreign IT personnel, that is to say, a new management method of hiring excellent talent regardless of nationality.
*Highly-skilled foreign professionals: foreign human resources with advanced expertise and skills
Our human resources policy states that we respect the diversity and individuality of our employees, and we aim to create a workplace where LGBTQ+ employees can also play an active role with pride.
The department dedicated to diversity issues takes the lead in promoting various initiatives.
In 2024, our company was awarded the "Gold" rating —the index's highest honor— for the first time in the "PRIDE Index 2024," which evaluates workplace initiatives for LGBTQ+ and other sexual minorities.
To ensure that our employees have the correct knowledge on LGBTQ+, we provide training and disseminate information through our in-house e-newsletter.
In FY2022, we co-sponsored Nagoya Rainbow Pride, an LGBTQ+-related event, and held an in-house training session with invited speakers. The training provided a valuable opportunity for employees to deepen their understanding of LGBTQ+ issues by listening to LGBTQ+ persons about their experiences and discussing issues with them.
Our human rights policy explicitly states that we will not discriminate on the grounds of LGBTQ+. In addition, consultations on LGBTQ+ and other sexual harassment are given by both labor and management at the consultation desks set up at each plant and via the Corporate Ethics Helpline. Prompt action is taken by the Anti-Harassment Committee.
As part of our commitment to respecting the diversity and individuality of our employees, we have revised our internal regulations.
This revision allows employees in a declared same-sex partnership—who may not be able to legally marry based on their registered gender—to utilize our company's welfare and benefit programs on the same basis as employees in heterosexual marriages.
Our company is focusing on promoting a deeper understanding of DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) to realize a corporate culture where diverse talent can be active and thrive in the workplace.
In February 2025, we held "DE&I WEEK," a period for employees to collectively engage with and advance our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives.
Under the theme "Inclusive Niterra," we conducted various events with the goal of encouraging employees to take personal ownership of DE&I and translate this awareness into their own actions.
During the week, we hosted a lecture by an external speaker who emphasized that the active participation and success of every employee is indispensable to the organization. Furthermore, messages from our President and executives were shared, reinforcing our strong, company-wide commitment to advancing DE&I.
The name of this training, “mimi-tako (MT),” is derived from a Japanese phrase meaning “hear enough.” To raise managers’ awareness, the MT training is held repeatedly under the themes of, for example, diversity, the Nittoku Way, and compliance to the extent that trainees feel they have heard enough.
The Human Resources Department issues a monthly “Diversity Forum” to all employees to provide various information on DE&I and our company's activities. We strive to promote understanding of DE&I through regular dissemination of information on DE&I.
In order to respect the diversity and individuality of our employees, we are promoting initiatives not only for systems and rules, but also for facilities and equipment.
We use genderless uniforms with a unified design and color.
We have installed multipurpose toilets that anyone can use at our head office, Komaki Plant, and other locations.
Komaki Plant N-Forest has set up lactation rooms for employees who need to nursing or express milk.
Even at bases that do not have lactation room rooms, we have taken measures such as creating rest spaces for women.
Prayer rooms have been set up at the head office and Komaki Plant N-Forest for employees who need to pray during working hours for religious reasons.