Basic Concept
Since the early days of its foundation, the Nisshinbo Group has made it its mission to contribute broadly to society based on the basic spirit of corporate public institutions of "contributing to society through business activities." The Group actively participates in communities to contribute to the regions where it operates, and contributes to the sustainable development of society through its business and social contribution activities.
Promotion System
Under the supervision of the Director and the Chief of the Corporate Strategy Center of Nisshinbo Holdings, Inc., the Nisshinbo Group has established the Group Sustainability Promotion Council, with the Sustainability Development Department of the Company as its secretariat. At the council, group companies share their initiatives for social contribution activities and promote activities that contribute to the sustainable development of society throughout the Group. In the Sustainability Promotion Plan, the Group has set "Expand participation in local contribution activities" as a goal and is promoting it.
Specific Initiatives of The Nisshinbo Group
The Nisshinbo Group has made the development of social contribution activities a key action items in the "Fifth Sustainability Promotion Plan," and in FY2024, the Group will continue its participation in community contribution activities as the Group did in FY2023.
Specific Activities of the Group Companies
Held a Basketball Clinic
In August 2023, Japan Radio Co., Ltd. held a basketball clinic for beginners in collaboration with Sky Limit Sports Mitaka, a company active in Mitaka City, and its basketball club.
The clinic was attended by 34 children in the morning session and 16 children in the afternoon session, for a total of 50 children. The children were taught how to move their bodies and how to dribble, pass, and shoot, the basics of basketball, and at the end of the clinic they played a mini-game. The mini-game was played between the children and then between the players and the children, and the audience was excited by the dynamic play of the players, who used their height to their advantage.
The children enjoyed playing as seen by the smiles on their faces. The beauty of sports is that everyone, including the players, can become absorbed in one thing and have fun. Japan Radio will continue its efforts to contribute to the community so that as many children as possible can experience the joy of sports through basketball.
Voluntary Community Contribution Activities Through Advocacy for School Children to Watch over Elementary School Students Going to School
JRC Tokki Co., Ltd. headquarters is surrounded by a residential area with narrow roads, but because of the nearby Tsuzuki Interchange on the Daisan Keihin Expressway, vehicles of all sizes are traveling through the area.
In 2009, the company's main gate was renovated on the side of a nearby elementary school road, and elementary school students going to school in groups can now be seen at the intersection in front of the main gate. Seeing the children crossing the intersection with their parents, the company's security guards voluntarily began watching over the children together with their parents. Now, every morning from around 7:50 a.m. until after 8:00 a.m., they stand on the pedestrian crossing during school hours, holding a crossing flag and working with the guardians to prevent traffic accidents from occurring.
JRC Tokki Co., Ltd. guards have received words of appreciation from parents and are affectionately called "Mr. Blue" by elementary school children because of the color of the guard's uniform.
Donation and collaboration with Shinshu University, Faculty of Engineering, Endowed Chair for Engineering Education
Nagano Japan Radio Co., Ltd. endorses the purpose of the Shinshu University Endowed Chair in Engineering Education, Faculty of Engineering, which aims to develop human resources capable of utilizing data science at Shinshu University, and has started a donation and collaboration with four companies in Nagano Prefecture in 2023.
In today's digital society, there is a growing need to acquire the fundamentals of mathematics, data science, and AI, and the ability to apply and utilize them in specialized fields. The purpose of this endowed engineering course is to support the implementation of cross-sectional engineering education in mathematics and data science, as well as to strengthen collaboration between companies and universities from an educational perspective. In addition to enhancing the education of current students, the program will also provide education for working people. Courses for working professionals are offered in face-to-face, online, and on-demand formats for each theme, and many engineers from the company have participated.
In cooperation with Shinshu University, the company will continue to contribute to the development of human resources who can play an active role in the local community.
Cooperated in the Shinshu Furusato no Michi Fureai Project (Adopt-a-Path System)
The community association in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture, where the headquarters plant of Ueda Japan Radio Co., Ltd. is located, has concluded an agreement with Nagano Prefecture and Ueda City for the Shinshu Hometown Road Fureai Project (Adopt-a-System) in 2023 to promote road beautification activities along National Route 141.
Adopt means "to adopt." It is named after the fact that residents lovingly take care of (clean and beautify) public spaces, such as roads, as if they were adopted children. It is a system whereby the municipality and residents conclude an agreement on the division of roles between them and continuously promote beautification activities. In concluding this agreement, the Treadway Neighborhood Association requested the company's cooperation in beautification activities, and the company agreed with the neighborhood association to cooperate in the beautification of the sidewalks on National Route 141 bordering the head office plant from June 2023.
The company has been cooperating in the beautification activities by having 20 to 30 employees volunteer to clean and weed the sidewalks on Environment Day, which is held on the first Wednesday of every month from April to December in principle before the start of the work day. For this activity, we received a letter of appreciation from the Treadway Community Association.
Exhibited at SAGA Monosugo Festa 9
In August 2023, Nisshinbo Micro Devices AT Co., Ltd. exhibited at Saga Monosugo Festa 9, one of the prefecture's largest assembly-type events featuring manufacturing in Saga Prefecture.
The number of visitors during the event exceeded 30,000, the largest number ever, and the company's booth was visited by approximately 4,000 elementary and junior high school students and their parents. At the booth, in cooperation with the SAGA Semiconductor Forum, the company displayed and introduced product samples and familiar specification examples to deepen visitors' understanding of its products. The hands-on radio manufacturing workshop for elementary school students was very popular, with all scheduled slots filled to capacity after registration began.
Visitors commented, "I could understand that semiconductors are very familiar to me," "I was surprised to know that the Nisshinbo Group is located in Saga Prefecture," and "I enjoyed making the radio," thereby enhancing corporate recognition.
Support Activities for Child Development Centers
Nisshinbo Micro Devices (Thailand) Co., Ltd. aims to raise safety awareness within the company and to the society at large. for the second consecutive year, Nisshinbo Micro Devices (Thailand) Co., Ltd. conducted a CSR activity at Ban Makua Chee Child Development Center.
In order to raise safety awareness at the Child Development Center and promote safe passage to and from school, the Safety Committee Team, led by Mr. Santiphong Sengchai, Chairman of the Safety Committee, donated five fire extinguishers with signs, 56 helmets for infants, one water cooler, and one set of first aid kit on December 15, 2023. In addition, to help students understand how to properly use fire extinguishers, a firefighting expert was invited to the Child Development Center to teach faculty and staff how to extinguish fires and use fire extinguishers. Furthermore, recreational activities were also provided for the students.
Acceptance of High School Students for Internships
The Nisshinbo Mechatronics Inc. Miai Machinery Plant cooperates with the Human Resource Project for Manufacturing Foundations organized by the Okazaki Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Okazaki Technical High School, and provides high school students with opportunities for internship training at the company.
In FY2023, Nisshinbo Mechatronics Inc. accepted four students as interns and provided them with work experience in the assembly of machine tools, the use of 3D CAD (design support software using three-dimensional data), and the manufacturing process of molded products. On December 25, a presentation was given by 28 participating companies and 57 trainees. The four trainees accepted by the company also made a PowerPoint presentation on the results of their training, along with a few comments. One of the participants commented, "The simulated experience of working as a member of society and the importance of communication were valuable experiences that I can use in my job hunting in the future." The company will continue to actively cooperate with local activities in Okazaki City and provide opportunities for high school students to gain hands-on experience in society, as requested.
Participation in Community Events
PT. Nisshinbo Indonesia donates a total of 17 goats to four neighborhoods each year in conjunction with the holding of a neighborhood sacrifice festival.
In Indonesia, Muslims make up 87% of the population (according to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan). The two major Islamic festivals in the country are Lebaran, which celebrates the end of the four-week fast, and Eid al-Adha (Sacrifice Festival), a festival to honor the faith. Sacrifice is a festival to honor Prophet Ibrahim's loyalty to God and to express gratitude to God by sacrificing animals.
This activity is in line with the custom of buying a cow or a goat and distributing it to everyone, in accordance with the Islamic teaching "the rich give alms to the poor."
Supporting the Foundation for International Developmental/Relief (FIDR)
NISSHINTOA IWAO INC. supports the activities of the Foundation for International Development/Relief (FIDR).
FIDR is an international cooperative NGO established in 1990. With the mission of promoting to build a society where children in developing countries grow healthy, and the promotion of international cooperation by Japanese people and Japanese companies, FIDR provides support for the independence and economic growth of developing countries and emergency assistance in the event of natural disasters at home and abroad. In order to address poverty in developing countries, FIDR is implementing potential solutions in a variety of fields, including health and education. Currently, FIDR is mainly providing health and medical assistance in Cambodia, support for the independence of ethnic minorities in Vietnam, and rural development in Nepal.
Since its establishment in 1990, NISSHINTOA IWAO INC. has provided support funding as a member for more than 30 years. The company also engages in in-house awareness activities and extends its the circle of support. Starting in FY2023, the company is working on a new rural development project in Kampong Leaeng District, Kampong Chhnang Province, Cambodia. With the desire to "work together with the local people to address their issues," the company planned the Tsunagu Project in collaboration with FIDR as part of the new rural development project, and have dispatched two of our employees to Cambodia so far. The company proposes activities that take advantage of its strengths while gaining firsthand knowledge of local conditions. In July 2023, they held an activity report meeting as an internal awareness-raising activity, connecting Japan and the local area via the web. In addition, activity reports are posted on the company bulletin board every month.
In FY2024, NISSHINTOA IWAO INC. will continue to examine ways to engage in activities that include support to improve the nutrition and health of children in Cambodia.
Donation to the United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP)
NISSHINTOA IWAO INC., has been continuously donating to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), a humanitarian support agency that received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, since 2007.
In agreement with the WFP intention to fight world famine, the company has become one of the councilors of Japan Association for the World Food Programme, which is the official support window for the United Nations WFP in Japan. In addition to donations from the company and employees, the company participates in the WFP Walk the World (a charity walk aimed at eliminating hunger among children in developing countries) organized by the association and continues to support the activity in which donations are made with unwanted postcards and other items.
In FY2023, the company newly participated in the "charibon" activity, in which funds are raised through donations of books that have been read. In addition, the company started the "2nd Cup Donation" program, which charges employees for the second and subsequent cups of coffee provided to them as a welfare program, and donates the proceeds to the United Nations WFP.
As in the previous year, a lecture on the activities of the United Nations WFP was also held in FY2023. Mr. Sou Aoki, Director and Secretary General of Japan Association for the World Food Programme, gave a lecture on the situation of world hunger, efforts to realize zero hunger to achieve the SDGs, support for Ukraine, and other topics. The 118 employees in attendance listened with great interest.
In FY2024, the company will continue their activities by making donations and participating in charity events.
©WFP/Anastasiia Honcharuk
