Diversity and inclusion are foundations of the Kewpie Group's growth strategy. Based on the understanding that all employees are leaders of diversity and have diverse values, we leverage employee diversity for the growth of the entire Group and to create value for and contribute to society.
In addition to an emphasis on understanding and dialogue in the company and among employees, we create opportunities to understand and enhance diversity and inclusion, create opportunities for diverse employees to play an active role, and create career and learning mechanisms that give employees a sense of self-growth. Through all of these efforts, we work to create a corporate culture that supports each employee's individuality and motivation to grow, and in which individuals can fully demonstrate their abilities.

To ensure that the various perspectives and skills of each employee create new value and improve the overall strength of the Group, we work to promote an understanding of diversity, create a system that allows diversity to flourish, and increase the mobility of human resources. Since 2017, we have been carrying out a diversity survey (Kewpie Corporation only) to explore employees' understanding and awareness of diversity. This survey is used to examine our diversity measures and verify their effectiveness.
Through various initiatives, we strive to create a mentally supportive and safe corporate culture that empowers employees to take on challenges and accomplish goals.

We hold diversity seminars that are open to all Group employees and diversity study sessions for each department and company. By sharing the direction and objectives of diversity promotion, we enhance employees' awareness and accelerate the promotion of diversity.

We have developed the "KEEP20" initiative, in which over 20% of the participants of important meetings are made up of diverse human resources (in terms of age, gender, skills, and careers), to draw out different perspectives and stimulate discussion. For traditional participants, this initiative provides new insights, and for the diverse participants, it is a learning opportunity that exposes them to management information and business decisions. In 2022, the program was implemented in 13 key meetings and it is gradually being expanded within the Group.

"Shuffle Meetings" are meetings designed to allow diverse employees across different jobs and departments to exchange opinions and engage in conversation to share objectives and ideas. The initiative began in 2020, and to date, over 500 members of the Group have participated. A diverse group of dedicated colleagues working on Group business in their respective workplaces meet and communicate online on a daily basis, with management also participating. These meetings are a forum for participants to gain fresh insight and network by expressing their own perspectives and acknowledging and considering those of others.

As it does for all its employees, the Kewpie Group aims to create an environment in which those with disabilities can demonstrate their potential and experience the joy of work and purpose.
In support of this aim, the employment of persons with disabilities is not undertaken at the Group level. Instead, each Group company, including Kewpie Corporation and Kewpie Ai Co., Ltd. (a special subsidiary), employs people with disabilities in their respective regions, thereby creating diverse employment opportunities in a broad range of communities.

The special subsidiary Kewpie Ai Co., Ltd. handles a wide range of operations, including in-house logistics, cleaning, and the production and distribution of marketing materials. Persons with disabilities make up 3.33% of employees (Kewpie Corporation + Kewpie Ai, as of December 1, 2022).
Besides supporting the hiring and retention of persons with disabilities, we are also proactive in seeking to create better communities and society. Some concrete examples include accepting internships for the employment of people with disabilities, providing speakers for universal design classes at elementary schools, interacting with special needs classes, and offering company tours.

As for Group companies, Kewpie Egg Corporation proactively hires people with disabilities at 22 plants nationwide, and they account for 5.69% of its workforce.

The Kewpie Group cares deeply about the careers of each of its employees. In addition to specialized training and self-development programs to achieve diversity, we provide the following career support systems.

We encourage employees to identify each of their aspirations and paths to growth so that they can seek learning opportunities to that end and gain necessary experience, such as through interactions with other personnel.
Specifically, we offer the "Growth Milestone Program" and "Career Training" as well as the "Career Self-Declaration Scheme," which allows employees to independently apply for a transfer to their desired positions.
Furthermore, we established the "Kewpie Startup Program," which calls for applications from employees across the Group who are eager for challenges. We ask them to submit ideas for new businesses or certain concepts they wish to strengthen and select applications with strong aspirations.
These career-supporting initiatives aim to bring out the greatest potential in each employee and turn their aspirations into reality. With these initiatives, we strive to not only place the right people in the right positions, but also nurture a corporate culture that encourages challenge and create a workplace in which our diverse personnel can flourish.

Kewpie Career Assistance Framework

As a way to support our employees' active challenges and learning, and to encourage them to voice suggestions for the sake of the company's future, the Kewpie Group has established a variety of award schemes, including the President’s Award.

We have established the Kewpie Start Up Program with the aims of realizing individual employees' ideas and creating new businesses. Participants in the program have the opportunity to form networks of mentors that transcend divisions, which will help them upgrade their skills and advance their careers.

The Kewpie Group actively supports individual growth and success by offering flexible work styles that allow employees to continue working through various life stages and by preparing environments in which they can reach their fullest potential.

The working environment at Kewpie allows employees to pursue productivity while selecting flexible work styles that best fit their individual roles and the characteristics of their jobs. As such, we offer flexible working hours (flextime) with no core working hours, and employees can choose to work from home or a satellite office so that they are not confined to a particular place or time.
Employees working shorter hours can also use the flextime system to balance work and child-rearing.

We use the child-rearing support website to regularly provide company information to employees on childcare leave. Furthermore, before ending their leave, employees meet with their superiors to discuss career aspirations and how they want to work after returning to work. Superiors also take this time to share their hopes and expectations for the employee's continued role in the company.
We support that superiors can come through for those returning from childcare leave by using online learning materials to review relevant management knowledge, such as the company's various systems and about unconscious bias.
We encourage male employees to take parental leave in order to broaden their perspectives through childcare experiences and to grow personally. We have a system in place that allows them to choose how to do so based on their own circumstances.

ESG Data Sheet