Diversity, Equity & Inclusion：Sustainability：The Norinchukin Bank

Initiatives to Promote Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I)

The Bank is focusing on the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) to support a corporate culture in which individuals can develop expertise and work and grow as employees autonomously.
The Bank aspires that its employees “respect and welcome their different attributes and views of the world, enjoy and actively accept different views and ideas, and frankly and actively exchange ideas and opinions with each other in a psychologically safe environment, thereby creating new ideas and ways of thinking and putting them into practice.” The Bank is implementing a range of measures to further DE&I by combining our diversity initiatives with the perspectives of “inclusion” (acceptance and inclusion of diversity) and “equity” (the provision of due support and care to each individual).

Initiatives Supporting the Raising of Next-Generation Children and Promoting the Active Participation of Women

The Bank received the Platinum Kurumin Certification for Childcare Support Company for its efforts in realizing a worklife balance and supporting the balance between work and childrearing, including a support program for employees who take childbirth and childcare leave, infertility leave, shortened work hours for parents, and use of a corporate childcare facility. In addition, the Bank is working to promote and embed measures to drive work-style reform, such as flexible working hours, paid leave by the hour, a defined minimum interval between work hours, and teleworking. As well as increasing the proportion of women in our new graduate intakes, the Bank is supporting female career advancement through external mentoring programs and external cross-industry seminars, one-on-one meetings between the Chief Diversity Officer and female Leader grade employees and help with building female employee networks. We are also implementing initiatives that raise awareness among Bank officers and employees by inviting outside lecturers to provide seminars on promoting women’s participation and work-style reform.

Initiatives for Hiring People with Disabilities

The Bank is working to create opportunities and a workplace environment where people with disabilities can continue to work with peace of mind and play an active role while fully demonstrating their abilities and individuality, and to deepen mutual understanding among employees. In 2023, the Bank signed a sponsorship agreement with the Japan Agricultural Cooperative Association, and has been working towards resolving social issues by supporting the Association’s drive to expand and develop its initiatives.

Initiatives for Global Human Resources

With globally diversified investments being a pillar of the Bank’s business, its globalization is progressing further by locally employing staff with high expertise.
In this context, the Bank is currently working to bring its overseas operations into closer alignment with its senior management perspective. In 2023, head office instituted a working group, bringing together the overseas bases led by the Chief Diversity Officer. The group has had a lively exchange of ideas on the theme of how to further DE&I globally, including the use of AI-based communication and seminars about different cultures to deepen mutual understanding.

Initiatives for Senior Human Resources

Senior employees are active in a variety of fields, making the most of their rich knowledge, experience and abilities. The Bank provides support for career and capacity development through training and other programs to enable each employee to choose a career that would make them continuously active inside and outside the organization in line with their own career perspectives and working styles, while autonomously enhancing their expertise. We also hold seminars on topics including nursing care to help employees balance working life with nursing care and other such demands and to support their continued activity.

Deepening Understanding of LGBTQ+ Issues

The Bank holds externally run training programs for all staff to create a workplace where employees can work as they like regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity and remain free from harassment and discrimination. It is also working to raise awareness through internal information delivery and e-learning. Top management has endorsed the Pride1000 Ally Network and is working to deepen LGBTQ+ understanding among all staff.