Sustainability

Human Resources

The Takara Group Human Resources Policy

In the Takara Group, we take the perspective that personnel are crucial business assets and view them as valuable human resources.

Because we believe that a company is an organization comprising all of its individual employees and that the collective power of those human resources is the source of a company’s sustainable growth and development, we also believe that maximizing the potential of individuals and organizations by investing in our human resources is indispensable for further increasing corporate value and achieving Group growth. 

Along with establishing a workplace offering both rewarding work and job satisfaction as well as a corporate culture that nourishes people, we are successfully fostering human resources who can be responsible for the next generation of the Group and take charge of global business growth as well as promoting the active involvement of diverse human resources.

Targets

Initiative themes Specific measures Targets
Fostering human resources Implement measures to foster human resources who will be responsible for the next generation

[ Entire Group ]

Use executive candidate development training and next-generational leadership development training, etc., to foster human resources who can be responsible for the next generation of the Group.

Foster human resources who will achieve global business growth (global human resources)

[ Entire Group ]

Develop human resources capable of taking charge of global business growth by acquiring human resources through continuous career recruitment and job rotation, including the assignment of young employees to the Takara Shuzo International Group and overseas postings.

Foster human resources using Takara Holdings Corporate History Museum, our training facility

[ Entire Group ]

In order to share the Takara Five Values, common values across the group, continue holding the Takara Holdings Corporate History Observational Training Program for all Takara Group employees.

Promoting the active involvement of diverse human resources Promoting the active involvement of female employees

[ Entire Group ]

- Increase the number of women in management positions. In Japan we will continue carrying out initiatives in accordance with our Female Participation Promotion Act action plan*. Three companies—Takara Holdings, Takara Shuzo, and Takara Shuzo International—will appoint at least 50 women to manager and assistant manager positions (which includes through mid-career hiring) from FY2021 to the end of FY2030 (a 128% or above increase from the 39 women in managerial positions as of April 1, 2021).

- Provide job opportunities for people up to 70 years old through post-retirement reemployment. 

- Maintain a percentage of employees with disabilities equal to or more than the statutory required employment rate in Japan. 

- Utilize more mid-career hiring to acquire a more diverse workforce.

*Source: Main targets in the Female Participation Promotion Act action plan from our major companies

[Takara Holdings, Takara Shuzo, Takara Shuzo International]

- Percentage of women among new-hire recruits in administrative and technology roles:40%+

- Percentage of women managers (by the end of FY2025):10%+

【Takara Bio】

Percentage of women returning to work after maternity leave (1 year):50%(early return to work)

Promote the active involvement of senior human resources
Promote the hiring of people with disabilities
Achieving a comfortable workplace environment and a work-life balance Ensure workplace safety and sanitation

[ Entire Group ]

- Reduce total working hours compared with FY2020 results. (Domestic Group Companies*)

- Increase the percentage of paid leave taken (no. of days taken) compared with FY2020 results. (Domestic Group Companies)

- Maintain a 100% reinstatement rate for employees who take childcare leave. (Domestic Group Companies)

- Facilitate effective use of work-from-home system.

Comply with labor-related laws and regulations
Prevent long working hours
  • * Domestic Group Companies: Takara Holdings, Takara Shuzo, Takara Shuzo International, Takara Bio, Kawahigashi Shoji, Total Management Business, Takara Butsuryu System, TB, Takara Bussan, Luc Corporation, Tokyo Mutual Trading, Takara Supply Communications (Former Taihei Printing, and Former Takara Yoki)

Related SDGs

  • 04
  • 05
  • 10

Initiatives

Fostering human resources

Implement measures to develop human resources for the next generation

In addition to training by job level, Takara Holdings, Takara Shuzo, and Takara Shuzo International are also promoting initiatives to develop the next generation of human resources for the group, including training to develop management candidates and training to develop workplace leaders at factories, mainly for managers in their 40s. From fiscal 2023, we will begin management training for Business Manager and pre-management level employees, and we will continue to expand our human resource development measures for the levels of the organization that need strengthening in order to grow our business. At the same time, we will provide opportunities for employees to learn independently, and we will work to develop human resources that will support the Group in the future.




Developing human resources for global business growth

Takara Holdings, Takara Shuzo, and Takara Shuzo International aim to acquire human resources who will realize global business growth through continuous mid-career recruitment and new graduate recruitment. Our human resources development efforts center on training through job rotation, such as assignment of young employees to Takara Shuzo International Co., Ltd. and overseas posts. To provide them learning opportunities to acquire language skills necessary for global business, we support those who attend language schools, take online English lessons, etc. For those who are transferred to overseas positions, we offer a support program that helps them be mentally prepared to live abroad and learn the custom and lifestyle of the host country, in addition to supporting them with language skills acquisition. As measures to support employees’ independent learning, we allow them to take multiple correspondence courses related to language learning, provide opportunities for all employees to take the TOEIC® tests by group application, and regularly hold Global Café, an exchange program between employees working in Japan and overseas Group employees. Through these and other measures, we are fostering a corporate culture that actively promotes global business development.

Foster human resources using Takara Holdings Corporate History Museum, our training facility

In March 2017, we opened the Takara Holdings Corporate History Museum, a training facility for Group employees inside and outside Japan, in Takenaka-cho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, which is where the company was established, as one of our 90th anniversary projects. The business territory of the Takara Group, which originated in the sake brewing business in 1842, has now expanded to include the Biomedical Business and the Japanese Food Wholesale Business in overseas markets. In terms of geographical regions, we have also actively extended our business activities in Europe, the U.S., Asia, and Oceania, resulting in diverse human resources. We utilize this facility for our Corporate History Museum Observational Training Program for all Takara Group employees in order to unite the Group as a whole and instill a mindset that is willing to take on challenges within the Group, and instill the Group’s common values, the “TaKaRa Five Values.”. In fiscal year 2022, 496 employees participated in the program, bringing the total number of participants since fiscal year 2017 to 3,474. It will continue to facilitate our efforts to foster a culture for promoting improvement in corporate value as we train the human resources that will support the Group into the future.

Takara Holdings Corporate History Museum

Takara Holdings Corporate History Museum



〇Human Resource Development and Training System

人財育成・研修体系図

Promoting the active involvement of diverse human resources

Promoting the active involvement of female employees

The Takara Group is moving forward with initiatives in every Group company in line with an action plan that is based on the Female Participation Promotion Act to further promote the advancement of female employees’ careers. At Takara Holdings, Takara Shuzo, and Takara Shuzo International, we provide trainings for female managers and assistant managers with the aim of advancing their careers while balancing work and life events. Training is also provided for supervisors who have female employees reporting to them, with the aim of creating an environment that enables women to work with greater motivation. The companies plan to newly appoint at least 50 women to manager and assistant manager positions by fiscal year 2030 as a mid- to long-term target. As of April 2024, a total of 35 women have been appointed. The proportion of women in managerial positions was 8.6% as of April 2024 and the companies plan to increase the proportion to 10% or more by the end of fiscal year 2025.

>Click here for information on Takara Holdings' initiatives.(Japanese only)

>Click here for information on Takara Shuzo' initiatives.(Japanese only)

>Click here for information on Takara Bio' initiatives.(Japanese only)

Promote the active involvement of senior human resources

At Takara Holdings, Takara Shuzo, Takara Shuzo International, and Takara Bio, we have created an environment where all employees who wish to continue working after the mandatory retirement age of 60 can do so until the age of 65 through our post-retirement re-employment system. The percentage of employees rehired after retirement is 77% for Takara Holdings, Takara Shuzo, and Takara Shuzo International combined over the past three years (FY2021-FY2023), and 86% for Takara Bio. As part of measures to ensure employment opportunities until the age of 70, Takara Holdings, Takara Shuzo, and Takara Shuzo International introduced a system of continued employment until the age of 70 in October 2022, and Takara Bio introduced a system in April 2023.

Promote the hiring of people with disabilities

When hiring people with disabilities, we ensure that our workplaces are conducive to allowing these individuals to exercise their talents. Approaches to doing so include understanding the individual’s work skills, establishing and developing a range of work tasks suited to the person’s circumstances, and improving the workplace environment. Additionally, people with disabilities participate in professional work alongside able bodied employees as we strive to create an environment in which they will feel a sense of purpose in their job. As of April 1, 2024, Takara Holdings employed 10 persons with disabilities (7 persons legally employed, 3.12% employment rate), Takara Shuzo 37 persons (29 persons legally employed, 2.92% employment rate), and Takara Bio 21 persons (20 persons legally employed, 2.56% employment rate).

Achieving a comfortable workplace environment and a work-life balance

Workplace safety and health and maintenance and promotion of employee wellness

The Takara Group aims to achieve zero occupational accidents, and strives to maintain a safe and hygienic working environment, and complies with all laws and regulations relating to safety and health. In the unlikely event of an occupational accident, we take steps to minimize the damage and prevent a recurrence, and immediately implement the prescribed procedures, including the preparation of reports and notifications. In addition to conducting health checks in accordance with the law, we also conduct stress checks every year. If an employee who has been assessed as being under high stress requests a meeting with an occupational physician, we will take steps to prevent mental health problems from arising, such as taking action in accordance with the results of the meeting if it is deemed necessary. In addition, we are working to understand the stress situation in each organization through group analysis based on the results of stress checks, and are working to improve the workplace environment as necessary. We will continue to work to reduce health risks for employees while collaborating with occupational physicians and the Takara Group Health Insurance Association.

Comply with labor-related laws and regulations

The Takara Group complies with labor-related laws and regulations and strives to maintain a comfortable workplace. For managers, we ensure that working days and hours are managed in accordance with the provisions of the Labor Standards Act, and we prohibit excessive work, the imposition of work that requires overtime, and forced labor, while also ensuring that managers are always aware of the mental and physical health of their subordinates. In addition, we prevent child labor from occurring by thoroughly checking the ages of employees at the time of recruitment, etc., and we also comply with the legal minimum wage.

Prevent long working hours

From the perspective of preventing health problems caused by long working hours, we have a system in place that prohibits overtime work in excess of 60 hours per month and work on Sundays as a general rule, and ensures that managers thoroughly manage overtime hours, as well as a system in which the person in charge of management at each workplace and the human resources department also check progress in the middle of the month . Under the Article 36 Agreement, we limit the maximum extended working hours to 75 hours per month. We also ensure that the total hours of overtime work and work on holidays in excess of 40 hours a week do not exceed 80 hours a month, in an effort to reduce excessive working hours.

Health management for employees posted overseas

For employees posted overseas, we require them to undergo a medical examination before they leave for their new post and again when they return, and in principle we also arrange for them to have an annual medical examination after they have arrived at their new post. In addition, if they need to receive vaccinations for tetanus, rabies, etc. when they are posted to an Asian country, we will pay for them.

Sound labor-management relations

Takara Holdings has built a sound labor-management relationship with the TaKaRa Labor Union, founded on mutual trust between employees and management. We regularly provide reports on business management and discuss labor conditions at meetings of the Labor-Management Council and various special committees on labor-management relations.

Promote diverse working styles

As part of efforts to support the balance between work and family life, Takara Holdings, Takara Shuzo, and Takara Shuzo International have expanded their telecommuting system, which was previously limited to those engaged in childcare or nursing care, to cover all employees except those who are required to come into the office for work, such as factory workers. In order to promote diverse working styles, the system has been expanded to allow employees to take annual paid leave on telecommuting days in hourly increments in addition to half-day increments. In addition, from April 2024, the requirements for taking accumulated paid leave have been expanded as a mechanism to support employees in balancing work and infertility treatment, and accumulated paid leave can now be taken in half-day increments.

Promoting the utilization of childcare leave by male employees

Each of the Takara Group companies is making efforts in line with an action plan based on the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children. Takara Holdings, Takara Shuzo, and Takara Shuzo International are working to maintain and improve the level of childcare leave utilization, with the targets of “100% of employees returning from childcare leave” and “30% or more of male employees taking childcare leave.” In fiscal year 2023, the percentage of male employees taking childcare leave was 84.2%, as a result of efforts to create an environment that makes it easier for male employees to take childcare leave, such as by individually informing male employees about the leave, holding individual interviews with them to confirm their intentions at an early timing, and following up after the interviews, as well as the establishment of a company-wide consultation desk within the Personnel Division.


>Click here for information on Takara Holdings' initiatives.(Japanese only)


>Click here for information on Takara Shuzo' initiatives.(Japanese only)

Improving employee engagement

Understanding the current state through engagement survey and efforts towards improvement

To realize Takara Group’s Vision, we need each and every employee to understand and sympathize with the goals and vision of the organization and to have them voluntarily demonstrate his/her capabilities while bringing their diverse strengths together, and thereby maximize our ability to get things done as an organization. Recognizing that we cannot improve productivity or generate innovation without fostering a sense of satisfaction among our employees such as by improving their engagement, we have been conducting an employee engagement survey since 2023. In conducting the survey, in order to more accurately grasp the situation of the Company, we designed our own survey with the cooperation of external experts, using five indicators: “Company,” “Workplace,” “Supervisor,” “Job,” and “Systems.” We share the issues identified in the analysis of the survey with all of our employees, including officers, and work to further improve employee engagement through initiatives under the company-wide project to reform our corporate culture and by strengthening career development support programs.

ESG data related to employees and human capital