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Sustainability
Social
Respect for Human Rights
Basic Approach to Human Rights
The OKI Group, as a signatory to the United Nations (UN) Global Compact, recognizes that respecting international human rights norms, including the International Bill of Human Rights and the International Labour Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and considering the human rights of each and every person connected to OKI in our operations is the foundation of all corporate activities. It enshrines "Respect for Human Rights" in its Charter of Corporate Conduct and Code of Conduct, and ensures human rights are respected by providing education through new hire trainings, trainings based on job position, and e-learning programs. The Group is also working on a fair employment and selection process and creating a working environment where diverse employees can play an active role.
The OKI Group manages harassment and other human rights and labor risks as "common risks" and educates all employees through the compliance training program. We have also established consultation and reporting contacts based on our whistle-blowing system as well as the Harassment Consultation Center as contact points in the event that a problem occurs or could occur. We have also developed and are implementing procedures for dealing with any risks, including protecting whistle-blowers and employees who have consulted the center. Furthermore, we also systematically conduct surveys on the human rights, labor, and other initiatives of our suppliers as provided in the "OKI Group Supply Chain CSR Deployment Guidebook" in compliance with the "Responsible Business Conduct Guidelines" published by JEITA (Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association).
In order to further promote such initiatives, we identified "respect for human rights" as a key element for "strengthening management foundation to support sustainable growth," a material issue we announced along with Medium-Term Business Plan 2025. In line with the "OKI Group Human Rights Policy"—which we established in October of 2022 based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights—we will establish mechanisms and develop and implement measures for human rights due diligence and other requirements.
OKI Group Human Rights Policy
The OKI group, comprised of Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. and its group companies ("OKI"), aims to contribute to solving social issues based on the enterprising spirit set forth in our corporate philosophy and recognizes that the foundation of all of our activities must be to consider the human rights of each and every person connected to OKI in our operations. We hereby establish this "OKI Group Human Rights Policy" to fulfill our responsibility to respect human rights as a corporation.
- Scope of Application
OKI applies this policy to all officers and employees of OKI. OKI will also seek the support of suppliers and other parties directly involved with OKI's business, products, and services in relation to this policy.
- Commitment to Respect Human Rights
As a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, OKI respects international norms regarding human rights, including the International Bill of Human Rights and the International Labour Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and promotes actions based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We also comply with the laws and regulations of the countries and regions in which we operate and strive to respect international principles of human rights.
- Human Rights Due Diligence
OKI works to identify any negative human rights impacts in our business activities and has established and regularly performs due diligence procedures to prevent or mitigate such negative impacts.
- Remediation and Redress
OKI takes appropriate corrective actions when it confirms that its corporate activities have caused or contributed to negative impacts on human rights. In addition, OKI takes effective grievance measures to enable appropriate remedies.
- Education
OKI provides continuous education to our officers and employees to ensure that they understand this policy and international norms on human rights and act appropriately.
- Disclosure
OKI regularly discloses the progress and results of our efforts to respect human rights under this policy on our website and in our Integrated Report.
- Dialogue and Consultation with Stakeholders
OKI regularly verifies and improves this policy and the nature of our actions based on dialogue and consultations with stakeholders who are actually or potentially affected by human rights issues.
October 2022
Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
Representative Director and President Takahiro Mori
Comprehensively Implementing the "OKI Group Human Rights Policy"
After OKI established the "OKI Group Human Rights Policy," we explained the background behind doing so as well as the policy details, striving to make everyone aware of the policy through the sustainability education we provide to all Japanese Group employees (implemented from December of 2022 to January of 2023, attendance rate: 99.9%), our Group newsletter for domestic and overseas sites, etc.
In addition, in January of 2023, we conducted a survey targeting all of our domestic and overseas manufacturing subsidiaries to gain an understanding of human rights initiatives and issues. This written questionnaire-style survey was based on various international norms and items set forth in the "OKI Group Supply Chain CSR Deployment Guidebook." It covered initiatives related to human rights (the prohibition of forced labor/child labor/discrimination, freedom of association, work hours, wages, etc.), health and safety (occupational safety, industrial health, emergency preparedness, etc.), etc., and we also used it to confirm the employment situation of foreign workers at manufacturing subsidiaries in Japan.
We will continue to provide education related to respect for human rights as we identify any negative effects on human rights of the OKI Group's corporate activities and promote initiatives to prevent or mitigate such effects.
Initiatives Related to the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
In accordance with the "OKI Group AI Principles"—which the OKI Group established in 2019 as a set of guidelines to follow when developing or providing technologies, products, or services that utilize AI—we promote the utilization of AI, also considering the related risk and quality management, the training of human resources, etc. The first of these principles is Respect for Human Rights, which explicitly states that we must strive to prevent AI-based discrimination, respect privacy, and follow laws and regulations related to the handling of personal information.
Due to the current advancement of AI utilization as well as the appearance of generative AI and other factors, there are increasingly strong social expectations surrounding AI. At the same time, global discussions are underway regarding concerns that include the potential effects of AI on society as well as human rights problems. OKI will also consider such situational changes as we continue to review our AI principles, in-house rules that flesh them out, and related operations in an effort to enhance our governance to contribute to the achievement of a better society in which human beings and AI can appropriately co-exist.
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