Diversity & Inclusion

• In FY2024, the ratio of female managers improved from 11.4% to 13.5% due to the promotion of gender diversity initiatives. Although the ratio of female managers is still the cause of the wage difference, the wage gap has been narrowing. Therefore, we will actively promote the training and promotion of female candidates for management positions.
• Among part-time and fixed-term workers, women account for 91.3% of part-time employees whose wages are lower than those of fixed-term workers (rehired workers), which is the reason for the difference.

For details, please refer to the separate page "Initiatives to Promote Women's Advancement".

Initiatives to Promote Women's Advancement

Development of the Next Generation

The Group considers the creation of an environment in which the children of the next generation can be born and raised in good health to be one of the issues that must be addressed, and is committed to creating an employment environment that balances work and child rearing, as well as diverse working conditions for employees, including those who are not raising children, in all workplaces. We are fostering a culture in which employees at work and at home have a deeper understanding of the significance of child rearing and the joys associated with child rearing are felt throughout the Company.

ASKA Pharmaceutical, which forms the core of the ASKA Group, has formulated a 5th-term action plan based on the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children. We have set targets to be achieved by the end of FY2029 and are working to achieve a balance between work and child-rearing.
ASKA Pharmaceutical has maintained a 100% return rate for female employees after taking childcare leave, creating an environment in which employees can raise their children with peace of mind. Furthermore, ASKA Pharmaceutical is also focusing on creating an environment in which male employees can easily participate in child-rearing and educating them about this, aiming for a 100% male childcare leave utilization rate, creating systems that make it easier to take childcare leave, and deepening understanding of gender bias.

Work Support Bonus

We have established a “Work Support Bonus” that provides support employees who temporarily leave the workplace due to various life events such as childbirth, childcare, nursing care, and illness, with a maximum of 100,000 yen every six months, and we aim to foster a corporate culture that can positively accept and be positive about the various life events of colleagues at work.

• This program was highly evaluated and won the Excellence Award at the 2024 Tokyo Women's Empowerment Award.

For details, please see the page “External Evaluation”.
　External Evaluation

What is the Tokyo Women's Empowerment Award?
This award, established in 2014, is given to companies, organizations and individuals who are working to promote the empowerment of women, with the aim of creating a society in which all women can choose from a diverse range of lifestyles according to their aspirations and abilities.

Support System for Balancing Infertility Treatment and Work

In order to support the balance between infertility treatment and work, we have introduced a leave system for infertility treatment and a flexible work style. We also hold study sessions to promote understanding of infertility treatment.

Promotion of paternity leave

In addition to providing individual guidance on childcare leave to those who wish to take it and their superiors, we have also set up a dedicated consultation service to allay any concerns about taking long periods of leave. Furthermore, we provide opportunities for employees in various positions to exchange opinions on balancing work and childcare, and we are further promoting information sharing among employees. We are promoting the use of childcare leave by men throughout the Company, and are creating an environment where employees can focus on childcare with peace of mind.

System design ahead of legal reform

We are considering flexible systems that meet the needs of our employees, and are introducing content that exceeds the standards set by law as needed.We are working to create a comfortable working environment that respects the promotion of work-life balance, and to create an environment where employees can focus on childcare and nursing care with peace of mind.

• Childcare leave: The first five days of leave are paid (for both men and women)
• Childcare leave: The period for which children are eligible has been extended to the end of March of the sixth year of elementary school
• Nursing care leave: Leave can be taken for up to one year from the start of leave

Use of Company Vehicles for Childcare, Nursing Care, Etc.

For the purpose of supporting a balance between work and childcare/nursing care, the Company allows the private use of Company vehicles based on the application of employees who wish to use them.

Company-initiated Babysitter User Support Program

Employees who take care of infants and children up to the third grade of elementary school can use the discount coupons when using the Company-initiated babysitting service provided by the Cabinet Office.

Other initiatives related to childcare and nursing care

In order to promote understanding of childcare and family care leave, we are implementing e-learning for all employees and holding in-house roundtable discussions with the labor union.

Implementation of Unconscious Bias Training (Frame Shift Seminar)

• In FY2025, our Group held the “Frame Shift Seminar” as part of our D&I promotion initiatives. The purpose of this seminar is to encourage participants to reflect on the “assumptions” and “stereotypes” that they may unconsciously hold in their daily work and life, and to provide an opportunity to adopt new perspectives. The name “Frame Shift” embodies the idea of consciously shifting one’s own “frame of reference” to generate new ideas and insights.
• In the workshop-style training, participants reflected on their own thought patterns through self-check exercises and experience sharing, and realized the importance of respecting different perspectives. Feedback included comments such as, “By becoming aware of unconscious biases, I felt that dialogue within the team could change,” and “I realized that being open to diverse opinions can lead to new ideas.”

Employment of People with Disabilities

The Group strives to create a workplace environment in which all people (with and without disabilities) can work with vigor and enthusiasm. By working together, we share new discoveries and knowledge, and foster a culture of mutual recognition.
We aim to be a group where all human resources can maximize their abilities and feel a sense of fulfillment as we work toward the realization of an inclusive society.

Cordial Farm

As one means of creating a safe working environment for people with disabilities and revitalizing the local community, we employ people with disabilities at the Cordiale Farm in Miyazaki Prefecture. Vegetables grown at the Cordiale Farm are provided to the head office cafeteria and served as healthy salads by the chefs.

Diverse Recruitment (career recruitment, non-Japanese recruitment)

We believe that in order to respond to rapid changes in the social environment and achieve sustainable growth as a company, it is necessary to create solutions to various increasingly complex issues. In this process, for specific skills and abilities that are lacking within the Company, we will actively recruit human resources in a timely manner to meet our needs by utilizing external resources, especially career professionals who have built up their skills outside the Company.
When recruiting, we will scrutinize diverse backgrounds and hire people who match the Company's ongoing competitive strengths, regardless of nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, age, color, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, social status or disability, and develop them with a view to becoming core management human resources in the future. Also, we will promote the recruitment of career professionals as a means to contribute to correcting the aging structure within the company.

Local Employment

We believe that in contributing to local communities through our business, it is important to create jobs by hiring local employees. We will contribute to the development of the various regions in which we operate by revitalizing local employment and promoting local procurement.

LGBTQ

The Group will maximize its value by strengthening its organizational capabilities through fair, equitable, and free competition by actively and continuously hiring and appointing diverse human resources with various work histories, without regard to nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, age, skin color, religion, creed/ideology, sexual orientation/gender identity, social status, or disability.
In FY2023, we held lectures on LGBTQ themes for department managers and upper positions, etc., to promote a better understanding of gender identity and sexual orientation.