Respect for Human Rights

The Nihon Kohden Charter of Conduct, which the Company and its executive officers and employees have a duty to abide by, states that we have respect for human rights at all times.
The Nihon Kohden Code of Ethics and Conduct sets out the ethical and responsible actions we will take to guarantee respect for human rights.
In July 2015, Nihon Kohden signed the UN Global Compact. We are committed to contributing to a sustainable society through promoting initiatives in accordance with the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact in the four areas of human rights, labor, the environment, and anti-corruption.
Recently, society is paying more attention to corporate responsibility and respect for human rights in accordance with the globalization of corporate activities. As it is essential for Nihon Kohden to respect the human rights of stakeholders, we established the Nihon Kohden Group Human Rights Policy in December 2020. Nihon Kohden strives to contribute to a sustainable society by promoting efforts to respect human rights based on this policy.

 

As children are socially vulnerable and their rights are easily violated, special protection and care must be prepared for them. It is important that the entire society supports them by recognizing that they have the same rights as adults so that they can expand their future possibilities and grow up healthy.
In support of the UN and ILO conventions~{*} on children’s rights, Nihon Kohden respects the rights of children by not allowing child labor. The Nihon Kohden Group Human Rights Policy defines our basic approach to respecting the human rights of all people, including children. The Nihon Kohden Sustainable Procurement Standards explicitly state that we pledge not to engage in child labor, and we are working to prevent the labor of anyone under the minimum working age throughout our value chain, including our business partners.
In addition to supporting the Children’s Rights and Business Principles (CRBP), Nihon Kohden provides products and services that contribute to the protection of children’s rights and ensure their safety through its business activities. To protect the right to life under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, we have developed and provide electrodes and sensors that are gentle enough for the delicate skin of low-birth-weight infants to support their health and growth. We will continue our efforts to protect children’s rights by providing electrodes with friendly designs that reduce the anxiety of children suffering from diseases and by promoting the adoption of our resuscitation monitor for neonate to reduce the mortality rate and serious sequela of newborn babies.

The NRM-1300, Resuscitation monitor for neonate,
BreathCue

Nihon Kohden has established a human rights due diligence structure to identify, prevent, and mitigate negative impacts on human rights.
In FY2021, as part of our efforts to strengthen the promotion of sustainability management, we conducted a questionnaire survey about the environment, human rights, quality, and governance at each company of the Nihon Kohden Group in Japan and overseas, as well as at our suppliers. We have also confirmed the status of human rights-related efforts, identified relevant issues, and formulated a three-year road map. In FY2022, based on the results of the questionnaire survey, we evaluated human rights risks and identified key human rights issues, taking into account their impact on our business.
Since the situation surrounding human rights is constantly changing, we will continue our efforts to obtain the latest human rights information and standards, and periodically review our procedures and our prioritization of issues related to human rights as necessary.

In promoting sustainability initiatives, Nihon Kohden engages with all of its stakeholders, including customers, shareholders and investors, business partners, local communities, and employees. Therefore, human rights risks are also expected to include a wide variety of issues such as discrimination or harassment based on race or gender, overwork, child labor, the leak of personal information, and environmental pollution.
We focused on approximately 30 human rights issues for impact assessment based on the United Nations Global Compact, the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the Stakeholder Engagement Program of the Caux Round Table Japan Committee, and the Handbook for Management that Respects Human Rights formulated by the Japan Business Federation (KEIDANREN). In the FY2022 analysis, we evaluated these 30 human rights issues by stakeholder on two axes, severity~{*1} and likelihood of occurrence~{*2}, based on the results of past questionnaire surveys.

As a result of the evaluation of the impact of approximately 30 human rights issues, we have identified “Excessive and unreasonable working hours” as well as “Sexual harassment, power harassment, and harassment related to pregnancy, childcare, and nursing care, etc.” as the Group’s key human rights issues. We will regularly reevaluate these critical human rights issues to prevent or mitigate negative impacts.
We recognize that items that were not identified as key human rights issues are also human rights issues that need to be monitored on an ongoing basis.
We also evaluated the impact of human rights issues on Customers/Patients, Local communities/Society, and Suppliers/Partners, and identified key human rights issues affecting these groups.

Identified human rights risks

As measures to reduce and mitigate human rights risks, we will continue to monitor domestic and overseas Group companies and suppliers, and systematically work to reduce risks.
At domestic and overseas Group companies, we will promote risk reduction efforts concerning excessive and unreasonable working hours and sexual harassment, power harassment, and harassment related to pregnancy, childcare, and nursing care, etc., which we have identified as key human rights issues.

As a measure to reduce and mitigate human rights risks, Nihon Kohden has conducted annual questionnaire survey and monitoring of Group companies and suppliers in Japan and overseas.
Going forward, we will identify domestic and overseas Group companies as well as suppliers with high levels of risk based on the key human rights issues identified in FY2022 and the results of each questionnaire. We will also conduct on-site audits and provide feedback on the results of the surveys and collaborate to create remediation plans to systematically reduce risks.

In accordance with the Nihon Kohden Group Human Rights Policy, we are working to prevent all forms of discrimination and harassment.
In FY2022, no human rights violations or harassment leading to disciplinary dismissal from employment occurred.

Nihon Kohden’s human rights initiatives are discussed by the Sustainability Promotion Committee, which is chaired by the President, and the results of the discussions are reported to the Board of Directors. The Corporate Strategy Division and the Human Resources Department play a central role in the implementation of human rights initiatives within the Company.

Nihon Kohden is committed to eliminating discrimination against LGBT people (sexual minorities) and other social minorities as well as realizing a comfortable and fulfilling work environment that recognizes diversity.

Aiming to create an environment in which anyone can save a life by using an AED, Nihon Kohden has developed AEDs that can be used by people with hearing impairment or deafness, and people whose native language is not Japanese.
We have obtained the Ear Mark certification from the All Japan Association of Hard of Hearing and Late-Deafened People (Zennancho) for our AEDs with color screens that display illustrations and messages so that they can be used by people with hearing impairment or deafness. Our AEDs are designated as models in schools for the deaf and deployed at municipal facilities. In Japan, where globalization is rapidly progressing, we have worked to promote the adoption of bilingual AEDs with voice prompts both in Japanese and English, and to create an environment in which foreign nationals can also use an AED to save a life in case of emergency.
The AED-3100 is optionally available in 17 languages~{*} and provides voice prompts alternately in Japanese and other languages. This AED is being increasingly adopted by companies that employ a large number of people whose native language is not English.

For the benefit of customers and employees from diverse religions, Nihon Kohden has set up a prayer room as well as a place for washing feet before prayers at the Tomioka Production Center.
This hospitality is very well-received by overseas customers who visit the factory.