Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The Sumitomo Riko Group Management Philosophy proclaims, "We will foster an invigorating corporate culture that respects our employees' diversity, personal qualities, and individuality." The Group engages in DE&I promotion activities to create an environment in which people from diverse backgrounds can work with vigor and enthusiasm.

At Sumitomo Riko, the DE&I Group of the Planning Section in the Human Resources Department takes the lead in establishing specific systems and improving the internal environment in cooperation and collaboration with the CSR Promotion Office and the Human Resources Development Department.

Sumitomo Riko has set the following goals in the 2029 Sumitomo Riko Group Vision (2029V), targeting "Providing training opportunities to promote individual growth and fostering a corporate culture full of job satisfaction."

Goals for 2029 (Public Value and Corporate Value)

1. Engagement: By increasing empathy for the management philosophy and vision, build an autonomous relationship between employees and the company, where employees choose the company and are chosen by the company.
2. DE&I: Ensure that a diverse workforce can work with confidence and continue to create new value.

Themes	FY 2025 Priority Action Item	Achievements		FY 2026 Priority Action Item
Promotion of diverse human resource’s activities	30% female employment rate	31% (March 2026)		Continue to maintain 30% female employment rate
	Increase in the ratio of female managers	Career Development Training for Management Candidates (August 2025–January 2026)		Continued Career Development Training
	Promotion of employment of persons with disabilities (Statutory employment rate: 2.5%)	・2.7% (March 2026, 3 special subsidiaries applied) ・Continued acceptance of seconded employees from the special-status subsidiary “SumiRiko Joyful”		Promote employment of persons with disabilities above the statutory rate of 2.7% (Domestic Group average)
	Support for Balancing Work and Personal Life	Care	Held an informational session for all employees on the details of the legal amendments and our company’s policies	Ongoing development of a system to support both work and family life and spreading understanding of the concept
		Childcare	Held an informational session for all employees on the details of the legal amendments and our company’s policies	Ongoing development of a system to support both work and family life and spreading understanding of the concept
		Medical treatment	Implementation starting October 2025 ①Cancer treatment Expansion of work-style options (flextime system, reduced working hours, reduced-hour flextime system) and provision of treatment leave (5 days/year) ②Fertility treatment Provision of treatment leave (5 days/year)	Ongoing development of a system to support both work and family life and spreading understanding of the concept
Raising awareness and fostering a culture	Information Distribution	・Information dissemination through the company newsletter “Mitsukumi” and “HR News,” which is sent out monthly by HR to the entire company ・Seminar information on the in-house website “G.Portal”		Continuation of information dissemination
	Educational activities at various trainings	・Conducted D&I training at training sessions by job level ・Participation in the Sumitomo Electric Group Women's Forum “SWING” ・Held “Life Plan Seminar” for employees approaching retirement age 　Participation by 161 employees aged 55–59		・Continuously conduct DE&I awareness-raising activities through training tailored to different organizational levels. ・Continued participation in the Sumitomo Electric Group Women's Forum “SWING” ・Launch of a "Life Planning Seminar" for people in their 40s

At Sumitomo Riko, in accordance with the national “Act on the Promotion of Measures to Support the Development of the Next Generation,” we have formulated and published the action plan outlined below and are working toward its implementation.
Based on our management philosophy and vision, we respect the diversity, character, and individuality of each employee. We aim to be a company where employees can achieve their desired career paths and enhance their skills while balancing work and personal life, enabling them to thrive and contribute actively.

 

1. Plan Period	April 1, 2026 – March 31, 2028
2. Quantitative Targets	Target 1	Achieve and consistently maintain a 90% or higher utilization rate of childcare leave by male employees (including childcare encouragement leave and special leave related to childbirth)
	Target 2	Reduce the number of cases in which overtime work exceeds 45 hours per month for general employees by an annual average of at least 5% (compared to FY2025)
	Target 3	Achieve a female managerial ratio of 2.7% or higher
	Target 4	Achieve and consistently maintain a 70% or higher rate of male employees taking 28 days or more of childcare leave
3. Details of the Plan	For further details, please refer to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare website (Japanese)

Sumitomo Riko Group is actively working to create a corporate culture in which everyone can play an active and rewarding role, regardless of gender, nationality, or hiring route. Women, foreigners, and mid-career recruits are hired and promoted to management positions based on a comprehensive assessment of their abilities and aptitudes, regardless of their attributes. With regard to women, we consider the fact that there is a gender gap in the percentage of female employees and managers to be an issue. For this reason, we have set specific targets and are working to resolve these issues.

"SWING Women's Forum" has been held continuously since FY2017 for female employees of the Sumitomo Electric Group to support mutual study and networking. The members of the Human Resources and DE&I divisions of Sumitomo Electric Industries, Sumitomo Wiring Systems, and Sumitomo Riko serve as the secretariat of the forum, which aims to promote the advancement of women throughout the Group by fostering and developing the skills of female employees.

As of the end of fiscal year 2025, the percentage of female managers at Sumitomo Riko stood at 2.2% (13 employees).
In fiscal year 2023, we conducted a survey of female career-track employees. Based on the results, we launched initiatives in fiscal year 2024 aimed at creating an environment where women can chart their own career paths.
We are implementing measures such as strengthening recruitment, providing training, and improving systems, and we will continue our efforts to ensure that women can continue working with peace of mind and pursue the careers they desire.

Approximately 80% of the group's employees work in overseas locations, and of course, we do not make any distinction between foreigners and Japanese.
At our overseas offices, we are always conscious of the localization of main business operations, as we strive to develop local staff who can take on the role of local base chief officer. On the other hand, in Japan, we consistently hire people with high aspirations and a strong desire to work for our group, regardless of their nationality, and their fields of activity are expanding day by day.

In anticipation of new perspectives and ideas, and the innovation that lies ahead, we hire a certain number of mid-career (career) employees every year. We also promote the direct employment of temporary employees with proven work experience (promotion to employees), and we consider it part of our DE&I promotion to provide them with opportunities to fully demonstrate their practical skills and work immediately as core human resources.
We evaluate and treat new hires fairly and impartially, without distinction from new graduates, so that they can move up the ladder according to their abilities.

Across all divisions of the Sumitomo Riko Group, we employ individuals with disabilities, and more than 150 employees are performing duties suited to their abilities while receiving support from their workplaces. In November 2013, we established “SumiRiko Joyful,” a special-status subsidiary, with the aim of promoting the employment of people with disabilities and contributing to society. The number of employees, which stood at five at the time of establishment, has now grown to about 30. Their scope of work—which includes the collection and delivery of internal mail, archive management, printing, digitization of documents, and cleaning services—has been expanding year by year.
Since fiscal year 2019, we have continuously arranged secondments from SumiRiko Joyful to Sumitomo Riko, where employees work alongside regular staff in the same environment. Starting in fiscal year 2024, we have been consistently assigning new graduates directly employed by Sumitomo Riko to the corporate division to expand their scope of work. To foster a better understanding within the company, we have launched “Lectures on Promoting the Employment of People with Disabilities” and “Lectures for Supporters of Employment for People with Disabilities,” targeting both management and the receiving workplaces.
Moving forward, we will continue to create an environment where each individual can work while making the most of their unique strengths.

Guided by the principle that “there is no business strategy superior to talent development,” we conduct training in various formats, including basic and regular training, as well as programs tailored by job level and specific needs. In fiscal year 2025, we continued to incorporate DE&I training into our job-level training programs. Tailored to the participants, we adopted various approaches, including covering the fundamentals of DE&I, introducing Sumitomo Riko’s initiatives and current status, and promoting concrete improvements in behavior based on case studies. In recent years, we have addressed topics such as unconscious bias and LGBTQ issues, creating opportunities for all participants to engage in discussion. Additionally, in fiscal year 2025, we published an LGBTQ guidebook to further enhance understanding.

Sumitomo Riko participates in a variety of certification and registration schemes with a view towards reforming our employees’ mindset and fostering a corporate culture of diversity. We use these schemes not only to promote our commitment to the outside world, but also to confirm our position in our industry and to consider our future directions and actions.