We’re hearing the term “DE&I” more and more often. However, it’s not necessarily the case that people truly understand this concept or see how it relates to themselves and their workplaces.

In a survey conducted among Group employees, the percentage of positive responses to questions regarding “level of understanding of DE&I” and “degree of its penetration within the workplace” was low, revealing challenges in helping employees perceive DE&I as a more relevant and personal topic.

In light of these results, we have been focusing our efforts on initiatives aimed at “understanding and penetration.” Starting with study sessions for executives, we are promoting understanding in stages while expanding the scope to include management training and initiatives for general employees. Furthermore, we are conducting topic-specific training on issues such as LGBTQ and unconscious bias, providing opportunities to deepen understanding of diversity.

At the same time, we have worked to “increase opportunities for Group employees to engage with diversity.” We launched a “Diversity Portal Site” as a platform to share various initiatives, policies, and related information, and through the monthly publication of “Diversity News,” we have increased opportunities for employees to engage with topics related to diversity.

Furthermore, in November 2025, we held “Diversity Week 2025,” an in-house event designed to encourage the entire Nichirei Group to reflect on and deepen its understanding of diversity.
Under the theme “Team N: A Week to Enjoy Our Differences—What Is Diversity?”, we carried out a variety of initiatives, including keynote speeches and seminars by external experts, as well as content published on our portal site.

The keynote speech by Toshiaki Hirose, a former member of the Japanese national rugby team, and his panel discussion with Chairman Okushi (then President) garnered a particularly strong response. Drawing on his experience competing against rival teams from around the world, Mr. Hirose delivered a lecture on diversity from a global perspective. In the subsequent discussion with Chairman Okushi, they exchanged views on promoting diversity within the Nichirei Group. On the day of the event, approximately 230 employees participated, including those in attendance at the venue and those watching the live stream.

During the event, we also held seminars featuring guest speakers on the topics of balancing work with childcare and balancing work with caregiving.

The childcare seminar provided an opportunity to learn about time management for raising children while working, as well as how supervisors can best support employees raising children. The caregiving seminar attracted approximately 80 participants. By holding it as part of Diversity Week, we were able to provide more employees than ever before a chance to reflect on balancing work and caregiving responsibilities.

Throughout the event period, we also launched various initiatives designed to help employees learn about each other’s differences and experiences and to spark dialogue.

For example, on our portal site, we ran a series of employee interviews featuring international employees, employees with experience in caregiving, and employees raising children. By distributing these interviews as audio content, we created opportunities for employees to learn about diverse backgrounds and work styles.

Additionally, in the cafeteria at Nichirei’s headquarters, we held the “World Cuisine: Let’s Eat!” campaign to foster communication with foreign employees. In addition to serving home-style and regional dishes from various countries, we also ran a campaign on our internal social media platform to share posts about food cultures from around the world, enabling participation from employees at other locations as well.

These initiatives are generating positive change across the organization, with company-wide survey results showing gradual improvement over time.

Conversations in the cafeteria, interactions on the company social network, and taking the time to listen to others.
It is the accumulation of these small, everyday interactions that provides opportunities to recognize and understand each other’s “differences.”

Diversity is not something that is fostered solely through special initiatives.
We aim to create a workplace where everyone can be themselves and take on new challenges. This journey continues today in various locations across the Nichirei Group.