The Nichirei Group began implementing its health management initiatives in earnest in 2015.

Back in 2005, when the holding company structure was established, it was unclear who was responsible for employee health management within the Nichirei Group. Furthermore, at that time, the concept of “companies taking an active role in employee health” had not yet taken root, either in society at large or within the Nichirei Group itself.

Amid these circumstances, over a three-year period beginning in 2012, there were a series of “deaths of employees in active service due to non-work related illnesses or injuries.”

The Nichirei Group took this situation very seriously and decided in 2015 to establish a “Health Promotion Group” within Nichirei, the holding company.

The following year, we formulated the “Nichirei Group Health Declaration” and established the “Group Health Management Standards.” Furthermore, we appointed a Chief Health Promotion Officer at the holding company and designated health promotion officers and representatives at each operating company within the Group.

In this way, we established a “system in which the company takes responsibility for supporting employee health,” rather than treating it as solely an individual’s concern.

By ensuring that all employees undergo health checkups, implementing thorough follow-up measures for those requiring attention after their checkups, and preventing the progression of illnesses to severe stages, the Nichirei Group has steadily built a stronger foundation for health management by supporting each and every employee.

Furthermore, in 2018, the group was reorganized into the “Nichirei Health Management Promotion Center.”
We redefined its role not merely as a department within the holding company, but as an organization that supports health management across all Group companies.

Since then, the company has maintained a 100% participation rate in employee health checkups. It has also placed a strong emphasis on stress assessments, consultations with occupational health nurses, and health counseling.
However, at the same time, new challenges were gradually beginning to emerge.

We don’t just focus on individual health; we also work to improve the overall health of the organization.
As we expanded the scope of our efforts from individuals to the organization as a whole, we also began to grapple with the question: “What exactly do we mean by ‘health’?”

Therefore, in April 2024, we decided to reorganize the dedicated department into the “Well-being Management Promotion Office.”

While continuing to prioritize occupational safety, health, and health management, we are also expanding initiatives to enhance workplace comfort and job satisfaction.

Furthermore, in April 2026, we revised our existing Health Declaration to the “Global Well-being Policy.” We established three guiding principles that are easy for all Group employees worldwide to adopt.

In other countries, companies may not retain employees’ health information, and their systems and approaches differ from those in Japan.
Therefore, rather than uniformly rolling out a single, standardized declaration, we established it as a Group “policy” so that each country and each company could adapt it to their specific circumstances.

The Well-being Management Promotion Office consists of the “Planning and Promotion Team,” which formulates Group-wide policies and plans and implements key initiatives, as well as “occupational health nurses” who provide specialized support tailored to each individual employee.

Members of the Well-being Management Promotion Office have implemented various priority initiatives addressing health issues and work-life balance.
Following implementation, they have repeatedly reviewed these initiatives based on employee surveys, feedback from stakeholders, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s “Health Management Survey.”

So, how exactly are these priority initiatives decided?
One method is the use of “Marukomi.” “Marukomi” is an abbreviation for “Marugoto Communication,” a meeting held by Nichirei where company and departmental goals are shared with each department.

Twice a year, the Planning and Promotion Manager and the occupational health nurse discuss the office’s vision and priority initiatives during these sessions. Through dialogue, they deliberate on initiatives, put them into action, and make improvements based on employee feedback. Occupational health nurses play a crucial role in this process.

The information that occupational health nurses gather through follow-up interviews and health counseling is not limited to individual health concerns.
“What is happening in the workplace?” “What challenges does the group face?”

Sakai explains that a major appeal of the Nichirei Group’s health management is the ability to identify challenges not just at the individual level but also at the organizational level, and for the planning and promotion team and occupational health nurses to work together to devise priority initiatives.

Furthermore, the Well-being Management Promotion Office’s focus extends beyond employee well-being.

The Nichirei Group’s health management initiative began with the goal of protecting the lives and health of our employees.


Through this journey, we came to realize that “simply addressing individual health issues is not enough to create an organization where every employee can perform to their full potential.”


Rather than viewing health solely in terms of physical and mental well-being, we also focus on the workplace and organizational context that underlies it, providing support that extends to “workplace comfort and job satisfaction.” The expansion of this approach marked a turning point, propelling us from health management toward well-being management.


And now, the scope of this approach is expanding beyond our employees to include all stakeholders associated with the Nichirei Group.


In [Part 2: The Evolution of Health Management with the Times] (scheduled for release in November), we will introduce the specific initiatives we have implemented from 2015 to the present, along with the background behind them.