Nurturing a culture of trust
Respect of human rights

Basic approach to human rights

The Haseko Group explicitly states “respect of human rights” in the Haseko Group Code of Conduct. Moreover, in order to deepen our initiatives for respecting human rights, in January 2022 we established the Haseko Group’s Human Rights Policy in line with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We have worked to instill the Standards and Policy throughout the Group so that each and every employee can deepen his/her understanding of human rights and engage in operations with a high level of awareness at all times, as well as have required our partner companies and other supply chain constituents to respect human rights in their own business activities. Moreover, we will pursue management that respects human rights through efforts including human rights due diligence initiatives.

Haseko Group Code of Conduct (excerpt)

2. Basic behavioral stance
(4) Respect of human rights
We shall respect the fundamental human rights of all people in all our business activities, and shall not discriminate against people based on race, nationality, birth, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, or any other reason, nor shall we commit any act that undermines the dignity of individuals.

Haseko Group’s Human Rights Policy

Haseko Group’s Human Rights Policy　[PDF：86KB]

Announcement of “My Declaration of Human Rights”

Haseko Corporation affirms the significance of the “My Declaration of Human Rights” initiative promoted by the Ministry of Justice, and aims to realize a society in which all people show mutual respect for each other’s human rights. Through “My Declaration of Human Rights,” we announced that we will engage in business activities in a manner that respects human rights. This declaration is published on the website of the Human Rights Library.

関連情報

Human Rights Library’s “My Declaration of Human Rights” website

Status of Human Rights Due Diligence Initiatives

Having developed the Haseko Group’s Human Rights Policy, we are performing human rights due diligence. Human rights due diligence is a continuous process to enhance the effectiveness of efforts to respect human rights. It involves turning a PDCA cycle consisting of identifying and assessing potential risks of human rights infringements related to business activities, instituting measures to avert or mitigate those risks, and verifying the effects of those measures.

Overview of Initiatives for Respecting Human Rights

Identification of human rights issues that require action

The Corporate Management Division and Construction Division, a division that serve as contact points with partner companies, have created the “Human Rights Working Group” (hereinafter the working group) and identified potential human rights violations related to the business activities of the Haseko Group. The working group identified human rights issues, assessing those risks in terms of their degree of severity and likelihood of occurring and verifying the status of actions taken by relevant divisions and Group companies.
In addition, in February 2024, having considered the measures to avert and mitigate risks that were implemented after the human rights issues had been identified, as well as changes to the nature and environmental conditions of the Group’s business, the working group determined that no review of human rights issues is necessary. (The Group will continue to determine the necessity of reviews on an as-needed basis.)

Human rights issues identified

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Human rights issue	Major risk
Human rights issues in the upstream supply chain	Labor problems and impact on the living environment of local communities in the upstream process of the production of construction materials, including logging sites
Forced labor and child labor	Labor problems related to foreign technical intern trainees and young workers of partner companies at construction sites and service provision sites
Occupational health and safety	Accidents related to the life and health of employees (of the Company and partner companies) at construction sites and other sites where the Company provides service
Employment and working conditions	Long working hours Partner companies’ employment and working conditions
Harassment and discrimination	Harassment at the Company or between the Company and partner companies Cases where employees harass customers or customers harass employees at service provision sites
Impact on local communities	Impact on the living environment of local communities in the vicinity of construction sites
Customer safety and security	Accidents when the Company provides services at nursing care sites and in customers’ living spaces Customers’ personal information and privacy

Consideration and implementation of measures to avert or mitigate risks

Most of the human rights issues identified had been recognized as common “company-wide risks” or as “division-specific risks” in existing “risk-prevention activities,” and the Company has been taking measures against them. Accordingly, the risk-prevention activities for FY2023 include raising awareness of the human rights issues that were identified, as well as each department taking steps to pinpoint which of the risks they have identified are human rights issues, verifying the human rights issues that are inherent to their department. Based on the result of the verification, we will examine the necessity of additional measures going forward.
On the other hand, some of the human rights issues identified had not been fully recognized as issues for the Group. Thus, we conducted a questionnaire survey of our partner companies from July to August 2023 to assess the actual situation on the ground regarding human rights issues so that steps can be taken to address them.
As part of these initiatives, we asked partner companies to reply to the following questionnaire regarding foreign technical intern trainees they employ.

Overview of questionnaire survey of partner companies

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	Timber procurement questionnaire	Questionnaire on foreign technical intern trainees
Companies surveyed	Member companies of the Ken-ei-kai, Ken-sho-kai, Shin-wa-kai and Ju-yu-kai organizations that are involved in timber procurement	All member companies of the Ken-ei-kai, Ken-sho-kai,Shinwakai, Ju-yu-kai Ko-sho-kai organization
Survey period	With a view to assessing the current situation, respondent companies were asked for verification about matters such as awareness of issues concerning sustainability of timber procurement, traceability of timber products, and handling of certified and domestic timber products.	With a view to determining whether issues exist, we verified the status of the employment, labor, and living environments of the foreign technical intern trainees, among others, at the respondent companies and their partner companies. (At the same time, we disseminated information on points to note pursuant to relevant laws and regulations.)
Results and actions	The current situation has been identified, and we will continue to implement more in-depth verification and investigation of countermeasures based on the responses collected.	It was confirmed that each of the partner companies had appropriate measures in place. We will continue to implement regular verification of circumstances going forward.

*Each organization comprises the partner companies of the following Group companies.
Ken-ei-kai：Haseko Corporation　Ken-sho-kai：Fuji Kensetsu　Shinwakai：Hosoda Corporation　Ju-yu-kai：Haseko Reform Inc.　Ko-sho-kai：Haseko Community, Inc.

Human rights due diligence structure

We report the status of human rights due diligence to the “Sustainability Committee,” chaired by the President of Haseko Corporation, for review. (Matters deliberated by and reported to the Sustainability Committee are reported to and supervised by the Board of Directors, and significant matters are referred to the Board of Directors for deliberation and decision-making.)
The working group will play a central role in the deliberation and implementation of practical measures (the working group decides which department will be responsible for which matters requiring action).

Overview of the Working Group

Departments comprise the working group: Sustainability Promotion Dept., Risk Management Dept., Personnel Dept., Human Resources Development Dept., Construction Planning Dept. (All these departments are those of Haseko Corporation)
Members: Officers in charge, general managers, chiefs, etc. of departments that comprise the working group
Responsible person: Operating officer in charge of sustainability

Framework for receiving and handling human rights-related inquiries

Human Rights Help Desk

We have established a human rights help desk on the Haseko Corporation website (this website). The help desk receives inquiries regarding concerns about human rights violations in connection with the Group’s corporate activities. It is also open to the general public, with confidentiality and anonymity respected when handling cases received.

Internal Whistleblowing System

The Haseko Group has set out the “Haseko Group Whistleblower Protection Rules” pursuant to the Whistleblower Protection Act and relevant laws and regulations. The Haseko Group has also introduced an Internal Whistleblowing System for all officers and employees of the Group and workers at all Group business locations. We have established an internal office in the Compliance Department of the Risk Management Department, as well as an external office in a law firm for receiving inquiries for consultation regarding not only acts against laws and regulations but also violation of company rules, harassment and compliance issues in general. The Company has put in place a system for protecting whistleblowers and preserving their anonymity and created an environment where persons concerned feel free to file a report or request consultation in order to ensure that any wrongful act or misconduct be immediately detected and corrected.

Related Information

Internal Whistleblowing System

Initiatives for respecting human rights

Distribution of Human Rights Handbook
In January 2024, the Group created the Human Rights Handbook as part of its efforts to develop its officers’ and employees’ awareness of human rights. The book explains the social demands for human rights and the Company’s human rights initiatives. In addition, it explains the connection between human rights and the Group’s various businesses so that each officer and employee can understand how human rights relates their individual duties. To promote understanding of the issues, the handbook is distributed to all officers and employees (including temporary staff) and to new employees during their on-boarding training. It is also published on the Company’s internal portal website. We will continue to make active use of this handbook and enrich our understanding of business and human rights as a whole.

Implementation of e-learning
In February 2023, and January 2024 based on the progress of human rights due diligence efforts since the establishment of the “Haseko Group Human Rights Policy,” we implemented e-learning on human rights for all personnel in the Group (including temporary staff) to instill basic knowledge and awareness of the importance of respect for human rights.

In addition, the Haseko Group prohibits all employees, including temporary staff and part-time workers, from performing any act that constitutes harassment under its employment regulations, etc. In order to prevent harassment, we periodically conduct education in the form of e-learning targeted at employees, and raise their awareness through the “Compliance Bulletin ” distributed to employees and in-house posters. In addition, we have internal and external points of contact in the whistle-blowing system that respond to employees’ requests for advice about harassment.