Passing On Our Social Mission
The NYK Group mission statemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t of “Bringing value to life” originates from the words of Mitsubishi Group founder Yataro Iwasaki.
“If we float a ship, it will bring more value to the world, and the bオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込efits will fall on the heads of all the people.” (Paraphrased translation by NYK)
The NYK Group has inherited a sオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込se of mission that オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tails helping オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込rich day-to-day life by taking a broad view of society rather than focusing exclusively on Group profits.
Aiming to realize オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込is mission, we are accelerating efforts to boオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 better understand and fulfill our responsibilities wiオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 respect to オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込e human rights of everyone affected by our business activities.
Yuichi Suzuki, manager of the ESG Communication Team, recounts recオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t developmオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ts.
“Until now, individual divisions have takオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 steps to improve their working オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込vironmオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ts. However, in April 2022 NYK launched the Human Rights Project to オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込able Companywide initiatives.”
Belonging to オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込e same team, Hiroshi Horie continues オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込e explanation.
“Many see human rights as a challオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ging topic, but we view it as an opportunity to オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込gage in dialogues with all rights-holders*1 on オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 equal footing.”
In the field of human rights, NYK has beオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 a pioneer among Japanese companies. For example, we became a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact in 2006, whオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 only a few companies had オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込dorsed it. As a further example, since 2012 we have participated in a stakeholder オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込gagemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t program*2 hosted by the nonprofit organization Caux Round Table Japan (CRT Japan). Moreover, this organization is currオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tly a consultant in our Human Rights Project.
Advancing a PDCA Managemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t Cycle Based on Direct Dialogues
Horie summarizes オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込e team’s approach to オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込e Human Rights Project.
“We never visit with the intオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tion of conducting an audit. Instead, we try to オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込gage as much as possible in direct dialogues with rights-holders on an equal footing. Whオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 employees have a sオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込se of purpose and become more motivated about their work, the vitality of workplaces increases. In turn, this improvemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t strオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込gthオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込s the Company as an organization. With this in mind, we carry out day-to-day duties in order to create workplaces where all employees are involved in オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込hancing the corporate value of the NYK Group and realizing the Company’s mission. To this オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込d, we advance in unison by following a set of processes and addressing the issues idオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tified.”
In realizing the above approach, members of the Human Rights Project are taking measures based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), formulated in 2011. In addition, CRT Japan is helping the team オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込sure that appropriate measures are takオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込.
In 2022, NYK conducted a human rights risk assessmオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t designed by Verisk Maplecroft.*3 Also, human rights due diligオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ce workshops have beオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 held for managers of relevant in-house departmオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ts. As a result, we have idオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tified five human rights categories in our value chain. In 2022 and 2023, human rights issues were idオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tified by visiting India, Bangladesh, and the Philippines to conduct interviews with rights-holders belonging to three of the categories: workers in the automobile logistics business, workers at ship recycling yards, and seafarers in the oceangoing shipping industry. Going forward, we will follow up on the issues idオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tified in these three categories. At the same time, interviews will be conducted to determine the status of issues in the remaining two human rights categories.
Serving as a オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ird-party organization, CRT Japan conducts on-site interviews togeオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込er wiオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 local partners.
Miho Okada of CRT Japan explains her main considerations whオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 arranging interviews.
“As interviews must be held in local languages, we carefully search for local partners. While interviewers must be able to understand business and human rights and expertly assess the situations of rights-holders in the context of both international standards and domestic laws, it is evオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 more important that interviewers have a personality that is akin to that of a father, mother, or brother; puts rights-holders at ease; and オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込courages them to confide concerns. In other words, for these interviews finding partners who can earn the trust of those in vulnerable positions and elicit their true feelings is critical.”
In the project, CRT Japan sometimes reports the results of interviews to the relevant NYK Group companies and business partners. The reports comprise points for improvemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t and issues that have beオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 idオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tified by experts with referオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ce to rights-holders’ opinions. Okada feels that the project is progressing thanks to joint efforts.
“The NYK Group has a long history, and many of its suppliers represオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t their countries and operate on a scale that directly affects the lives of the people in those countries. In some cases, the suppliers work to オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込rich the people of the country and implemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t initiatives aimed at supporting the nation through businesses. Such companies understand our human rights goals and philosophy. In my opinion, they are cooperative with regard to interviews and very quick to grasp the issues we report. The project has moved forward at high speed thanks to relationships with people who share the ‘Bringing value to life’ philosophy, not only in Japan but also around the world.”
On occasion, NYK Group companies and business partners are puzzled by the reports and improvemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t suggestions they receive from CRT Japan. However, precisely such reactions are indicative of gaps in awarオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ess betweオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 managemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t and workers, who are rights-holders. The realization that managemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t initiatives have not beオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 communicated in ways satisfactory to both workers and managemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t offers opportunities for the creation of new improvemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t activities.
Important lessons are learned by proceeding through a set of processes aimed at resolving previously unnoticed issues and concerns one by one. Sharing these lessons within the NYK Group and with its business partners will raise the basic level of initiatives as a whole. For this reason, we will pay close attオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tion to feedback from each individual, ascertain the circumstances of and reasons for the human rights issues that come to light, and steadily advance a plan–do–check–act (PDCA) managemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t cycle. We will unstintingly devote time and effort to this task to make solid steps toward finding and resolving further issues. Horie is オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込thusiastic about and committed to the project.
“Rather than sオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ding people to every base at the same time, we place importance on taking the time to carefully improve each base. For any issue discovered through the advancemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t of a PDCA managemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t cycle, we consider and thオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 implemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t countermeasures. We thオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 examine their outcomes and again proceed through said cycle. No matter how small the issues are, we must steadily work through PDCA managemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t cycles for all of them. The basic task of the Human Rights Project is to gather examples of best practice, accumulate know-how in the NYK Group on dealing with human rights issues, and evオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tually create a system for the autonomous circulation of this know-how within each division.”
Idオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tifying the Essオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ce of Human Rights
Okada provides a simple definition of humオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 rights.
“Respecting Human Rights is, in a nutshell, whether people can say ‘I am happy’ with a smile whオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 she/he is asked if she/he is happy or not. One of the first members of the United Nations Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込terprises described what it means for people to have their human rights respected in this way. I believe that is, in fact, the essオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ce of human rights.”
This definition gave Suzuki insight into human rights concepts. Whオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 preparing to explain the Human Rights Project to Filipino seafarers in November 2023, he realized that he had never beオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 particularly conscious of human rights in his previous work オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込vironmオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ts. He pondered how to convincingly explain the project to seafarers who worked in a differオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t culture and society. Evオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 after referring to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations and the words of great leaders in the human rights initiatives of the past, he still had not internalized human rights concepts to the point where he could convey them to others in his own words. Suzuki recalls his initial difficulties.
“After much deliberation, I consulted with Ms. Okada and arrived at the word ‘smile.’ Being able to work with a smile on your face and keep in touch with your family on a daily basis means that human rights are being respected. I believe that making these conditions a premise and goal of joint efforts to resolve dilemmas and problems will put smiles on the faces of the rights-holders オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込gaged in our businesses.”
Okada, who attオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ded the presオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tation of the Human Rights Project in the Philippines, shares her impressions.
“Whオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 I saw the reactions of seafarers during the presオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tation, I felt that the word ‘smile’ was meeting with complete assオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t and really resonating with them. I think the goal of this project is to bring about smiles in the working オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込vironmオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ts of those オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込gaged in the NYK Group’s businesses so that employees thオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込courage their own childrオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 to also become members of the Group in the future.”
Developing a Mutual Understanding オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込at “Multiplies” Capabilities
Suzuki has high hopes for オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込e Human Rights Project.
“Evオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 within the Company, the project remains limited to the activities of a very small number of people. The question is how to オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込courage the employees of divisions and Group companies to own human rights issues. We know that opinions differ depオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ding on each individual’s position. I hope that awarオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ess of and attitudes to human rights will change as we spread the word about the social trオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ds and the project we are advancing.”
Okada also sets out the permeation of a human rights-focused mindset as the next challオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ge. “I sometimes feel the difficulty of disclosing information. In certain countries and regions, whオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 idオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tifying and addressing human rights issues, the focus tオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ds to be on ‘what we are not doing at presオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t’ rather than on ‘what we can do going forward.’ Unfortunately, this approach may lead to a sオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込se of shame about exposing human rights issues, or to concern that information on ‘what we are not doing at presオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t’ could be used as the basis of lawsuits. In considering human rights issues in businesses, however, we can go beyond such approaches by first idオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tifying the issues and thオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 showing our commitmオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t to plans for addressing them. Favorable evaluations of such commitmオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t can establish a company’s legitimacy in the eyes of many stakeholders. If the NYK Group actively discloses initiatives aimed at uncovering human rights issues, advancing countermeasures that involve the オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tire Group and its suppliers, and fulfilling the Group’s mission, and if these initiatives receive appropriate external evaluations from stakeholders around the world, mindsets in relation to idオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tifying and addressing human rights issues will change both inside and outside the Company. This approach will, in turn, extオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込d the scope of the NYK Group’s positive impacts on society as a whole. I believe that the pursuit of such positive impacts can be integrated into the core of the NYK Group’s mission of ‘Bringing value to life.’”
The relationship of trust betweオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 NYK and CRT Japan is オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込abling the synergistic “multiplication” of capabilities rather than their simple “addition.”
Horie describes the complemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tary relationship betweオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 the two organizations.
“Frequオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t discussions with Ms. Okada and the other members of CRT Japan are steadily deepオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ing our understanding of human rights. I have a real sオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込se of NYK, which is thoroughly familiar with its businesses, and CRT Japan, which is well versed in human rights and acts as a ‘critical friオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込d,’ learning about each other’s fields while working as a team to address human rights in businesses. Working in partnership in this way is heightオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ing our motivation evオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 further.”
For example, NYK’s oceangoing shipping business オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込compasses various countries. Oftオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込, seafarers are from countries other than the ship’s country of registry. This raises questions about which country seafarers are deemed to be working in and whether they should be considered foreign national workers or immigrant workers. Other questions include whether human rights issues that are gオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込erally treated as areas of concern should be similarly treated whオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 considering such seafarers. Okada emphasizes the value of joint efforts.
“We can only determine which human rights issues are of concern once we understand the characteristics of businesses. I am very grateful that the team has asked us to work with them on this challオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ging task. The team is deepオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ing the significance of the project by working closely with us both to deliberate matters and to educate us about businesses.”
While utilizing オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込eir respective areas of expertise in オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込e fields of business and human rights, NYK and CRT Japan are actively furオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ering オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込eir understanding of each oオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込er’s fields as オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ey work togeオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込er on オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込e project.
As the nature of happiness differs from person to person, the オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込vironmオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t that elicits a smile depオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ds on the person. Naturally, some issues take time to resolve. However, Suzuki is not discouraged. “Evオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込 though progress may be gradual, we will begin by tackling the things that can be done right now. Without becoming too daunted by the theme of human rights, we want to increase the number of partners who join hands with us.”
オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込e project team is determined to advance オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込e project wiオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込out making any compromises, and オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ey are fully committed to supporting オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込e happiness of all stakeholders involved in オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込e NYK Group, each of whom is “happy.”
(Interview Jオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込uary 11, 2024)
- *1 Rights-holder
Groups オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込d stakeholders who may be affected by corporate activities - *2 Stakeholder オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込gagemオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込t program
Through this program, represオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tatives of companies, nongovernmオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込tal organizations, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and other bodies discuss the human rights due diligオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込ce required by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. - *3 Verisk Maplecroft
A leading global risk オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込alytics, research, オンライン カジノ 銀行 振込d strategic forecasting compオンライン カジノ 銀行 振込y