Corporate Ethics and Compliance
Basic Concept
In order to implement our corporate philosophy, the Tsubaki Spirit, we believe it is vital that all executives and employees act in compliance with laws and regulations, ethics, and company rules. To that end, we have formulated the Code of Corporate Ethics, which are a clearly defined set of ethical guidelines, and we are working to raise awareness and spread information on ethics through activities, training and other initiatives to strengthen ethics. The results of these activities are periodically reported to the Board of Directors.
Promoting Compliance
The Company promotes compliance through its “Corporate Ethics Awareness Month” program and other training.
Corporate Ethics Awareness Month
We have designated February of every year as our Corporate Ethics Awareness Month, in which Group companies in Japan and overseas take part. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, the number of participating companies was limited by the COVID-19 pandemic to 29 of 51, as we responded to the conditions in other countries. Due to the circumstances, we carried out educational activities on ethics awareness centered on e-learning in Japan and remote learning overseas.
Number of Companies Participated in Corporate Ethics Awareness Month
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | 51 | 24 | 32 | 29 |
* Including participants in the e-Learning program from FY 2020
Compliance Training
The Tsubaki Group has issued the Tsubaki Compliance Handbook as a tool to spread the Code of Corporate Ethics. This Handbook is intended to facilitate an understanding and awareness of the Code of Corporate Ethics among employees, and provides specific examples and explanations of how to act ethically in daily work and life. In addition to the previously mentioned Corporate Ethics Awareness Month, we also hold scheduled training on ethics. The Company continuously updates the training by incorporating any newly identified issues into Corporate Ethics Awareness Month.
These initiatives are aimed at reducing compliance-related risks at workplaces, and at making each employee more aware of compliance and corporate ethics.
Number of Participants in Compliance Training (Japan)
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 749 | 1,855 | 3,064 | 3,529 | 3,190 |
* Including participants in the e-Learning program from FY 2020
Ethics Committee
The Ethics Committee promotes compliance through activities such as reviewing measures to prevent breaches of the Code of Corporate Ethics from recurring and deciding on actions against those who breached said measures.
Establishment of a Consultation and Reporting Hotline
The Company (Japan) has a whistleblower system under the Corporate Ethics Helpline Rules. The ethics helpline provides two facets, a dedicated section within the Company and an outside legal counsel retained by the Company. Both of these accept anonymous reporting.
The ethics helpline addresses not only matters regarding breaches of laws and regulations and/or company rules but also concerns or worries of a personal nature if being asked for.
