Actively Utilizing Diverse Human Resources

Basic Approach

The Group takes into account both surface-level diversity (gender, sexual orientation and gender identity (including LGBTQ+*), age, career background, nationality, disability status, time restrictions due to childcare, nursing care, etc.) and deep-level diversity (knowledge, skills, experiences, values, ways of thinking, etc.). By appreciating these differences and leveraging them, we seek to maximize our results.

  • LGBTQ+: In this report, LGBT is used as a generic term to refer to people who belong to a sexual minority, with the addition of Q (Questioning: people who have not decided on or do not know their own identity) and + as an expression of sexual diversity, which cannot be expressed in words.

Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives

In fiscal 2024, we implemented the following initiatives.

Women's Empowerment

We held a total of five Career Encouragement Seminars intended to motivate women and foster awareness of diversity and inclusion among managers. Managers and leaders of each organization gave lectures on issues such as the importance of diversity and inclusion in organizations, their own careers, and diversity management.

 

We also held MT-WLP women’s leadership training for female candidates for managerial positions. Through lectures by role models and workshops on leadership skills, we hope to encourage awareness and help participants acquire the skills necessary to take active roles as leaders.

 

Percentage of female employees appointed subsection managers or higher or in management positions

LGBTQ+ initiatives

The Group has implemented the following initiatives to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and create comfortable working environments. In December 2023, we published our Guidebook for Understand LGBTQ+ on the corporate intranet, and we are continuing to distribute Ally stickers expressing our support and understanding for LGBTQ+ individuals.

 

  • The Group’s Global Policy on Respecting Human Rights: Employment and Labor states that we will not engage in discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

  • Group employment regulations state clearly that disciplinary action will be taken in response to discrimination or harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

  • Same-sex partners were included in the scope of nursing care leave and nursing care holidays.

     

 

As for hiring, we have eliminated the gender entry column from the hiring entry sheet in consideration of gender and LGBTQ+ individuals. In June 2024, we held a seminar titled “Moving forward with DE&I begins with understanding yourself” for all employees, given by an LGBTQ+ individual. Furthermore, in January 2025 we held training for human resources personnel to deepen their foundational knowledge, and give them an understanding of harassment prevention and appropriate ways of interacting with LGBTQ+ individuals.

The Group's original Ally sticker
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The Group's original Ally sticker

Social recognition

Received the 2024 Gold Prize for the sixth consecutive year in the PRIDE INDEX, an evaluation index for LGBT initiatives in the workplace by the work with Pride Association.
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Received the 2024 Gold Prize for the sixth consecutive year in the PRIDE INDEX, an evaluation index for LGBT initiatives in the workplace by the work with Pride Association.
Received highest ranking under Eruboshi company certification system based on the Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace in 2016 (we remain certified)
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Received highest ranking under Eruboshi company certification system based on the Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace in 2016 (we remain certified)

Utilization of Senior and Experienced Employees

The Company re-employs staff who wish to remain employed after retirement. To provide a place of employment, we are creating an environment that permits diverse work styles including work sharing, and we are enhancing our re-employment system and working to utilize the skills and knowhow of retired staff. 

 

Moreover, we conduct career design workshops for employees aged 50 to 55 who are considering future careers with a view to retirement. We have actively provided and expanded the environment so that all employees can continue working with high motivation regardless of age.

Supporting Active Careers for People with Disabilities

Promoting Employment of People with Disabilities

The Group has actively worked to promote the employment of people with disabilities, and at the same time, has expanded the range of duties in many positions throughout the Group. As a result of actively hiring people with disabilities, the Group’s employment rate of people with disabilities in Japan as of March 31, 2025, was 3.37%, an improvement from 3.09% at the end of the previous fiscal year.

 

The Group will continue to proactively hire people with disabilities and create an environment where they can actively participate.

 

Employment rate of people with disabilities

  • The Group in Japan

Creating Comfortable Work Environments

The Group seeks to achieve an inclusive workplace where people with and without physical and mental health challenges work together in the same place. We will create an environment where people with disabilities can make the most of their strengths and continue to make our workplaces even more comfortable to work at in the future.

Tanabe Palm Service Co. Ltd., a special subsidiary

Although there are about 100 people with disabilities working throughout the Group, the Group’s Tanabe Palm Service, a special subsidiary, provides a variety of office services, and has about 40 people primarily with intellectual, mental, and developmental disabilities working there (As of April 2025).

 

Tanabe Palm Service seeks to grow with the Company while providing a place where people with disabilities can work with peace of mind by maintaining a comfortable work environment and a system that supports growth. Specifically, we openly communicate by sharing our experiences at morning and end-of-day meetings, reviewing our work, discussing difficulties including issues in our daily lives through regular discussions and daily chats with staff. Additionally, we have presented new business reforms as a team, while also encouraging individuals to present their own ideas, and have adopted systems for commending people and promoting their growth. As a business that proactively employs persons with disabilities and provides employment support to them, Tanabe Palm Service is registered as an Osaka Prefecture Excellent Company that Supports Persons with Disabilities.

Digitization of paper documents. Digitization contributes to greater operational efficiency within the Group.
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Digitization of paper documents. Digitization contributes to greater operational efficiency within the Group.
Making business cards for Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Group employees. The cards are printed on a large paper sheet and cut to business card size.
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Making business cards for Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Group employees. The cards are printed on a large paper sheet and cut to business card size.

Support for Diverse Working Styles

In Japan, the Group supports diverse human resources that participate actively in diverse working styles through an enhanced system that helps establish a balance between personal life and work, and through the introduction of a flexible work system.

Flexible Work Systems

The Group has taken steps to enhance systems that contribute to flexible working styles and enhanced productivity for employees, such as a flex-time system with no core time, a flexible work system for employees in planning and specialist areas, and a telecommuting system.

 

To support a balance between work and medical treatment, such as for cancer survivors and those undergoing infertility treatment, in fiscal 2018, we introduced shorter workdays and treatment leave that employees who need treatment can use. In April 2020, we introduced a new infertility treatment leave system, under which employees who have been treated for infertility but have difficulty with the treatment due to physical distance between them and their spouse, can take a temporary leave of absence. The system was expanded in January 2021, and employees who live with their spouses but are receiving infertility treatment using assisted reproductive technology, which requires many hospital visits, are eligible under this system. In October 2022, we instituted childcare leave at birth (postnatal paternity leave) in accordance with revisions to the Child Care and Family Care Leave Law, creating an environment that encourages men to take childcare leave.

 

In April 2023, with a view to offering more flexibility with regard to where employees work, we implemented a remote working system that allows people to work regularly from remote areas outside commuting range.

Systems to Support Balance Between Life Events and Work

The Group has established childcare and nursing care support systems that significantly surpass legal requirements. We have created an environment that enables employees to work with peace of mind and balance work and life events, such as pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and nursing care. We continue to take steps to establish environments that facilitate active participation by fathers in child-rearing.

 

We will continue to create a work environment where each employee can fully demonstrate their abilities and work energetically.

Initiatives to support men's participation in childcare

We have implemented the following initiatives to create an environment in which it is easy for men to participate in childcare.

 

  • Special leave for husbands available during the period from pregnancy to childbirth (pre-paternity leave)
  • Make the first five days of childcare leave as paid leave (for both men and women)
  • Encourage male employees to take childcare leave
  • Promote childcare leave among male employees (postnatal paternity leave)

 

In fiscal 2024, we offered our support for the Think About Childcare Leave Day on September 19, publishing interviews with fathers and their superiors at work.

Comment from those who have taken childcare leave

 

We were able to watch over the growth of our child as a couple over the year of my childcare leave. When your child is born your life revolves around them and you cannot do as you like, eat when you want to eat, or sleep when you want to sleep, but that very lack of freedom itself becomes a pleasure. I think that stems from the fact that stepping away from my work for an extended period let me focus on childcare. Of course, your priorities change depending on your stage in life, but even now that I have returned to work, I find childcare enjoyable. Something different happens every day, and life is full of confusion, surprises, and laughter.

 

When I came back to work my boss told me that I could take it slow and not overdo things, which put me at ease. I feel proud to work at Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, with colleagues who are so cooperative, and with a childcare system so comprehensive that those around me are envious.

 

Before I went on leave, I told my wife about the fatherhood classes the Company offered, and we attended as a couple. This was very significant in reaffirming for us, as a couple, the importance of taking long-term paternal leave. The comment “Think about what you lose by taking the stance that your job comes first. You can get another job, but there is no substitute for a father,” left a strong impression on me, and is something that I agree with strongly. Since my mind was clear about where my priorities lay, I had no doubts or misgivings about taking a year of parental leave. Actually, there were many really difficult times during that year, and my wife frequently told me how glad she was that I had taken the time off and that it was a huge help.
There is no right way to raise a child, but I do think that those who are about to become fathers should take the time to talk with their partners about taking paternal leave.

Mr. S from the PR Department at the Pharma Strategy Division
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Mr. S from the PR Department at the Pharma Strategy Division

Social recognition

For the sixth consecutive year since 2007, we were certified as a general business owner conforming to standards (Kurumin mark) based on the Next Generation Nurturing Support Measures Promotion Law. In July 2019, we were certified Platinum Kurumin* in recognition of our childcare support and working style initiatives (We remain certified).

  • The Platinum Kurumin certification system recognizes companies that have already been Kurumin certified by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as companies that support childcare and that have taken steps to achieve a higher standard
Kurumin certification mark
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Kurumin certification mark
Platinum Kurumin certification mark
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Platinum Kurumin certification mark

Utilization of leave and shorter workdays for childcare

Utilization of leave and shorter workdays for childcare
  • The Group in Japan
  • The utilization of childcare leave shows the number of people who commenced childcare leave during the fiscal year

Utilization of leave and shorter workdays for nursing care

Utilization of leave and shorter workdays for nursing care
  • The Group in Japan

Building Sound Labor-Management Relations

The Group respects the rights of its employees, including the freedom to form a union and the right to collective bargaining. The labor agreement that Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma has entered with the Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Labor Union guarantees the working conditions and rights of union members. As of the end of March 2025, the labor union membership rate was 68.5%.* Group management and the union regularly hold meetings where the Company communicates its management policy and the two parties exchange information on workplace conditions, seeking to more fully understand each other. Members of the Management Council and various labor-management committees, etc., also contribute their views on various issues, such as reevaluation of various working conditions and human resource systems, in order to realize an environment in which it is easier to work.

  • The Group in Japan

Note: Information on this page pertains to activities and results for fiscal 2024.