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Coexistence with Society

In order to realize a sustainable society, Toshiba Group will work to solve social issues through business, and aims to be a corporate group that is trusted by society in countries and regions throughout the world by engaging in various activities that are rooted in the area as a member of the local community, while according full respect to the culture and customs of the societies in which we operate.

Policy on Coexistence with Society

Article 19 of the Standards of Conduct for Toshiba Group stipulates community relations and states that Toshiba Group shall contribute to and cooperate with all local communities in which Toshiba Group operates in order to perform its duties as a member of these communities and engage and collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders such as nonprofit organization, nongovernmental organization, administrative organization and international body. It also states that Toshiba Group shall support Directors and Employees in undertaking voluntary activities and give full consideration to each individual's desire to exercise his or her civil rights.

Structure of Coexistence with Society

The administration division of Toshiba Corporation is responsible for handling relations with society, including communication with stakeholders. On the other hand, the administration division at each site or group company is responsible for handling relations with local communities, including constant communication with communities surrounding each site or group company.

Check and Evaluation of Local Impacts of Business Activities

When starting new businesses in various countries and regions throughout the world, Toshiba Group ensures that each company and business site complies with laws and regulations, strives to maintain dialogue with governments and local communities, and endeavors to minimize the impact on the local communities where its bases are located. Once operations are underway, the companies disclose information about their business activities and environmental activities and thus engage in fruitful communication with governments and local communities.

For manufacturing sites, environmental audits of sites evaluate extent to which operations have an impact on the local environment. Furthermore, efforts are being made to acquire ISO 14001 certification throughout Toshiba Group.

Approach to the Nuclear Business


Policy for Nuclear Safety Improvement


As a company involved in the nuclear industry, we recognize the importance of continuous improvements for nuclear safety. So, we are fostering a nuclear safety culture, as well as voluntarily and continuously working to improve nuclear safety, in light of lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.


Nuclear Disaster and Nuclear Emergency Preparedness


A nuclear disaster is an accident at a nuclear facility that results in the release of radioactive materials, causing direct or indirect effects as well as damage to nearby residents and the environment around the facility.
The main difference between nuclear disasters and other natural disasters and fires is that nuclear facilities involve nuclear fuel and radioactive materials, so measures must be taken to deal with the effects of their release when an accident occurs.
Another difference from other types of disasters is that it is important to use the correct measuring equipment because the radiation from radioactive materials cannot be detected by the human senses.
For this reason, local governments and companies with nuclear facilities measure the amount of radiation in the air using monitoring posts equipped with radiation measuring devices, and in the event that the amount of radiation increases due to an accident or other incident, emergency measures are taken based on the actual measurements made by the monitoring posts and other devices.

Regarding nuclear emergency preparedness, the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness requires prompt notification in the event of a disaster, implementation of emergency measures to minimize exposure, maintenance of necessary disaster preparedness equipment and materials, and execution of regular disaster preparedness drills. In light of this, Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has prepared a nuclear emergency response plan to determine how to respond to nuclear disasters, and the company has also prepared emergency communication equipment (e.g., radios and fax machines), radiation measuring devices, and protective gear for radiation hazards (e.g., protective clothing and masks). We conduct disaster preparedness drills according to a pre-planned schedule, but disaster preparedness staff members are not informed of the details in advance, and once the drill is over, we discuss the points that must be improved and utilize them to plan future drills.


Initiatives at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station


The government and Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO) have developed a mid-and-long-term roadmap towards the decommissioning of TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in 30 to 40 years. This roadmap has set the target for the areas of contaminated water, removal of fuel from spend fuel pools, retrieval of fuel debris, and management of radioactive waste.

Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has been making continuous efforts to develop the technologies to solve the challenges for achieving these targets and providing support toward decommissioning.

Consideration for Employees’ Exercise of Civil Rights

Toshiba set up a new leave system called Saiban-in (Lay Judge) System Leave in April 2008 to coincide with the commencement of the Lay Judge System in May 2009 in Japan.

This leave facilitates the employees to participate as citizen jurors in criminal court procedures. Based on the law for implementation of the Saiban-in system in criminal court procedures, the salary per day for the employee selected to participate in such system amounts to the basic salary per day. Also, based on the above law, the number of leave days provided under this system equals to the maximum number of participation days under the Lay Judge System.

Contribution to Local Communities through Job Creation, Procurement and Tax Payment

Toshiba Group expands its business around the world. The jobs created contribute to local communities, especially the production facilities that employ a considerable number of local people.

Toshiba Group appropriately implements local procurement of materials, components and equipment, etc. based on the attributes of the items produced and the environment in which they are produced. Centered on production bases in each country, and also using the International Procurement Office (IPO), we make efforts to promote optimal procurement, including local procurement.

By paying taxes in accordance with national laws and regulations, the Group companies and their employees make an economic contribution to the regions where they operate under its Basic Policy on Tax.