Human rights

Approach and Policies

Group Policy (Social)

Under its Group Policy, the Nomura Real Estate Group has stipulated “Respect for human rights of officers and employees” in Article 20 of its Group Code of Action, and it respects the dignity and fundamental human rights of everyone associated with its operations, including employees. In doing so, the Group supports and complies with the following international norms on human rights and strives to conduct business in full compliance with human rights laws and regulations in each country in which it operates. In accordance with the Nomura Real Estate Group Human Rights Policy, the president and Group CEO of Nomura Real Estate Holdings takes responsibility with regard to respecting human rights as we strive to identify, prevent, and mitigate any human rights violations related to any of our business activities. At the same time, we seek from all stakeholders cooperation with our Human Rights Policy and reinforce our efforts to promote dialogue.

The Nomura Real Estate Group Code of Conduct provides in Article 20 that the Group shall respect the fundamental human rights of officers and employees and shall not engage in discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, religion, creed, sex, nationality, social status, disability, pregnancy, childbirth, childcare leave, family care leave, sexual preference, gender identity, etc.

International norms that the Group supports and respects

International Bill of Human Rights (United Nations)
Common standards to be achieved for all people including the right to life, freedom of speech and expression, right to work, right to education, and right to live a civilized life.

Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (International Labor Organization (ILO))
Fundamental rights in labor (the freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining, prohibition of compulsory labor, effective elimination of child labor, and elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation)

Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (United Nations)
A global standard applicable to all countries and businesses, consisting of three pillars: state duty to protect human rights, corporate responsibility to respect human rights, and a remedy for victims of business-related abuses.

Children’s Rights and Business Principles (UNICEF, UN Global Compact, and Save the Children)
Guidelines on actions that should be taken by companies to protect children’s rights.

Nomura Real Estate Group Human Rights Policy

Management

Management (Social)

As a subordinate organization of the Sustainability Committee, we established the Human Rights Subcommittee, led by the officer in charge of Group Diversity and Inclusion Management as its supervisor. The subcommittee consists of several members from the Sustainability Committee and others from the Group Human Resources Development Department, Group Legal and Compliance Department, and Sustainability Management Department and meets as needed to promote human rights initiatives for the entire Group. Four meetings were held in fiscal 2022 to implement human rights due diligence and organize issues toward establishing the grievance mechanism.

Targets and Results

Targets, KPIs, and Performance Data

2030 Unit FY2022
KPICreation of the human rights due diligence system Set targets for each fiscal year (1) In-house: Surveyed the working status of foreign employees
(2) Outside the company: Surveyed the working status of technical intern trainees at suppliers
(3) Incorporated human rights risk assessment into overseas operations
(4) Organized issues to establish a grievance mechanism
KPIPercentage of participation in human rights training 100 %

Key performance indicators (KPIs) for priority issues (materiality) up to 2030

Other Performance Data

Unit FY2019 FY2020 FY2021 FY2022
Human rights training (Group-wide) New employees Participation rate 100 *1 100 100
Number of participants 248 *1 280 263
Newly appointed (core) managers Participation rate 100 100 100 100
Number of participants 170 135 149 168
Mid-career hires Participation rate 100 100 100 100
Number of participants 79 170 195 262
Email distribution for Group officers and employees Done Done Done Done
Human rights-related training (individual company only: Nomura Real Estate Life & Sports)*2 Participation rate 100 98.9 91.4 91.6
Number of participants 585 588

Canceled due to measures against COVID-19.

Participation rates and participants for FY2019 and FY2020 are for full-time and part-time employees, and those for FY2021 and FY2022 are for full-time employees. We continue to provide training for part-time workers.

ESG Data (Social)

Initiatives

Human Rights Initiatives to Date

Period Initiatives
FY2020

・Established the Human Rights Subcommittee to strengthen and promote activities in accordance with international norms on human rights and began formulating the Human Rights Policy

・Conducted sustainability monitoring interviews with 10 major suppliers

FY2021

・Formulated and announced the Nomura Real Estate Group Human Rights Policy

・Identified prominent human rights issues within the Group

・Conducted a Group-wide desktop survey to ascertain the current status of human rights issues within the Group

・Conducted a detailed survey, including interviews and questionnaires, involving seven Group companies, six in Japan and one in Vietnam in the property and facility management business, hotel business, and the overseas business as operations with relatively high human rights risks

Identified four priority issues

(1) Wellness and human rights of employees
(2) Overseas business and non-Japanese workers
(3) Human rights in the supply chain
(4) Remedial measures

Human Rights Due Diligence Initiatives (Four Priority Issues)

The Group is establishing a human rights due diligence process based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights for identifying, preventing, and mitigating negative impacts on human rights directly related to our business, products, and services as a result of our business activities and relationships.
With the cooperation of external experts, we completed setting the priority issues to be addressed on human rights due diligence by fiscal 2021 and formulated a three-year roadmap of initiatives. Specifically, we selected four priority issues: (1) employee wellness and human rights, (2) overseas business and non-Japanese workers, (3) human rights in the supply chain, and (4) remedial measures, and designated departments with jurisdiction over these issues.
We have been conducting a full-scale human rights due diligence and PDCA cycle based on the roadmap since fiscal 2022.

Scope of Human Rights Due Diligence

Target businesses Real estate development business, real estate management business (especially the hotel business), overseas business (Vietnam, Thailand, China, Philippines)
Subjects Employees of the Group (especially foreign national employees)
Employees of our suppliers (especially foreign technical intern trainees)
Customers and neighbors
Human rights risk indicators (1) Child labor
(2) Forced labor and human trafficking
(3) Discrimination of any kind
(4) Harassment
(5) Appropriate working environment
(6) Appropriate working conditions
(7) Life and health of customers and users
(8) Life and health of neighbors, etc.
(9) Background of site acquisition
(10) Privacy

Progress of Human Rights Due Diligence (Four Priority Issues)

Theme FY2022 Results FY2023 Plans
(1) Employee wellness and human rights

・Reduced working hours

・Encouraged employees to take paid leaves

・Further encourage employees to take paid leaves

・Reduce absenteeism*1 and presenteeism*2

(2) Overseas business and non-Japanese workers

・Incorporated human rights factors into project evaluations in overseas projects

・Surveyed the actual status of the Group’s foreign employees and created a Human Rights Checklist

・Establish a monitoring system after incorporating evaluation

・Establish an operational system for the Human Rights Checklist

(3) Human rights in the supply chain

・Prepared interview sheets on the employment status of technical intern trainees and distributed them to suppliers

・Conduct a direct engagement in line with the questionnaire responses

(4) Remedial measures

・Analyzed differences between international standards and our current system

・Improve issues based on the results of difference analysis (including whether to join external organizations)

A condition in which the employee is unable to work at the workplace due to absence from work, leave of absence, being late or leaving early, etc.

A condition in which the employee is at work but unable to perform duties satisfactorily due to physical or mental health problems

Human Rights Due Diligence Implementation Process

Preventing human rights risks in our own Group

In order to more clearly understand the negative impact on human rights, we conducted the following two human rights risk assessments in fiscal 2022 under one of the four priority issues, overseas business, and non-Japanese workers.

(1) Survey on the actual status of two companies where foreign employees from other countries work at overseas subsidiaries (Vietnam and Hong Kong)
(2) Interview survey with four Group companies that employ foreign national employees in Japan

We conducted a full investigation on corporations with foreign employees from countries other than the country where the corporation is located.

With regard to (2) in particular, we conducted individual interviews with foreign employees, including technical interns and international students, regarding the involvement of illegal intermediaries in Group recruitment, the content of employment contracts, and the status of labor management and health and safety. We then confirmed there were no violations of international norms or laws and regulations. Based on the results of the interviews, we will establish procedures to review human rights risks when hiring new foreign employees.

Assessing human rights risks in the supply chain

In order to address human rights issues in the supply chain, the Group has distributed its Procurement Guidelines to more than 4,600 suppliers and asked each company to respect human rights.
We conducted a questionnaire survey on the Procurement Guidelines in fiscal 2021 and added items related to foreign technical intern training in fiscal 2022 to expand the scope of the survey and sent the questionnaire to approximately 300 core suppliers. A total of 154 companies (51% of core suppliers) responded, and we directly engaged with approximately ten (3%) of them, requesting them to promote measures to improve internal systems and reduce human rights risks after confirming the status of initiatives.

We will continue to expand the scope of the survey and address human rights issues in the supply chain.

Main Items Added to Check Human Rights Risks
・Any brokerage fees, security deposits, or pre-travel expenses at the time of acceptance
・Whether working hours are recorded
・Wage records
・Deduction from salary
・Check the conditions and environment of dormitory or accommodation
・Check the possession of passport and residence card

Supplier Engagement

Human Rights Training for Group Officers and Employees

Rank-Specific Training

To deepen understanding of respect for human rights, the Group makes use of opportunities such as rank-specific training to conduct human rights education. The human rights training conducted in fiscal 2021 is described below. A total of 2,408 persons, including part-time workers, participated in this training.
In addition, the Nomura Real Estate Group Code of Action Handbook is distributed to all employees to disseminate knowledge, and training on discrimination and harassment is conducted for all employees. The Group’s internal newsletter, which is published regularly, also contains provisions requesting the understanding of and consideration for LGBT individuals.

LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) is a general term for sexual minorities.

Remedial Measures for Human Rights Issues

Establishment of the Grievance Mechanism

The Group has set up multiple points of contact for consultation on human rights issues which are accessible to all employees regardless of employment status, and also established a point of contact for reporting on human rights abuses by Group employees and other acts that may conflict with its code of ethics.
Reports and consultations received through these points of contact are accepted anonymously and strictly remain confidential. If, as a result of investigation, there is a clear violation of respect for human rights, the Group takes appropriate action against the perpetrator, and protects the victim and whistleblower so that they are not treated prejudicially for having made a report.
In this way, by setting up multiple points of contact for consultation, the Group has created an environment where it is easy to seek advice, and is working for the early detection and resolution of any problems and taking measures to prevent recurrence.
The points of contact for consultation report semi-annually to the Risk Management Committee and report on legal violations and fraud to the Risk Management Committee as well as the Audit & Supervisory Committee, and management reviews the operational status of the points of contact.
In fiscal 2022, there were 52 consultation matters relating to discrimination and harassment, and we investigated the facts and took appropriate action.
Going forward, we plan to strengthen the system to improve the effectiveness of the points of contact for consultation.

Human Rights Consultation Service

Contact Subject Outline
Nomura Real Estate Group Human Rights Desk In-house Group officers and employees Harassment Consultation Desk
Power and Sexual Harassment Hotline External Group officers and employees Harassment Consultation Desk
Nomura Real Estate Group Helpline In-house Group officers and employees Consultation and reporting desk for organizational or individual violations of laws and regulations, including human rights and misconduct
International helpline In-house (domestic/international) Officers and employees directly employed by overseas subsidiaries of the Group Consultation and reporting desk for organizational or individual violations of laws and regulations, including human rights and misconduct
Helpline for Business Partners In-house Employees of all corporate customers Contact for reporting compliance violations or potential violations of compliance, including human rights, by the Group or its employees

Nomura Real Estate Group Helpline

Engagement with Stakeholders on Human Rights Issues

The Group is implementing internal and external stakeholder engagement initiatives in various ways on the theme of human rights.

Participation in the Human Rights Due Diligence Promotion Council

The Group participates in the Human Rights Due Diligence Promotion Council (formerly the Human Rights Due Diligence Study Group) made up of three general contractors, which are suppliers to the Group, and five real estate developers, including Nomura Real Estate Holdings.
The council was established to fulfill the corporate responsibility to avoid infringing on the human rights of others and prevent, mitigate, and rectify adverse human rights impacts with which they are involved as required by the Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights. We strive to prevent human rights abuses including forced labor in the industry as a whole.

Exchanges of Opinion on Human Rights Issues

Through the Human Rights Due Diligence Promotion Council (formerly the Human Rights Due Diligence Study Group), whose active participants include construction and real estate companies, the Group implements engagement initiatives with NGOs, lawyers, and other external bodies to prevent adverse impacts on human rights with respect to the acceptance of foreign technical interns and human rights issues related to its business activities. As for engagement initiatives, the Group was pointed out as having noticeable problems such as long working hours and insufficient safety measures.
In response, the Group is promoting appropriate business activities based on international norms by taking the perceived issues into account for future activities and plans.

Acceptance of, and Communication with, Foreign Technical Interns

The Group’s Nomura Real Estate Amenity Service accepts foreign technical interns from Indonesia and Vietnam. To ensure that interns can work with confidence, the company gives due consideration to the improvement of their working environments, thorough implementation of safety standards, the provision of appropriate living arrangements, and other key factors. To elicit opinions, requests, consultations, and concerns from trainees, the company provides periodic opportunities for interviews with their superiors, and the Human Resource Development Section staff provides lifestyle support and mental care to the trainees when patrolling their dormitories. We also hold events for technical intern trainees, providing opportunities for mutual exchange and exposure to Japanese culture. We are considering accepting more trainees going forward, and to this end, we recognize that it is essential to treat and communicate with the trainees with greater consideration for their human rights.

A social gathering for technical intern trainees

Sustainability