Promotion of DE&I

As a result of our active international expansion, around 70% of the Fuji Oil Group’s employees now work at locations outside Japan. We have built a global structure of diverse human resources at 45 companies in 16 countries. As part of our Group-wide integration efforts after moving to a business holding company structure in April 2025, it is increasingly important to ensure consistent decision-making and speedy action as a Group, while recognizing the different values and practices in different regions and organizations.
Meanwhile, the business environment around us is becoming increasingly uncertain due to rising nationalism and social division, as well as growing geopolitical and supply chain risks. In this environment, relying on a single perspective or past success models in our decision-making could reduce our ability to adapt to change, leading to missed business opportunities or delays in responding to risks. Failing to fully respect the human rights of our employees could erode public trust. Another risk that has become apparent is that decision-making driven by groupthink could significantly damage corporate value.
With this in mind, we defined harnessing diversity into organizational strength as a key management priority. We aim to maximize each individual’s potential by incorporating the knowledge and experience of diverse talent into our decision-making, working to remove barriers and divisions that exist in countries or organizations, providing equitable opportunities, and creating a physically and mentally safe environment where everyone respects diversity. Through these efforts, we will enhance our capability to solve problems and drive innovation in an uncertain environment.
As the global talent mobility continues to increase, we will focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) to enhance Hataraki-Gai (work engagement)^* of our employees, creating a positive cycle of sustainable growth for both employees and the Group.

• * Hataraki-Gai: A work-related and positive state of mind, characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. Used as a Group-wide internal term in our human resource strategy.

DE&I Vision

As part of fostering an organizational culture that helps to enhance Hataraki-Gai, we have established a new vision to guide our DE&I actions. To ensure that positive actions for a certain group do not cause unintended division, we focus on the individual, and our efforts stem from embracing the differences that make each person unique.
We will respect the individual strengths and excitement of each person and leverage this diversity as organizational strengths, like a patchwork quilt where diverse pieces harmonize into a beautiful overall picture.

Image links to a PDF file（26KB）

Employee engagement

We view developing and retaining talented people who can thrive globally and drive innovation as a key strategy to mitigate business risks. As part of this effort, we have been conducting employee engagement surveys since FY2023 to visualize the current situation and drive actions to enhance employees’ Hataraki-Gai.
For employees of Fuji Oil Co., Ltd., surveys are conducted twice annually, numerically visualizing nine key drivers measuring employees’ job satisfaction in order to identify and assess company-wide and organization-specific issues. Results to date have indicated that the key drivers “interdepartmental cooperation” (one element of organizational culture), “health” and “environment” are consistently higher than the benchmark, and that the company’s strengths are “supportive workplace environment” and “good relationships with colleagues.” We believe these strengths form the foundations for team-driven results and co-creation, showing that we have a strong culture on which to base our efforts to create value through fusing technologies and working together with customers to solve issues.
FY2025 saw a significant improvement in the score for “philosophy and strategy,” which has been a company-wide issue since we started conducting engagement surveys. We see this as evidence of deeper understanding and acceptance of management policies and business strategies thanks to strengthened ongoing communication from management, through efforts such as town hall meetings with company executives at all workplaces.
We also conduct an annual global engagement survey for employees of Group companies outside Japan. Based on the survey results, each Group company creates an action plan for improvements. The results of the surveys to date have indicated strengths in collaboration and teamwork, confirming a Group-wide foundation for team-driven results. Meanwhile, “respecting individuals and supporting their growth” and the ability to communicate policies and strategies in their own words are challenges at management level across the whole Group.
To address these challenges, as well as enhancing management training programs at Fuji Oil Co., Ltd., we are cultivating leadership by setting Group-wide focus areas for FY2025 and making it mandatory for Group companies outside Japan to formulate action plans.

• Integrated Report 2026 > Achieve unity by enhancing the Group’s Hataraki-Gai (pp. 59-60)

  https://www.fujioil.co.jp/en/pdf/ir/library/integrated_report/fujioil_integrated_report2026_01_05.pdf

Analysis

In FY2025, we established a new DE&I Promotion Section in the Human Resources Department at Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. and formulated a new DE&I Vision. “Respect for individuals,” identified as an issue in our engagement survey, is closely related to promoting diversity, and improving understanding and acceptance of management policies and business strategies leads to strengthening inclusion. For this reason, we are holistically promoting DE&I and enhancing Hataraki-Gai and employee engagement.
As a Group-wide initiative, we have launched the Engagement Champions Team, a cross-group taskforce made up of representatives from 20 Group companies outside Japan. We have been training engagement leaders and strengthening the engagement cycle (identify, plan, implement, check progress) at each company. Through this team, we are setting and rolling out Group-wide focus areas to ensure policies are communicated and actions are implemented at Group companies. The overall engagement score for Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. is set as a non-financial KPI linked to executive remuneration, accelerating the implementation of measures backed by commitment at management level.
“Securing diversity in management” was set as one of the metrics in the previous medium-term management plan. As it was necessary to review our diversity metrics and scope with the shift to a new company structure, we will redefine them in FY2026. Currently, only two of the 11 Directors (18%) of Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. are female, both of whom are Independent Outside Directors. The fact that we have no female Internal Directors and Executive Officers is one of our challenges. Although the proportion of women in management positions is gradually increasing, currently standing at 29.8% for the Group as a whole and 16.3% at Fuji Oil Co., Ltd., there is still room for improvement, particularly in Japan. Recognizing the need to promote women to executive positions from within the company, we will enhance development and deployment of female employees who are potential candidates for such positions and expand opportunities for promotion to key roles.
As part of a system revision to promote diverse work styles at Fuji Oil Co., Ltd., the re-employment contract program was partially revised to facilitate continuous employment at production sites facing a shortage of workers. The program to support long-term employment of people with disabilities was also revised. In addition to support at our external farm “en-joy Farm Fuji,” we have put in place systems such as internal job coaches and consultations with occupational physicians to expand job opportunities within our workplaces.
We want every employee to feel a sense of value and pride as a member of the Fuji Oil Group. We will continue our efforts to promote DE&I and enhance Hataraki-Gai, based on the engagement survey results as a starting point, aiming to help both individuals and the Group to grow together.

External recognition

By the end of June 2026, we received the following external recognition for our diversity initiatives:

Fuji Oil Co., Ltd.

• August 2017

  Obtained Platinum Kurumin certification from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

• November 2025

  Maintained accreditation from the Osaka City Mayor as a Leading Company in Women’s Participation in Osaka City, earned three stars (the highest rank)

Harald Indústria e Comércio de Alimentos Ltda (Brazil)
Received the following two accreditations at the company ranking for best workplaces by the Great Place to Work^® Institute

• March 2026

  Certified as a Great Place to Work^® (ninth consecutive year)

• May 2026

  Named as one of the top 10 mid-size companies to work for in the Brazilian agricultural sector

• External Recognition

  https://www.fujioil.co.jp/en/sustainability/evaluation/

Next steps

To accelerate the management strategy of group-wide integration after our transition to a business holding company structure, we are working together as a Group to promote DE&I and enhance Hataraki-Gai. While supporting initiatives by individual companies, we will utilize our Group-wide system, aiming to make improvements in our Group-wide focus areas and achieve our KPIs.

Formation of cross-group Engagement Champions Team

From FY2022 onwards, we assigned a person in charge of advancing DE&I in each region or company of the Fuji Oil Group, aiming to mitigate business risks and improve returns by creating new value through local DE&I actions. However, because most of the details were left to the discretion of each company, there were inconsistencies in the definition of challenges, the direction of initiatives, and the level of details, leaving room for improvement in terms of unified, group-wide implementation.
Realizing this challenge, we brought in a new system from FY2024. Each company sets targets based on the results of the engagement survey, and the HR department at Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. monitors the process of (1) sharing survey results internally (2) formulating an action plan and (3) implementing measures.
We also established a new DE&I Promotion Section within the HR department at Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. in FY2025. We are holistically promoting DE&I and enhancing Hataraki-Gai and employee engagement. The reason is that “respect for individuals,” identified as an issue in our engagement survey, is closely related to promoting diversity, and improving understanding and acceptance of management policies and business strategies leads to strengthening inclusion.
These efforts are key measures in the management strategy of Group-wide integration. We have launched the Engagement Champions Team, a cross-group taskforce made up of representatives from 20 Group companies outside Japan. Facilitated by the DE&I Promotion Section, the Engagement Champions Team is working to improve engagement to visualize and share the status of each company’s initiatives, encourage mutual collaboration and learning, and foster a sense of unity.
Through training for facilitators and setting and rolling out Group-wide focus areas, we support each company to establish the engagement cycle and improve its effectiveness.

Promotion of personnel diversity

Advancement of women in the workplace

In FY1999, the top management of the Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. adopted the policy of supporting advancement of women in the workplace. We have established Committee for Women’s Empowerment to launch full-scale initiatives.
Since FY2016, the past CEOs of Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. have endorsed the Declaration on Action by Male Leaders Coalition for Empowerment of Women, which was formed under the initiative of Japan’s Cabinet Office. The CEOs have since been sending out messages to employees and society regarding the importance of diversity in management.
As of March 31, 2026, the percentage of women in managerial positions at Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. is still only 16.3%. Given that we were among the first to launch such initiatives, there is not enough diversity at decision-making levels. Moving forward, we recognize the need to remove barriers to opportunities for development and promotion and make further progress towards the career advancement of female employees.

Career continuity through life events

At Fuji Oil Co., Ltd., the number of female employees taking parental leave has increased since the Act on Childcare Leave came into effect in 1992. However, there were challenges in terms of career development after returning from parental leave.
Since FY2014, we have revised our approach to supporting employees returning from leave. In addition to the existing systems that focused on continued employment, we have enhanced systems to help employees to actively develop their careers while navigating life events.
We currently provide a comprehensive system of support from pregnancy through returning to work, as shown below.

To encourage male employees to share childcare responsibilities, we provide information about the parental leave system to each male employee when their partner is expected to give birth. This has resulted in 89.5% of eligible male employees taking parental leave (averaging 29.8 days) in FY2025. The length of leave taken has also increased in recent years, with 13 out of 34 employees taking more than a month off in FY2025. Uptake is also increasing in production divisions, where roles include shift work, and parental leave is now being taken across a wider range of job types.
We will continue to encourage the use of parental leave and build an environment that enables all employees to make use of the system, regardless of employment status or gender, including fostering greater understanding among managers.

Work style reform

At Fuji Oil Co., Ltd., in FY2016 we launched the Creative Work Project to promote work style reform, which is essential for achieving diversity. Aiming to reduce the total work hours by raising productivity and improve work-life balance, we have implemented four reform initiatives over roughly five years: attitude reform, operational reform, system reform, and workplace reform.
As part of these efforts, since FY2017 we have enhanced our working from home system, gradually expanded our telework system, introduced satellite offices and brought in a full flextime system. Alongside this, by introducing robotic process automation (RPA), digitizing application procedures, using online meetings and making use of tools such as Microsoft Copilot, we are establishing ways of working that encourage employees to produce results regardless of time and place.

Active careers for older employees

As one of the main pillars of our DE&I management, we focus on the potential of the older employees, a group which all employees will eventually belong to. In FY2021, we reviewed our reemployment contract program to offer more career choices to our employees and partially revised it in FY2025. In line with the philosophy of the new system, we also expanded our career development education for employees approaching retirement age to support continued active career development.

Promoting non-regular employees to regular employees

The Group conducts a test once a year for highly motivated non-regular employees wishing to become regular employees. In FY2025, 12 non-regular employees passed the test. We will continue to actively promote talented and highly motivated individuals to regular employee status through this system.

Support for the active participation of people with disabilities

Support from internal job coaches

As of April 1, 2026, Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. employs 42 persons with disabilities, and its actual employment rate for persons with disabilities was 2.66%, meeting the statutory employment rate. We have made progress towards creating better working environments for people with disabilities, including collaborating with local schools and offering hands-on work experience programs, as well as regular consultations with occupational physicians with a view toward long-term employment, introduced in FY2022.
Since FY2024, as we expand opportunities for people with mental disorders, it has become clear that we need to go back to our fundamental commitment to all employees: providing every individual with opportunities to play an active role while taking into consideration their characteristics, as well as promoting understanding within the workplace.
From FY2025, we have established a support system led by internal job coaches to support long-term employment of staff at an external farm, and expand job opportunities within our workplaces.

Avatar robot facilitating new ways of working

As part of our efforts to expand job opportunities, we trialed an avatar robot at the reception desk of our Hannan Business Operations Complex. A person whose disabilities make it difficult for them to go out to work can perform reception desk work from home, talking to visitors via the robot, which enables them to find job satisfaction and make use of their skills.
As well as creating new opportunities for remote working, when this initiative was put into practice, communication using gestures proved to be a successful way to provide information to visitors.
We will continue to explore possibilities for employment of people with disabilities in various roles, making progress towards facilitating diverse ways of working.

Avatar robot for performing reception desk work from home, at Hannan Business Operations Complex