Basic Policy
The Dai-ichi Life Group has established the Human Rights Policy of Dai-ichi Life Group in accordance with the United Nations' “Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights”. In addition, the Dai-ichi Life Group states in the Dai-ichi Life Group Code of Conduct that it will respect the human rights of all people and actively work for human rights awareness, and will not discriminate for any reason and tolerate such acts.
We will promptly grasp trends on human rights from the international community, and have a correct understanding of human rights principles, initiatives and guidelines. In addition, we continue to endeavor to develop employees who always think of others when taking action in any situation.
We will aim to become a company deeply rooted in the value of "respect for human rights" in the pursuit of human happiness.
【Reference】
The Human Rights Policy of Dai-ichi Life Group
- 1.
Introduction
- Since its founding in Japan in 1902, the Dai-ichi Life Group has contributed to people's secure and prosperous living and the development of local communities through the provision of life insurance and related services.
The Dai-ichi Life Group recognizes that our business operations need to be conducted in line with social expectations. Through the course of our business, we understand that our activities could impact human rights.
The need to respect and proactively protect human rights is embedded within the Dai-ichi Life Group Code of Conduct. We respect the culture and customs in each country and region and operate in a way that contributes to local development. We respect human rights of all people and actively promote human rights awareness. With one of the values of the Dai-ichi Life Group Principles, “We care”, we care for our customers, business partners, employees, and the communities and environment in which we operate.
This Human Rights Policy further outlines the global approach for putting into practice “respect for human rights” as described in the Dai-ichi Life Group Code of Conduct, in line with the United Nations' “Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights”. This policy applies to all executives and employees of the Dai-ichi Life Group companies. This policy has been approved by the Board of Directors. In order to prevent and correct human rights issues, the Group Sustainability Committee, chaired by Chief Sustainability Officer, will instill this policy within the group and promote efforts based on this policy. In addition, the Group Human Rights Awareness Committee, chaired by the officer in charge of the human resources unit, will promote human rights awareness efforts. - 2.
Our Commitment to the Standards and Initiatives Related to Human Rights
- The Dai-ichi Life Group strives to fulfill its responsibility to respect human rights by not infringing on human rights of stakeholders affected by our operations, or through our business partners. The Dai-ichi Life Group prohibits child labor and forced labor and human trafficking. The Dai-ichi Life Group respects internationally recognized human rights, including those expressed in the International Bill of Human Rights and the Core Labor Standards of the ILO. We also comply with the applicable laws of the countries and regions where we operate and support the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises Responsible Business Conduct. Furthermore, the Dai-ichi Life Group upholds, and has become a signatory to, the UN Global Compact and Women's Empowerment Principles.
If internationally recognized standards are higher than or in conflict with local laws, we seek ways to honor the principles of internationally recognized human rights while complying with the local laws. The Dai-ichi Life Group is committed to conducting appropriate human rights due diligence to prevent or mitigate negative impacts that our business operations could have on human rights. If we identify that we have caused or contributed to negative impacts, we endeavor to remediate such impacts. We also work to integrate human rights perspectives in our existing operational procedures. - 3.
To Executives and Employees
- The Dai-ichi Life Group requires all executives and employees to respect human rights.
We are also committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all employees, promoting diversity, equity & inclusion and do not tolerate discrimination for any reason, including nationality, race, ethnicity, age, religion, thought and beliefs, gender, birth, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity. In recruiting activities, we will respect human rights and work on fair selection. In addition, we do not tolerate any form of harassment, such as any words or actions that would impair the dignity of an individual nor any other behavior that could constitute as physical or mental harassment.
The Dai-ichi Life Group will create a support system that enables every employee to take an active role in eliminating concerns and worries at work. - 4.
To Customers
- The Dai-ichi Life Group strives to respect the human rights of the customers, not only through preventing or mitigating negative human rights impacts that could be related to our products and services, but also through promoting social inclusion and empowerment of all customers.
- 5.
To Financial Institutions
- The Dai-ichi Life Group is committed to respecting human rights when investing and lending. We will incorporate the perspective of respect for human rights in investment decisions and stewardship activities.
- 6.
To Business Partners
- The business activities of the Dai-ichi Life Group are supported by suppliers who provide goods and services to us, such as facilities, information systems, and outsourcing, as well as other business partners, such as agencies who sell insurance products on our behalf. We expect all of our business partners to respect human rights.
- 7.
To Local Residents
- The Dai-ichi Life Group strives to respect the human rights of local residents in which it conducts business activities.
- 8.
Training and Awareness-raising
- The Dai-ichi Life Group works to raise awareness on human rights based on our belief that respect for human rights is fundamental to our business. We consider ourselves to be a people first organization. We believe that it is important to continuously implement awareness-raising activities on human rights for our executives and employees to properly understand human rights issues and integrate this knowledge into their day-to-day activities. The person in charge of the Human Rights Awareness-Raising at Dai-ichi Life Holdings will promote human rights awareness and training across the group.
- 9.
Disclosure and Engagement
- The Dai-ichi Life Group regularly discloses our efforts related to human rights on our website. We will continuously work on developing appropriate mechanisms to capture concerns about human rights issues. The Dai-ichi Life Group places importance on engagement with our stakeholders (purpose-led dialogue), in order to enhance transparency and ensure we act responsibly. Through such dialogues, we received valuable input from our stakeholders during the development of this policy. We continue to seek feedback from our stakeholders to enhance this policy as necessary.
(Effective in April 2020)
(Revised in April 2024)
- *
"The Core Labor Standards of the ILO" listed in "•2.Our Commitment to the Standards and Initiatives Related to Human Rights" consist of four areas: "freedom of association and recognition of the right to collective bargaining", "prohibition of forced labor", "prohibition of child labor", and "elimination of discrimination (including equal pay)".
Human Rights Due Diligence
The Dai-ichi Life Group is promoting human rights due diligence based on the Group Human Rights Policy. Human rights due diligence is to continue the four steps of (1) policy formulation and commitment, (2) identification and impact assessment of human rights risks, (3) Implementation of measures to prevent and mitigate human rights risks and correct and remedy human rights abuses, (4) information disclosure and monitoring. We carry out these on a regular basis.
Human rights due diligence initiative (PDCA cycle)
(1) Policy Formulation and Commitment
We have formulated the Group Human Rights Policy, and as stated in this policy, we are committed to various human rights and related standards and initiatives. In order to promote the efforts of the Group Human Rights Policy, we have established the following promotion system within the group.
Organization
| Group Sustainability Committee | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Chief Sustainability Officer |
| Committee member | Appointed Executive Officers |
| Frequency | In principle, three times a year and as needed |
| Theme | Share awareness of environmental changes related to sustainability, including human rights, and the status of Group initiatives and issues. Formulate, revise, and abolish countermeasures. |
| Group Human Rights Awareness Committee | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Executive Officer in charge of Human Resources |
| Committee member | Appointed department manager |
| Frequency | In principle, once a year and as needed |
| Theme | Share awareness of changes in the environment related to human rights awareness and the status of Group initiatives and issues, and formulate, revise, and abolish measures to address them. |
(2) Identification and impact Assessment of Human Rights Risks
Process for Identifying Risks and Assessing Impacts
Dai-ichi Life regularly identifies human rights risks related to all aspects of its business, including its supply chain, and assesses the likelihood of their occurrence and their impact.
In identifying human rights risks, we consider the perspectives of the ILO Core Labor Standards ("freedom of association and recognition of the right to collective bargaining," "prohibition of forced labor," "prohibition of child labor," and "elimination of discrimination (including equal pay)"), which the Daiichi Group respects. It also takes into account perspectives on our employees, vulnerable groups (women, sexual minorities, children, indigenous peoples, migrant workers, third party employees, etc.) and community relations.
Identification and assessment of human rights risks are conducted through the following process, which is repeated annually on a regular basis to enhance effectiveness.
- (1)
Analysis of the environment related to human rights in the areas of business and activities
- (2)
Review of existing human rights risks and identification of new human rights risks
- (3)
Assessment of the impact and likelihood of occurrence of human rights risks
- (4)
Determination of the materiality of human rights risks based on the degree of impact and likelihood of occurrence
- (5)
Assessment of the risk control status of human rights risks of high importance
- (6)
Implementation of improvement measures based on the risk control status
- (7)
Review of improvement measures
Identified Human Rights Risks and Assessment
In FY2022, we are identifying human rights risks by business unit (area). These risks are evaluated according to internal definitions based on two axes: impact (severity) and likelihood of occurrence. Those risks determined to be significant human rights risks, as well as those assumed to be significant human rights risks for future business development based on business areas and business lines, are listed in the table below.
The stakeholders associated with each risk are as follows
- ○
＝Own company (including subsidiaries)
- ☆
＝Joint venture company
- ◎
＝Insurance products customers
- ◇
＝Business partners (including contractors, distributors, and other parties in the supply chain)
- □
＝Investments, loans, and real estate operations (including those in the supply chain)
- △
＝Other stakeholders (e.g., applicants for employment, parties in the supply chain, etc.)
| Human Rights Risks | Insurance | Asset management | Business management | ||||||
| Product development | Advertising / Sales | Underwriting | Maintenance / Payment | Investment | Real estate investment | Labor management | Recruitment | Others* | |
| Human rights abuse against socially vulnerable people (person with disabilities, the elderly, sexual minorities, foreigners, etc.) | ◎ | ◎ | ◎◇ | ◎◇ | □ | □ | ○☆ | △ | △ |
| Discrimination (based on nationality, race, ethnicity, age, beliefs, gender, birth, etc.) | ◎ | ◎ | ◎ | ◎ | □ | □ | ○☆ | △ | △ |
| Occurrence of overwork and long working hours | ◇ | ◇ | □ | □ | ○☆ | ||||
| Inappropriate working hours management / non-payment of wages | ◇ | ◇ | □ | □ | ○☆ | ||||
| Inadequate occupational health and safety management | ◇ | ◇ | □ | □ | ○☆ | ||||
| Inappropriate personnel management (evaluation, treatment, transfers, etc.) | ◇ | ◇ | □ | □ | ○☆ | ||||
| Inappropriate handling in hiring and leaving the company | ◇ | ◇ | □ | □ | ○☆ | △ | |||
| Inappropriate acquisition and use of personal information | ◎ | ◎◇ | ◎◇ | □ | □ | ○☆ | △ | △ | |
| Leakage or loss of personal information | ◎ | ◎◇ | ◎◇ | □ | □ | ○☆ | △ | ◎△ | |
| Occurrence of harassment (power harassment, sexual harassment, maternity harassment, etc.) | ◎○ | ◎○◇ | ◎○◇ | □ | □ | ○☆ | △ | ||
| Health damages and human rights abuses due to the spread of COVID-19 infection | ◎○ | ◎○◇ | ◎○◇ | □ | □ | ○☆ | |||
| Infringement of human rights through the use of AL | ◎ | ◎ | ◎◇ | ◎◇ | □ | □ | ○☆ | △ | ◎△ |
| Child labor | ◇ | ◇ | □ | ○☆ | |||||
| Human trafficking | ◇ | ◇ | □ | ○☆ | |||||
| Inappropriate handling of freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining | ◇ | ◇ | □ | ○☆ | |||||
| Inappropriate response to rights of residence and relocation | □ | □ | ○☆ | ||||||
- *
"Others" includes businesses such as corporate planning, general affairs, internal control, system management.
(3) Implement Measures to Prevent and Mitigate Human Rights Risks and Correct and Remedy Human Rights Abuses
Measures to Prevent and Mitigate Human Rights Risks according to Stakeholder
We implement the following measures to prevent and mitigate the identified human rights risks for each stakeholder.
| Stakeholders related to human rights | ||||||
| Own company (including subsidiaries) | Joint Venture Company | Insurance products customers | Business partners (including contractors, distributors, and other parties in the supply chain) | Investments, loans, and real estate operations (including those in the supply chain) | Other stakeholders (e.g., applicants for employment, parties in the supply chain, etc.) | |
| Main prevention / mitigation measures |
|
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|
|
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| Implementation of barrier-free facilities for customers | Presentation of a written request for subcontractors regarding sustainability initiatives, including respect for human rights, and install a questionnaire (Sustainability assessment sheet) on the status of initiatives | Promotion of ESG investment and loan initiatives, including respect for human rights, based on the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) | Appointment of human rights awareness promotors for fair recruitment selection | |||
| Sites subject to mitigation measures and remedy measures |
Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Dai-ichi Life Group companies: 42 domestic and overseas companies, Dai-ichi Life Insurance: 92 domestic offices (As of March, 2024) |
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Human Rights Awareness Training
To prevent human rights abuse, we have appointed the person in charge of human rights awareness-raising within the Group to promote human rights awareness among executives and employees by conducting periodic training, providing educational materials, and conducting comprehension tests.
[FY2022 results]
| Theme | Training Contents | Period |
| Preventing harassment | Conduct training on the fact that harassment is a serious violation of human rights abuses and can lead to loss of staff productivity, damage to the corporate brand, and loss of significant time and money. Promote understanding of what to say and do to prevent harassment from occurring. | Training for heads of departments (April, October) |
| Training for each department (April, December) | ||
| 360 degree review (August) | ||
| Training for Managers (December) | ||
| Training for new Managers of Unit offices, new Deputy General Managers of Branch Offices, and new Operations General Managers of Branch Offices (March) | ||
| Correctly understanding the Buraku Discrimination issues | Based on various surveys and recent occurrences, promote a correct understanding of the Buraku Discrimination issue, one of the cases of human rights violations that still occur in Japan today. | Training for each department (May, December) |
| Training for new Managers of Unit offices, new Deputy General Managers of Branch Offices, and new Operations General Managers of Branch Offices (March) | ||
| Promoting normalization | In the promotion of normalization, the most important thing is to practice "barrier-free mind" to understand and help each other. We will deepen understanding of disabilities, respect the human rights of the people concerned, and educate people to think and act from the standpoint of the people concerned. | Training for each department (May, December) |
| Training for new Managers of Unit offices, new Deputy General Managers of Branch Offices, and new Operations General Managers of Branch Offices (March) | ||
| Promotion of LGBTQ understanding | Communicate the importance of having a better understanding of LGBTQ, always being aware that there are people around you who are involved, etc. | Training for each department (May, December) |
| Sponsorship of work with Pride 2022 (November) | ||
| Seminar for employees (September) | ||
| Training for new Managers of Unit offices, new Deputy General Managers of Branch Offices, and new Operations General Managers of Branch Offices (March) | ||
| Group Human Rights Promotion Structure | Maintaining and Strengthening the Group's Human Rights Awareness. | Provision of training materials (video DVDs) for domestic group companies (May, December) |
| Provision of training materials (Japanese and English versions) on the Group Human Rights Policy to domestic and overseas Group companies (November) |
Establishment of the Consultation Desk
The Dai-ichi Life Group has established the internal consultation desk for matters related to compliance, such as violations of laws and regulations, as well as the external consultation desk (outside law firm) that is independent of management. The consultation desks also handle matters related to harassment and other human rights issues.
Mitigation & Remediation (effort results)
The number of cases received by the consultation service in FY2022 is shown in the link below. Of these, cases of (suspected) human rights abuses are handled according to the following process, with thorough protection of whistleblowers, leading to remedy for the victims, restoration of the original conditions, and prevention of recurrence. The same process is also applied to cases of human rights abuses that have been brought to light through the implementation of human rights due diligence in each department, which has a self-cleansing effect.
Number of whistleblower reports
[Main consultation contents related to human rights]
- Sexual Harassment
- Power harassment
- Maternity harassment
- Invasion of privacy
(4) Disclosure and Monitoring
We regularly disclose our efforts to respect human rights on our website, etc., and reflect the opinions of stakeholders and outside experts in the Group Human Rights Policy and efforts as appropriate.
Revisions of Human Rights Policy
After dialogues with external experts and representatives of the Human Rights Initiative, we established the Group Human Rights Policy in April 2020. Since then, we have revised it, based on the opinions of stakeholders and external experts on human rights. Details of revisions made to it after its establishment are as follows.
| Revision period | Main changes |
| April 2022 |
|
| April 2023 | Added "Prohibition of human trafficking". Added "local residents" as a stakeholder related to human rights. |
Participation in Initiatives Promoting Human Rights Awareness
As a member of the Tokyo Industrial Federation for Human Rights, Dai-ichi Life promotes human rights awareness activities jointly with other member companies. Through the association, Dai-ichi Life also participates in gatherings, seminars, and other events hosted by various initiatives promoting human rights awareness to listen to the real voices of stakeholders and experts on human rights and gather relevant information. Through these efforts, we strive to recognize human rights issues surrounding our business and take necessary actions in a timely and appropriate manner, as well as to update employees' knowledge of human rights and promote their understanding of respect for human rights.
Responding to Australia's Modern Slavery Act
TAL, a Dai-ichi Life Group company in Australia, has reported its statement annually to the Australian government since 2020 in accordance with the Australian Modern Slavery Act, which came into effect in 2018. We will continue to ensure reporting and work to prevent the occurrence of forced labor and human trafficking throughout our operations, including our supply chain.
Statement on the Australian Modern Slavery Act 
Initiatives to Respect Human Rights in Responsible Investment
Dai-ichi Life, the core company of the Group, positions respect for human rights as an important theme for responsible investment. We believe that promoting initiatives to respect human rights ("human rights initiatives") will lead to the maintenance and improvement of corporate value. We evaluate the human rights risks and human rights initiatives of each company in which we invest and incorporate them into our decision-making process for investments and loans, and we promote human rights initiatives through engagement with the company. An overview of our assessment of the human rights risks and human rights efforts of the companies in which we invest and finance is available at the link below.
Addressing Human Rights Issues as a Responsible Institutional Investor
Initiatives as an Institutional Investor
In line with the Basic Policy on Responsible Investment announced in April 2022, Dai-ichi Life is committed to creating a positive impact on society by investing in and financing assets that contribute to solving social issues, including respect for human rights and promotion of diversity. We also emphasize respect for human rights and diversity in our stewardship activities, which are centered on engagement with and exercise of voting rights in the companies in which we invest and finance. For details of our initiatives, please refer to the Responsible Investment Report of Dai-ichi Life Insurance, a core company of the Group.
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