Promoting the success of diverse employees
Basic approach
Thoughts on women's empowerment
Idemitsu Kosan practices "People-Centered Management" and is based on creating an environment where diverse employees can work enthusiastically and grow by combining their strengths. We provide all employees with fair and equitable growth opportunities, encourage them to take on new challenges, and provide appropriate evaluations based on results and growth, thereby realizing a company where each individual can thrive.
Strategy
General business owner action plan based on the Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace
We have positioned the active participation of women as one of the key measures for promoting DE&I, and have formulated the following action plan. We will implement systematic measures tailored to the circumstances of each female employee and promote highly effective initiatives that will lead to a steady increase in the number of women in managerial positions. We are also working to raise awareness of the active participation of women by strengthening the dissemination of information to the public so that they can concretely imagine what it is like to have female employees active at our company.
| Planning period |
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|---|---|
| Goals, details of initiatives, and timing of implementation |
[Target 1: Increase the ratio of women in management positions to 5%* (*as of July 1, 2026)] <Initiatives to achieve goals> Initiative 1: Creation and monitoring of development plans for female managers (from April 2023) Initiative 2: Securing training and growth opportunities by expanding internal and external mentoring systems (from April 2023) Initiative 3: Support for information exchange and network formation among employees (from April 2023) ・Network between women [Target 2: Increase the ratio of women among graduates or above to 50%] <Initiatives to achieve goals> Initiative 1: Promotion of recruitment public relations activities (from April 2023) Initiative 2: Strengthen collaboration with universities, mainly science departments (from April 2023) Initiative 3: Strategic use of mid-career recruitment (from April 2023) (2) Creating an employment environment that contributes to a balance between work life and family life [Target: Achieve a paid leave acquisition rate of 85% or higher] <Initiatives to achieve goals> Initiatives: Strengthen initiatives to promote paid leave taking (from April 2023) ・Establishment of paid leave incentive days and dissemination of information ・Visualization of paid leave usage rate ・Thorough work management |
Metrics and targets
Numerical targets for women's empowerment
| Achievements | Targets | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | ||
| Female recruiting ratio* | 39.5% | 47.3% | 38.7% | 50% or more (April 2026) |
| Female ratio in managerial positions | 2.7% | 3.6% | 4.6% | 5% or more (July 2026) |
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New graduates + career hires (both university graduates or above)
Initiatives
Initiatives to promote women’s empowerment
・Women's Health Seminar: Inviting external experts to hold seminars on women's health issues (such as menstruation and menopause) and fostering a workplace culture that promotes proper understanding and communication with superiors and colleagues. The seminars will be held twice a year in fiscal 2024 for all employees of the company and group companies.
・Diversity awareness training for employees (age-specific training, etc.)
・Training for managers (e.g., understanding DE&I in training for newly appointed managers)
Mentoring aimed at supporting the careers of female employees: Cross-mentoring program (a combination of mentor and mentee from another company), external mentoring (a female manager from outside the company acts as a mentor), internal mentoring (an internal executive or General Managers as a mentor)
・Coaching with an external coach
・External training aimed at developing female leaders
Cross-mentoring program by four companies: Idemitsu Kosan, Teijin, Tokio Marine & Nichido, and Ricoh
Cross-mentoring program is a type of mentoring where the mentor (supporter, advisor) and mentee (recipient of support and advice) are from different companies. The mentoring is conducted by a senior executive and a female manager as the mentee, with the aim of accelerating the elimination of the gender gap by promoting the autonomous career development of female managers and enabling diverse human resources to learn and develop from each other across companies.
This initiative began in fiscal 2023, and in fiscal 2025 will be implemented by four companies: our company, Teijin Limited, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., and Ricoh Co., Ltd. A total of 56 people will participate, with 28 pairs of mentors and mentees forming the mentoring group.
Initiatives to promote female participation in manufacturing sites
Starting in fiscal 2023, we will be holding a women's career forum to promote the active participation of female engineers working at our company's Complex and group refining companies. The forum was held at Tokuyama Complex in fiscal 2023 and at TOA Oil Co., Ltd. in fiscal 2024, with approximately 50 female engineers and managers with female subordinates participating at each event. Through the exchange of opinions, this initiative aims to increase motivation for work and careers and build networks.
Promoting the active participation of seniors
With the aim of enabling employees to play an active role regardless of age, starting in fiscal 2021, we have introduced a retirement age selection system for those aged 60 to 65. Senior employees aged 60 and over are active under the same grade, evaluation, and compensation system as employees aged 59 and under. We encourage senior employees to take on new challenges by utilizing their experience and knowledge to train younger employees, passing on their knowledge and skills, and updating their mindsets and reskilling.
| Retirement age | Retirement age selection system from 60 to 65 years old * (choose your own age) |
|---|---|
| Working conditions | Same system as under 60 years old |
| Grade | |
| Evaluation | |
| Reward | |
| Welfare | |
| Severance pay | No increase in retirement allowance after age 60 |
Promoting the success of mid-career hires (employees with experience)
We position mid-career recruits as "immediately effective employees," and hired 91 of them in fiscal 2024. Although we do not set promotion targets by recruitment category, we promote employees to positions based on a fair evaluation of their abilities and performance, regardless of nationality or employment category, in order to allow diverse human resources to demonstrate their abilities.
Initiatives related to LGBTQ+
Based on our "Human Rights Policy" and "DE&I Policy," we do not tolerate any discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, understand diversity in sexual orientation and gender identity, respect and enhance each other's individuality, and strive to create a work environment where teams can maximize their capabilities.
In addition to implementing the same-sex partner marriage system introduced in fiscal 2023 and informing employees through e-learning, in fiscal 2024 we will launch the Idemitsu Ally Community, a company-recognized volunteer networking activity, with employees taking the lead in carrying out activities with the vision of "creating a place where everyone can shine as their true self."
These efforts were recognized, and the company was awarded the highest rating of "Gold" for the second consecutive year in the PRIDE Index 2024, an index that evaluates LGBTQ+ initiatives.
Promotion of active participation of people with disabilities
We are working to create an environment where employees can demonstrate their abilities and work to the fullest, regardless of whether they have a disability or not, and to provide opportunities for them to thrive.
At each department at the head office and at each base across the country, we have individually created an environment where people with disabilities can work, and at the same time, at the head office, Chiba Complex, Advanced Technology Research Laboratories, and Tokuyama Complex, we are also developing a "team employment" type of employment for people with disabilities that does not rely on the special subsidiary system.
The "team work" model is a way of working in which employees take on tasks from various departments within the company and contribute as a team to improving productivity across the company. We aim to realize DE&I through interactions in daily work, without relying on the special subsidiary system *.
In addition, we will establish a new disability employment promotion group in the Human Resources Department in July 2024 to further promote the active participation of people with disabilities.
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If an employer establishes a subsidiary that is considerate of people with disabilities, employs them, and meets certain requirements, the subsidiary's employees can be treated as employees of the parent company as an exception when calculating the actual employment rate (special subsidiary system).
Inclusion of foreign employees
With the aim of fostering a sense of unity among employees working at Group overseas bases in approximately 20 countries around the world, we are conducting activities to promote mutual understanding, such as short-term training visits to Japan.
Evaluation
Selected as Nadeshiko Brand
Our company has been selected as a "2025 Nadeshiko Brand", jointly selected by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Tokyo Stock Exchange, as a company that excels in promoting women's participation in the workforce. This is the third consecutive year that our company has been selected.
The company was recognized for its proactive approach to employing women, including its management's commitment to increasing the proportion of women in the manufacturing department, as well as for its implementation of "Cross-mentoring program" programs with other companies for female managers.
Acquired Eruboshi certification
In 2024, we were the first to receive the "Eruboshi" certification (second level) under a system in which the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare recognizes companies with outstanding initiatives for promoting women's participation in the workforce. We achieved this by meeting the certification criteria in terms of the ratio of female managers and hiring ratios, etc.