Human Rights Policy

Benesse Corporation's business activities are based on its corporate philosophy of "Well-Being" and everything is built on the trust of our customers.
Furthermore, when co-creating with our customers and other stakeholders, it is essential to respect diversity and protect the dignity of each individual.
Based on this principle, we will formulate our human rights policy.

This policy applies to all officers and employees of Benesse Corporation.
Furthermore, in order to promote respect for the human rights of all stakeholders involved in our business activities (including business activities using cutting-edge technologies such as AI), we not only educate our employees but also request that stakeholders, including our business partners, give due consideration to respecting human rights through our procurement basic policy and other means.

[Pursuit of principles and norms of respect for human rights]
We will promote human rights respect initiatives based on the "International Bill of Human Rights (Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenants on Human Rights)," the "International Labour Organization Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work," the UN "Ten Principles of the Global Compact," the "Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights," and the "Children's Rights and Business Principles."

[Our company's responsibility to respect human rights]
We prohibit forced labor and child labor in our corporate and business activities. We also respect diversity and do not discriminate or violate human rights based on nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, belief, gender, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, gender expression, or employment status. Opportunities are always equal, and hiring, placement, evaluation, compensation, and promotion are based on individual abilities, experience, and achievements, with a unified compensation system applied across genders.

As a leading company in education, we take responsibility for always respecting human rights when providing our products and services.
Furthermore, we respect diversity within the workplace and fulfill our responsibilities while utilizing our individuality to help our customers and other stakeholders "Well-Being."

[Respect for fundamental labor rights]
We respect fundamental labor rights, including freedom of association, the right of workers to organize, and the right to collective bargaining.

[A fulfilling work environment]
We strive to create a fulfilling work environment by prioritizing the safety and physical and mental health of our employees, while also adhering to minimum wage standards, reducing long working hours, and eliminating harassment.

[Human Rights Due Diligence]
We will develop human rights due diligence mechanisms, identify our negative impacts on human rights, and strive to prevent or mitigate them, and will continue to implement these activities on an ongoing basis.
Furthermore, if any negative impact on human rights by business partners or suppliers directly or indirectly affects Benesse Corporation's business or services, we will also request that these partners and suppliers respect human rights and refrain from violating them.

[Compliance with applicable laws and regulations]
We not only give the utmost respect to internationally recognized human rights standards, but we also comply with the laws and regulations of the countries or regions in which we conduct business activities.

【education】
We will continuously provide education and training to our employees to ensure that this policy is incorporated and established in every aspect of our business operations. Furthermore, we will ensure that each employee fully understands and practices the importance of respecting human rights.

[Relief]
If it becomes clear that we have caused or been involved in a negative impact on human rights, we will endeavor to provide redress through appropriate procedures.

[Dialogue and Consultation]
We will disclose our human rights respect initiatives based on this policy on our website and other channels. Furthermore, we will engage in dialogue and consultation with relevant stakeholders to address potential and actual negative impacts on human rights within our company.

Revised April 1, 2026

System and structure

At Benesse Corporation, we report to the Board of Directors our efforts to respect the human rights of stakeholders involved in our business. We will continue to implement human rights initiatives throughout the Group, and the Board of Directors will oversee compliance with our human rights policy and our efforts.

Human rights due diligence

Human Rights Risk Management

In accordance with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, our company has been continuously conducting human rights due diligence since 2020 with the cooperation of external experts. Specifically, we have been continuously conducting human rights assessments since fiscal year 2020, identifying and investigating human rights risks, extracting problems and issues, and continuously implementing measures to correct, improve, and prevent them. The results are reported to the Board of Directors and used to review the plan for the following year.

The human rights risk items identified in the human rights assessment are based on international norms and guidelines that define human rights issues to be considered, as well as on the company's own human rights-related work and job disciplines, and are structured based on items and issues that are relevant to the group's corporate activities and should be considered.

Human Rights Due Diligence Process

Human rights issues and responses revealed by the human rights assessment

The human rights assessment identified the following key issues regarding the impact of business activities on human rights, and confirmed that continuous risk management is being implemented to address them. Each company and business unit has been instructed to take corrective, improvement, and reduction measures for the identified risks.

As a company that operates educational businesses for children, we believe that it is absolutely unacceptable for children's rights to be violated through interference with compulsory education or through dangerous and harmful work for those under 18, which is prohibited by treaty.

Furthermore, many of Benesse Corporation's businesses provide high value-added services to customers through human interaction, and the company places great importance on "respect for fundamental human rights" in its corporate activities.

We will continue to monitor the situation regarding the identified key human rights issues throughout the entire company.

Correction, improvement, and action on identified key human rights issues.

Regarding the identified key human rights issues, we are taking the following corrective, improvement, and action steps:

Stakeholder engagement regarding human rights

Benesse Corporation conducts audits from a social and ethical perspective at its overseas contract manufacturing plants (in China, Vietnam, etc.) within its supply chain. In particular, it prioritizes checking for inhumane treatment, including child labor, abuse, and harassment, which are critical issues in human rights due diligence. It also disseminates its human rights policy and promotes respect for human rights. Since fiscal year 2022, it has held annual meetings with managers of its production plants in China to explain the importance of building a sound supply chain at the production site, including the critical issues mentioned above, and to exchange opinions. The company plans to continue holding regular meetings to exchange opinions with all manufacturers. In addition, similar regular meetings are held at domestic plants to exchange opinions on an ongoing basis.

Through these stakeholder engagements, if areas for improvement are identified, we work with our production plants to implement those improvements. To date, we have made the following improvements:

• Inspection and installation of emergency lights
• Clear indication of evacuation routes
• Wearing a special mask
• Implementation of additional health checkups
• Leveling production through planned ordering, etc.

Respect for the human rights of employees

Benesse Corporation operates globally and promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) within the group. To address issues of harassment and discrimination, the company implements various measures, including disseminating policies and conducting training.

Furthermore, we do not verify the residence status of foreign employees upon hiring, nor do we require the company to keep important employee documents such as passports, which could lead to forced labor.

For information on human rights training, please also refer to the "Human Rights Training" section on this page.

Promote employment for people with disabilities

At Benesse Group, we are committed to creating a workplace where everyone, regardless of disability, can utilize their abilities and aptitudes to work with enthusiasm and a sense of purpose. Within this framework, we actively promote the employment of people with disabilities, maintaining a high level of compliance (meeting legally mandated employment quotas), and aiming to create a culture throughout the Benesse Group that embraces diverse talent and where the employment of people with disabilities is commonplace.

Benesse Group's System for Employing People with Disabilities

Initiatives at Benesse Business Mate Co., Ltd.

In 2005, Benesse Business Mate was established as a subsidiary of the Benesse Group specifically for the purpose of employing people with disabilities, and is promoting the employment of people with disabilities at various Benesse Group companies.

● Benesse Business Mate's Vision and Role

vision

Benesse Business Mate aims to become an independent company with market competitiveness in its business domain, while fulfilling its role as a special subsidiary for employing people with disabilities, and to become an indispensable presence for the Benesse Group and society. It will also play a role in supporting the employment of people with disabilities within the Benesse Group.

role

● Promote employment of people with disabilities at Benesse Benesse Business Mate will take on new projects and expand its team. We aim to create work styles and workplaces where people with disabilities can work easily and thrive. ●Supporting Benesse's business As a shared services company within the Benesse Group, including Benesse Corporation, we will provide high-quality services and support business growth. ● Fostering the future of employment for people with disabilities We aim to create workplaces where people with disabilities can work long-term, challenge ourselves with new ways of working, and widely share our experiences and know-how with society, thereby contributing to the future of employment for people with disabilities.

• Benesse Business Mate

Employment and activity record (including Benesse Style Care Group)

Activities related to LGBTQ

In the human rights policy,
The company has established policies stating, "We respect diversity and will not discriminate or violate human rights based on nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, gender, age, disability, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, or employment status," and "We will respect diversity in the workplace and fulfill our responsibilities while expressing our individuality for the sake of our customers and other stakeholders to 'Well-Being'." As part of its diversity activities based on these policies, the company is also working on initiatives related to LGBTQ.

Moving forward, we will continue to listen to our employees' voices and work to improve LGBTQ-related policies and promote greater understanding, aiming to create an environment where all individuals can thrive in their work.

Main initiatives

● LGBTQ-related consultation services

This is an external consultation service staffed by professional counselors, providing an environment where you can seek advice without your company knowing. Anonymous consultations and consultations from individuals who are not LGBTQ+ are also welcome.

● Workplace environment improvement

We have installed restrooms throughout our company building that can be used regardless of gender.

Respect for freedom of expression

Our human rights policy upholds respect for fundamental human rights, and we respect the human rights of each individual in our business activities. We also pay close attention to ensuring that there are no human rights violations, including freedom of expression and the protection of privacy rights, which are recognized in international norms such as the International Covenant on Human Rights.

Human rights training

As part of our human rights awareness activities, we conduct human rights training for new employees and harassment training for managers and employees every year. In the harassment training, we strive to prevent incidents from occurring by studying case studies and improving skills for handling consultations.

Children's rights

We support each child's learning and daily life, helping them build the skills to shape their future. Our goal is to meet everyone's desire to learn, provide accessible learning opportunities, and create a future where everyone can grow.

Activity examples

"Marugu Land for School" proposes "individually optimized learning" that suits developmental characteristics.

It is said that the number of children who require support and consideration in regular elementary school classes is increasing, and at the same time, a shortage of teachers is becoming a problem. Benesse Corporation provides "Marugu Land for School," an ICT learning service for local governments and elementary schools that measures basic skills in reading, writing, and cognitive characteristics, and provides a "learning method" tailored to the individual characteristics of each child, thereby helping children build confidence.
"Marugu Land for School"
① Understanding characteristics through check tests
② Automatically suggests personalized lessons.
③ Visualizing the children's efforts and growth.
It possesses these characteristics, and in the 2023 survey, a learning effect was observed in which the reading and writing skills of the entire group improved in the second test, four months after the first test.

• "Marugu Land for School"
• Case Studies

Human Rights in Businesses Using the Latest Technologies such as AI