Human Rights : Initiatives

We provide training (such as programs geared toward specific levels of management including those for new employees, as well as training on trading practices) on our corporate philosophy, including respect for human rights and relevant guidelines.

MC’s policies and guidelines, including those related to respecting human rights through its businesses and supply chains, can be viewed on the Company intranet at any time, and are communicated to all new recruits and reinforced at various internal training sessions on a regular basis, including sustainability seminars for each Business Group. These policies and guidelines are also conveyed to employees of overseas offices and Group companies at various internal training seminars on a regular basis. In addition, content related to human rights infringement and the Modern Slavery Act are incorporated into an e-learning program which all officers and employees are required to take every year, in order to cultivate a better understanding toward modern slavery in all employees. Our results for FY2023 are as follows.

MC provides regular training through workshops and seminars to board members, management, and employees to deepen their understanding on the importance of respecting human rights. Furthermore, MC is working to provide these workshops to as many of its employees in the UK as possible, such as holding the training at certain UK-based associates. Further details are available via the following link:

In August and September 2024, MC held a business and human rights seminar for employees of MC Group companies and MC’s suppliers. During this seminar we presented on and shared our approach to human rights due diligence, MC’s Human Rights Policy, as well as examples of good practice from MC’s business departments and suppliers.

Please refer to the link below for details of the program.

As MC believes that respect for human rights is fundamental to developing our various businesses globally, we have formulated a Human Rights Policy that organizes and clarifies our approach on respecting human rights, based on which we promote specific efforts to respect human rights. All MC Group companies share a common philosophy. With regard to labor practices, MC stipulates the International Labour Standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO) as the relevant regulations underpinning the compliance requirements detailed in the Code of Conduct. Furthermore, from FY2022, in order to strengthen efforts to respect human rights throughout the MC Group, we have added questions regarding human rights (existence of human rights policies, identification of risk of human rights violation, etc.) to our annual survey for collecting sustainability related information/data from our subsidiaries and affiliates.

When reviewing investment and loan proposals, MC conducts a comprehensive screening process which considers not only economic factors, but ESG impacts as well. From the viewpoint of human rights, MC’s assessments and considerations are informed by human rights risks that need to be addressed from the perspectives of the severity (scale of risk, their scope, and how remediable they might be) and likelihood (situation in each country, industry, and region of procurement) of potential negative impacts on MC’s stakeholders. MC’s risk management approach is informed by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Guidelines and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) Guidelines for Confirmation of Environmental and Social Considerations. Through consolidated environmental and social surveys, besides screening new investment and exit proposals, MC also strives to make improvements within existing business subsidiaries and affiliates by monitoring their management practices. In FY2023, MC’s Internal Audit Department conducted thematic audits on human rights and environment-related items when auditing MC Group companies. MC will strengthen its human rights and environmental due diligence on a consolidated basis by checking a wider range of human rights and environment-related items and communicating directly with Group companies.

Regarding supply chain risk management, the Mitsubishi Corporation Policy for Sustainable Supply Chain Management outlines actions to address human rights, labor rights, environmental issues, etc., including the prohibition of forced labor and child labor, and MC expects its suppliers to support, understand, and implement this policy. In addition, MC conducts human rights and environmental due diligence on its supply chain every year through the Mitsubishi Corporation Sustainable Supply Chain Survey to confirm compliance with the policy. The due diligence is conducted through the following process: 1) report of due diligence policy to the Board of Directors at the beginning of each fiscal year, 2) conduct a survey to assess the results of transactions led by each Business Group, 3) conduct dialogues with stakeholders on the survey results, and 4) review.

MC regularly participates in the UN Forum Business and Human Rights in order to learn the latest developments in this field. At the November 2023 meeting of the forum in Geneva, Switzerland, staff from MC engaged in discussions on human rights initiatives with human rights experts and other attendees.

Staff from MC also participated in the B+HR Academy in October 2022, together with representatives from MC Group subsidiary companies Toyo Reizo Co., Ltd., MC Agri Alliance Ltd., and MC Fashion Co., Ltd. The B+HR Academy is a human rights due diligence training program for Japanese companies run by the United Nations Development Programme. It consists of a two-day course of lectures from both Japanese and overseas experts as well as group discussions among participants. The MC staff who participated in this program were able to gain an overall appreciation of the various international standards that serve as the foundation for human rights due diligence, as well as a deeper understanding of the specific processes that are used in this field.

From July to October 2024, members from MC’s Sustainability Department and business groups participated in a program entitled "Business and Human Rights: The Human Resource Development Program to Promote Responsible Corporate Behavior" which was facilitated by a lecturer from the International Labour Organization (ILO) Japan Office. The program was comprised of five sessions given by experts, as well as group discussions with other participants and the drafting of a plan to promote business and human rights within the company and the wider industry. This, in turn, gave participants an opportunity to deepen their understanding of international human rights and labor standards, human rights due diligence, and the specific processes involved in implementing them.