Society
Human Resources
Basic Approach
YOKOWO regards talent as the “source that drives evolution” and fosters an organizational culture where challenge and learning continuously circulate. Achieving sustainable growth requires each employee to think independently, take initiative, and embrace change.
The qualities we seek in our people are a “willingness to take on challenges without fear of failure” and the “ability to identify issues and act proactively to resolve them.” These attributes are essential for realizing our management vision of becoming an “Ever-Evolving Enterprise.” When defining our ideal talent profile, we began by asking fundamental questions: “What does evolution mean?” and “What kind of organization supports evolution?” Through extensive internal discussions, we identified the importance of psychological safety rooted in the values of Respect and Fairness. This foundation enables employees to speak freely and share knowledge, creating an environment we call a “pool of wisdom.” From this pool of wisdom, Innovation—the creation of new value—emerges. Employees who take Ownership of realizing this new value and continuously Challenge themselves represent the ideal talent we seek to lead the next generation.
The Yokowo Group positions “On-site Capability” and “Adaptability to Change” as shared elements of our organizational culture and promotes behavioral transformation through tiered training programs and practical experience. We also work to create an environment where dialogue and mutual feedback are encouraged, and where leaders actively share learning behaviors, fostering a culture in which challenge and learning circulate.
We believe that embedding this culture is essential to maximizing the effectiveness of talent development initiatives and that qualitative transformation of people and organizations forms the foundation for sustainable corporate growth.
Organizational Structure and Roles & Responsibilities
- Human Resources Division
- The Human Resources Division supports the sustainable growth of the company by promoting an environment where diverse talent can work with confidence and fully demonstrate their capabilities. We strive to create a workplace where employees feel, “I’m glad I chose to work at Yokowo,” and contribute to realizing a sustainable society by maximizing the potential of both people and organizations.
- HRBP
- Reporting directly to the Human Resources Division, HRBPs play a key role in aligning HR with business and management strategies. Through regular dialogue with executives and business units, HRBPs identify strategic challenges and collaborate with the HR Department and the Human Resource Development Center to lead solutions. Acting as a bridge between strategy and HR, they contribute to organizational growth and the enhancement of long-term corporate value.
- Human Resources Department
- The HR Department plans and implements HR measures that directly address management and operational challenges. It drives initiatives across recruitment, development, evaluation, compensation, and engagement to strengthen human capital. Additionally, by consolidating labor functions from headquarters and factories, the department enhances compliance and operational efficiency, building a stable and sustainable HR foundation across the company.
- Human Resource Development Center
- The Human Resource Development Center serves as a central hub for strengthening job execution capabilities across Global YOKOWO and establishing competitive advantages in advanced technology implementation among top-tier talent. It also provides learning opportunities in areas such as DX, generative AI, and languages, supporting employees’ desire to learn and contributing to the realization of an “ever-evolving enterprise.”
- Health Management Center
- The Health Management Center was established to protect employees’ physical and mental well-being and ensure a safe and secure work environment. It conducts health checkups, stress assessments, and follow-ups, provides support for employees working long hours, and offers mental health counseling and return-to-work assistance. By collaborating with occupational physicians and health professionals and pursuing certification as a Health and Productivity Management Organization, the center contributes to building a sustainable and “great company.”
- Global Support Department
- The Global Support Department promotes collaboration across companies and departments within the Yokowo Group, supports the implementation of necessary measures, and continuously proposes new and improved initiatives. Through governance enhancement and system development and operation, it establishes common frameworks across the Group, contributing to the realization of a sustainable “great company as a global enterprise” and, ultimately, a better society.
Major Initiatives
DX Promotion
Since its founding, Yokowo has not simply continued producing the same products but has consistently taken on new products and markets in response to changing times. This approach, expressed in our corporate philosophy as an “Ever-Evolving Enterprise,” underpins our business. In an era of rapid change, evolving our business requires every employee to act as a driver of transformation.
This concept is reflected in the term “DX” (Digital Transformation). The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has established the “DX Literacy Standard” as a capability all business professionals should possess. YOKOWO has adopted this standard as a KPI, enabling us to quantitatively assess and develop employees’ skills.
Our goal for FY2030 is to increase the proportion of employees possessing the core DX literacy skill of “Mindset and Stance” to 20%. In September 2024, we conducted an assessment test for JYC regular employees. Based on the results, employees were grouped according to two axes—“DX knowledge” and “Mindset and Stance” for creating new value—and tailored curricula were developed for long-term learning programs.
As a result, the percentage of employees with “Mindset and Stance” skills rose from 6% in September 2024 to approximately 15% by July 2025. We will continue leveraging e-learning and other tools to provide learning opportunities aligned with proficiency levels, advancing toward our 20% target.
Pre-Promoting Training
To ensure a fair and transparent HR system and foster next-generation leaders, Yokowo conducts pre-promotion training.
Previously, appointments to managerial positions were primarily based on workplace recommendations and reviewed by an executive evaluation committee. However, relying solely on limited information such as age and department made it difficult to fully assess candidates’ suitability. To address this, we introduced training that provides promotion candidates with opportunities to interact with executives beyond their direct supervisors, enabling multi-perspective discussions and enhancing transparency and fairness.
Going forward, we will expand the scope beyond managerial promotions to include section manager to deputy manager, deputy manager to department manager, and specialist roles, continuously developing leaders who think and act independently.
Rebuilding Tiered Training Programs
The Yokowo Group has long provided tiered training opportunities tailored to each level’s required knowledge and skills. We have now reorganized these programs into two frameworks: “Pre-Promotion Training,” which focuses on mindset and perspective, and “Post-Promotion Training,” which strengthens management knowledge and skills.
Post-promotion training targets newly promoted assistant managers and executives, aiming to build a foundation for leadership roles. Participants systematically learn role expectations and responsibilities, enhance decision-making and management skills through case studies and discussions, and address key themes such as talent development, diversity promotion, cross-cultural understanding, and harassment prevention. The program also fosters cross-departmental networking.
Employee Engagement Assessment
To create a “great company” where every employee feels “I’m glad I work at Yokowo,” we prioritize improving employee engagement. The foundation of this effort is our annual engagement survey.
Insights and issues identified through the survey are addressed by each department through concrete improvement measures, such as workplace environment enhancements and communication activation. For company-wide challenges that are difficult to resolve at the departmental level, the HR Department leads initiatives in collaboration with business units and affiliates.
By continuing these efforts, we aim to support employee motivation and growth, strengthen organizational vitality, and expand human capital. We will maintain this cycle of assessment and improvement, creating workplaces that reflect employees’ voices and fostering a sustainable environment where people and organizations grow together. Through these initiatives, we strive to build a company employees are proud of and trusted by society, contributing to a better future.
Promoting Women’s Participation
The Yokowo Group is committed to creating workplaces where women and diverse talent can thrive. As part of this effort, we participate in the “Gunma Prefecture Manufacturing Industry Cross-Sector Collaboration Project,” which brings together manufacturers to share challenges and best practices.
Launched on July 24, 2025, this project aims to promote the active participation of women and diverse talent across Gunma’s manufacturing sector. Despite progress since the Equal Employment Opportunity Act (1985), manufacturing remains male-dominated, with challenges such as a lack of role models and industry-specific work styles. These issues cannot be solved by individual companies alone, making cross-company collaboration essential.
The Yokowo Group views this initiative as a critical step toward achieving DE&I (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). Our goal is not only to support women’s advancement but also to create an environment where individuals of all backgrounds—regardless of age, nationality, disability, or lifestyle—have equal opportunities and can work with confidence.
Currently, 28 leaders from four companies, including seven representatives from the Yokowo Group, are participating in this eight-month program, deepening discussions and learning to advance DE&I and foster environments where women and diverse talent can thrive across the region.
TISP
The Yokowo Group is advancing the “TISP Project,” a concept designed to bring together specialists from around the world—covering product design, production technology, elemental technology, quality assurance, and production management—at our mother factory in Tomioka, Gunma.
For recruitment, Japanese language proficiency is not a requirement; we prioritize expertise for experienced professionals and potential for new graduates. Our goal is to gather 120 foreign specialists at the Tomioka factory in the future.
This project actively welcomes foreign talent residing in Japan as well as those hired at overseas sites. In particular, at key production bases in China, Vietnam, and Malaysia, we offer multi-year training programs in Japan for new graduates from local universities. After completing the training, they return to their home countries to excel as leaders and specialists.
The Yokowo Group will continue developing globally capable talent, driving business growth and sustainable development worldwide.
Initiatives for Employment of Persons with Disabilities
The Yokowo Group aims to create a society where everyone can thrive, regardless of disability, and has set a goal to double the legally mandated employment rate for persons with disabilities by 2030.
To achieve this, we established YOKOWO Mirai Support Co., Ltd. in April 2022 (certified as a special subsidiary in March 2023). The company provides flexible working hours tailored to individual needs and assigns tasks that leverage each person’s abilities, such as facility cleaning, green space maintenance, cafeteria sanitation, product assembly and packaging, administrative support, and digitization of old design drawings using CAD.
The Yokowo Group also offer training sessions for all employees to deepen understanding of mental and developmental disabilities, promoting awareness across the Group. By respecting disability characteristics as individuality and creating a safe work environment, we expand growth opportunities through work. The Yokowo Group will continue fostering an environment where diverse talent can thrive, striving to build a “better company” and a “better society.”
Performance
Please refer to the ESG Data Book for detailed results of each initiative.
For KPIs related to human resources , please refer to Sustainability Management.