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Sustainability
Health Management Initiatives

Health Philosophy and Policy

ITOCHU CHEMICAL FRONTIER Health Declaration

At ITOCHU CHEMICAL FRONTIER, we believe that ensuring the physical and mental health of our employees and enabling each individual to demonstrate their maximum ability is essential to fulfilling our corporate philosophy of Sanpo-yoshi, or benefiting all parties.
For this purpose, we strive to create a safe and comfortable workplace and positively support activities aimed at maintaining and improving employee health.
To be a company worth working for, we promote health through the unified efforts of our employees, their families, the company and the health insurance union.

Hideki Mizushima President & Chief Executive Officer

Health and Productivity Management Strategy Diagram

Promotion Structure

Our health management promotion structure operates under the supervision of the Chief Health Management Officer, who is also the company’s President & CEO. The head of the Corporate Planning Group, the Human Resources and General Affairs Department, the industrial physician, and the public health nurse collaborate to implement various initiatives. We continuously work to maintain employee health in partnership with the ITOCHU Group Health Insurance Union.
The Safety and Health Committee meetings are held monthly and are attended by a trade union executive committee member, who is a representative of employees. Labor and management collaborate to further improve the working environment and how employees work.

Implementation of Systems and Measures

Work Style Reform Initiatives
  • ●Morning-Focus Working System
  • Employees who arrive before 8:00 a.m. are offered three complimentary food items from a variety of light meal options. There are about 100 options, including the products from Dole and FamilyMart.
  • Working after 8:00 p.m. is prohibited, in principle. Working from 5:00 to 8:00 a.m. is encouraged.
  • Employees who arrive at 7:50 a.m. or earlier receive the same overtime premium (25%) for overtime worked before 9:00 a.m., as they would for late-night work.
  • ●Flextime and Work-from-Home Systems
  • In January 2026, the company implemented a morning-focus flextime system (core time: 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) for all employees. Employees can now leave at 3:00 p.m. and choose flexible work styles tailored to their jobs, personal lifestyles, and family circumstances.
  • To promote more efficient ways of working, the company introduced a work-from-home system (up to two days a week).
  • ●Reduced Work Hours
  • The reduced work hour system is designed for employees with special circumstances, such as childcare, nursing care, or their own illness. By setting a shorter core time, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the company is creating an even more employee-friendly work environment.
  • ●Leave
  • Employees with nationally designated intractable diseases are granted six days of special paid leave per year.
  • Paid sick/injured childcare leave exceeding statutory requirements is provided: up to 5 days per child per year for children up to the sixth grade of elementary school (a maximum of 10 days per year for employees with multiple children).
  • Paid family care leave is provided: up to 5 days per person requiring care per year (a maximum of 10 days per year for employees with multiple family members requiring care).
  • ●Proper Working Hour Management and Measures against Excessive Work
  • In addition to managing employee attendance through our attendance management system, we are working to manage actual working hours by cross-referencing the records with PC logs.
  • If an employee exceeds 45 hours of overtime per month based on our standard working hours (7 hours and 15 minutes), the employee’s department head and the Human Resources and General Affairs Department will contact them collaboratively to address the situation.
  • When an employee works extended overtime hours, the industrial physician and the public health nurse will interview them to ensure their sound health management.
Prohibition of Smoking During Working Hours and Support for Smoking Cessation
  • Since 2020, the company has participated in Linkage Inc.’s smoking cessation support program promoted by the ITOCHU Group Health Insurance Union, which aims to support employees in quitting smoking.
  • From fiscal 2024, to further promote smoking cessation, the company encourages employees who want to quit smoking to participate in programs offered by CureApp, Inc. and Linkage Inc. The ITOCHU Group Health Insurance Union and the company will cover the full cost of these programs.
  • In November 2024, smoking was completely prohibited during working hours. This decision was made considering the health risks not only to smokers themselves, but also to nonsmoking family members, other employees, business partners, and other concerned parties exposed to secondhand smoke (passive smoking) and thirdhand smoke.
Enhancement of Medical Checkups
  • To promote early detection and the treatment of diseases, the company subsidizes the cost of optional tests in medical checkups requested by employees aged 30 and above. This is to create an environment where employees feel secure working for the company over the long term.
  • Because of the growing number of colorectal cancer deaths in Japan, the company subsidizes the cost of colonoscopies for employees aged 40 and above once every three years.
  • The ITOCHU Group Health Insurance Union covers the full cost of breast and uterine cancer screenings for female employees aged 40 and above.
  • The company considers the health of its employees’ families to be just as important as the health of the employees themselves. Based on this belief, the company fully covers the cost of comprehensive health checkups for dependent spouses aged 40 and above.
Health Management Initiatives
  • ●Fiscal 2025
  • Body Balance Check Event
    (supervised by TIPNESS Limited.)
  • Under the guidance of professional trainers from TIPNESS Limited., a body balance check event was conducted. After the check, employees received personalized advice on exercises and stretches to improve their balance based on their individual results. It was a valuable opportunity for employees to grasp their own body balance, which cannot be assessed through medical checkups. (The event program included body age checks, posture measurements, vascular age checks and stress level checks.)
  • ●Fiscal 2024
  • Drink Smart Seminar and alcohol sensitivity genetic test (by Suntory)
  • Employees participated in Suntory’s Drink Smart Seminar, where they learned the importance of moderate and responsible drinking as well as the value of enjoying alcohol. They also took an alcohol sensitivity genetic test to improve their understanding of their own alcoholic tolerance and gain accurate knowledge about moderate and responsible drinking.
  • (Official HERSERIES online store of EBS Co., Ltd.: https://www.herseries.co.jp/wrk/alchol/)
  • Menopause Seminar (by a public health nurse)
  • A seminar on menopause was held where a public health nurse gave a lecture. It provided an opportunity to deepen the understanding of the physical and mental changes that may differ by age and gender, as well as self-care methods.
Measures to Prevent Infectious Diseases
  • The company has compiled a document detailing what to note and how to respond to flu or COVID-19 infections and established a system to ensure that employees can appropriately respond to infectious diseases.
  • Flu vaccinations are available at the Tokyo headquarters and the Osaka branch. The ITOCHU Group Health Insurance Union covers a portion of vaccination costs, including the ones of employees and their family members who receive vaccinations at medical institutions.
  • The company recommends that employees and their families receive vaccinations recommended by the Japanese government for the overseas region to which the employee is assigned and covers the cost of the vaccinations. The company also holds pre-departure consultations with a public health nurse that include information provision on infectious diseases.
  • For employees assigned to overseas and their families, the company provides a system that allows them to undergo a medical checkup at a medical institution in their assigned location once a year, in addition to the pre-departure comprehensive medical checkup. The company also implements and supports health management in these locations in accordance with ITOCHU Corporation’s health management standards.

Health Management Indicators

Fiscal year (Number of all employees) 2022（303） 2023（313） 2024（328）
Subjective indicators
(Response rate: 100%)		 Absenteeism (*1) ー 5.1 days 5.6 days
Work engagement (*2) 52.1 53.0 53.2
Presenteeism (*3) ー ー 20.3%
Objective indicators Medical checkup participation rate 100% 100% 100%
Specific health guidance participation rate 52.2% 61.9% 44.0%
Smoking rate (Aged 40 and above) 27.7% 24.2% 23.9%
Ratio of people with regular exercise habit (aged 40 and above)(*4) 25.6% 26.4% 23.1%
Ratio of people maintaining a healthy weight (aged 40 and above) 59.7% 63.3% 61.2%
Stress check participation rate 100% 100% 100%
Ratio of people assessed as experiencing high stress 8.9% 10.2% 7.6%
Average number of paid leave days taken 12.7 days 13.0 days 13.2 days
Number of occupational accidents 1 0 1
Occupational accidents (severity rate) 0 0 0

Subjective indicators (three indicators related to health and productivity)

  • *1

    Calculated as (absent days + leave of absence days)/total number of employees.

  • *2

    Work engagement: An indicator of a psychological state that enables healthy and motivated work, which leads to increased productivity.
    Calculated from the work engagement section of the stress check (deviation score)

  • *3

    Calculated from the Single-Item Presenteeism Question (SPQ) (University of Tokyo single-item version)
    SPQ (the University of Tokyo single-item version): An indicator developed by the University of Tokyo. It measures “how much work performance is reduced depending on health status” with a single question.

Objective indicators

  • *4

    The ratio of people who exercise at least for 30 minutes twice a week.

Evaluation from Outside the Company

KENKO Investment for Health

A program that selects companies that manage employee health strategically from a managerial perspective.

The company has been recognized for its health management initiatives and certified as a 2026 Outstanding Organization of KENKO Investment for Health. This marks its eighth consecutive year of certification since 2019.

Kurumin

A certification system that recognizes companies excelling in supporting the balance of work and childcare based on the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children (Next Generation Act).

The company was awarded the Kurumin certification in fiscal 2018 in recognition of its initiatives supporting employees’ long-term career development and work styles.

Compliance and Risk Management

The company incorporates health and safety standards into its general training programs on compliance and occupational health and safety. By ensuring that each employee maintains a high level of awareness regarding compliance and safety, the company promotes the creation of a workplace where employees can feel secure.

General Training Programs, Including Health and Safety Standards as Themes

New hire training
(April)

All new hires receive education on occupational safety and health (including occupational accidents). The company’s public health nurse explains the internal health management system.

Training on harassment and abuse of power

All employees must participate. It is conducted in person.
New section manager training

Training for newly appointed section managers on how to manage the health status of their subordinates.
Pre-departure training for employees assigned overseas
(We participate in the program conducted by ITOCHU Corporation)

ITOCHU Corporation’s industrial physician explains common health issues during stays abroad, the differences in medical and living environments between Japan and overseas, preparation before departure and methods for health checks during stays abroad.
Training is provided not only for the employee but also for accompanying family members. Information on the person to contact or seek advice in case of an emergency is also provided.

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