Social Engagement
Social
Human Rights Policy
The Group respects the human rights of all stakeholders. We have established “coexistence with society based on respect for human rights” as one of our fundamental materiality issues, positioning respect for human rights as a critical management priority. We have established the “Digital Garage Group Human Rights Policy” that supports and respects major international norms related to human rights, and will continuously strengthen our human rights initiatives while considering the impact of our business operations on human rights, thereby contributing to a safe and equitable society.
To further promote sustainable management, the Group established the “Digital Garage Group Human Rights Policy” in September 2025. This policy is based on international norms such as the International Bill of Human Rights and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and establishes provisions for prohibiting discrimination among all officers and employees, ensuring human rights considerations and privacy protection in AI utilization, promoting human rights awareness through education and training, and establishing appropriate response systems, with the entire Group committed to respecting human rights.
Digital Garage Group Human Rights Policy
Digital Garage Group upholds the purpose of “Designing ‘New Context’ for a sustainable society with technology.” Since the dawn of the internet, we have implemented technology not merely for profit, but from the perspective of contributing to society and making society better. We recognize respect for human rights as a critical issue in our business activities and hereby establish the “Digital Garage Group Human Rights Policy” to further advance this practice. This policy will be regularly reviewed under the supervision of the Board of Directors, taking into account changes in human rights circumstances and business environment, and revised as necessary.
About the Human Rights Policy
Digital Garage Group supports and respects international human rights standards, including the United Nations “International Bill of Human Rights,” “Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights,” and “ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work,” with the objective of respecting the human rights of all people affected by our corporate activities and fulfilling our responsibilities.
Scope of Application
This policy applies to all officers and employees working at Digital Garage Group. We also expect our business partners and suppliers to support the content of this policy and respect human rights in the same manner as Digital Garage Group.
Respect for Human Rights
Digital Garage Group respects the diversity, equity, and inclusiveness of all officers and employees, and does not tolerate any discrimination or harassment based on race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, illness, or any other factors.
Ethical Use of AI and Respect for Privacy
Digital Garage Group understands that while the utilization of AI brings significant benefits to society, it may also have potential impacts on human rights. We also respect individual privacy and thoroughly protect it. We strive for the sound development and operation of AI technology and the proper handling of personal information.
Education and Awareness
Digital Garage Group will provide appropriate education to all officers and employees to ensure that this policy is integrated and established throughout our business activities, and that it is understood and effectively implemented.
Remediation, Framework, and Responsible Parties
Digital Garage Group has established consultation channels, and when consultations or reports regarding human rights violations are received, they are reported to our Compliance Committee. While ensuring the confidentiality of whistleblowers, we will respond appropriately through correcting violations, disciplining violators, and implementing recurrence prevention measures, taking fair and just remedial actions while considering and implementing future preventive measures. We strive to conduct appropriate human rights due diligence to prevent or mitigate negative impacts on human rights in our corporate activities. Human rights respect initiatives are the responsibility of the Head of the Corporate Division.
September 2025
Digital Garage, Inc.
Representative Director,
President Executive Officer and Group CEO
Kaoru Hayashi
Together with our Employees
With the ‘First Penguin Spirit’ serving as one of our Company’s values, the Group has continued to create the future of the internet since it’s establishment. In order to realize our purpose, we believe that it is important for employees with various backgrounds to work together and to strengthen the relationship between our employees and the company. We have established a “Human Resources Management Policy” (see the diagram below) that describes what we as a company promise to our employees in addition to what we as a company expect from our employees. Based on this policy, we will continue to promote organizational and human resource development in order to realize our ideal organization.
Employee Development
The Company considers our employees to be an invaluable asset that is essential to the success and growth of our Group business. We believe that good talent development directly drives business growth, which in turn leads to the success of our core business. In particular, the Company strives to nurture employees that can continue to evolve and embody our business through the creativity and innovation of new technologies.
The Company has implemented an executive leadership training program for potential candidates from middle management, with a focus on nurturing a next generation of leaders that are driven with a sense of purpose. The Company has also established various educational and training programs for all employees that can provide continued learning opportunities for better self-awareness and personal growth.
In particular, in recent years, we have been developing and incorporating programs that are focused on strengthening management skills pertaining to psychological safety, in order to strengthen and smoothen the relationships between the Company and individuals, as well as between managers and employees.
In addition, by encouraging lateral transfers within the Company and its various businesses, the Company strives to offer its employees with growth opportunities and new challenges through the development of new skills and knowledge sharing. Following are some such initiatives:
- The employees can choose between two career paths consisting of either Management or Expert. This creates an environment for career advancement regardless of ones role as a manager or as an individual contributor.
- The implementation of career training in which employees are encouraged to think about their own careers from a Will/Can/Must perspective, with the aim of strengthening career autonomy among employees.
- Through the utilization of a talent management tool the Company will better strategically allocate and develop employees and formulate a succession plan through a centralized system of employee skills and experience.
- The development of “CareerShift”, a public recruitment system to match employees seeking new growth opportunities within the core business.
Career Development
With multiple businesses and numerous job types, the Group offers its employees the opportunities to build their careers by utilizing their expectations and aptitudes.
1. Two Career Paths
The Group has established two kinds of Career Paths, as follows:
・Management – individuals engaged in the leading and managing of teams and/or departments throughout the organization.
・Expert – individual contributors that enhance our business and build their careers through the provision of their specific talent and expertise in areas such as payment, marketing, investment in startups, and engineering, etc.
2. Career Training
We implement career training in which employees are encouraged to think about their own careers from a Will/Can/Must perspective, with the aim of strengthening career autonomy among employees.
In these training programs, we provide opportunities for employees to articulate their own Will/Can/Must three elements, re-examine their values, promote autonomous career planning, and reaffirm their approach to work.
3. CareerShift
“CareerShift” is a system that allows employees to participate in projects or transfer to different businesses beyond departmental boundaries.
When applying, the employees are not required to receive preliminary consultations or approvals within the departments or with their superiors and can proactively improve their skills and build their careers by challenging new missions.
Working Environment
In an effort to create a comfortable work environment, our Group is creating a system in which employees can choose a work style that best suits their individual lives and lifestyles, such as a remote work system or a flextime work system.
In order to better achieve QOL (Quality of Life) through work, the company manages working hours using an attendance management system, and monitors and takes measures using data such as 360 degree surveys as well as employee engagement surveys. We continue to create optimal conditions for a healthy work environment for the individual employee and the collective.
In addition, in order to understand the organizational condition and help resolve issues, we regularly conduct surveys with employees regarding their work, workplace, and engagement with the company. The Company reviews concerns, such as:
- Are individual talents being fully leveraged?
- Is the organizational system and working environment effective and efficient?
- Are employees receiving proper support from their superiors?
- Is there an appropriate level of trust in top management?
- Is the Company’s Human Resource system functioning effectively?
- Are there any pain points of excessive stress on a micro or macro level?
The findings from these surveys provide valuable information for our group to strive to do better and be better for our individual employees and the entire company.
In order to realize our company’s purpose, we also continue to believe that collaboration among diverse employees between group companies and segments is important, and we are thus working to further enhance communication throughout the group.
Diversity
The Company continues to recruit talent based on their abilities and expertise, regardless of factors such as gender, nationality, ethnicity, religion, age or work experience in order to support our rapidly changing and diverse business. The Company aims to foster a diverse work culture by hiring employees that can offer different skill sets, perspectives, values and talents.
Together with Society
To realize sustainability management, the Company believes that the engagement with local community as well as employees, shareholders and investors, investees, alliance partners and business partners is significantly important. The Group will contribute to realization of a sustainable society through various initiatives.
THE NEW CONTEXT CONFERENCE
THE NEW CONTEXT CONFERENCE has been held since 2005, hosted by Kaoru Hayashi and Joichi Ito for the individuals interested in the cutting-age Internet technologies and the businesses that emerge around them.
Under the concept, “Considering the new contexts that contribute to the development of society,” the conference aims to explore how to design a society by fully leveraging a wide variety of digital technologies with the values in a global society such as equality of people, diversity, prosperity, and sustainability and by together with experts from Japan and abroad.
Tohoku Youth Orchestra
The Tohoku Youth Orchestra is a restoration assistance project headed and directed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, and is a mixed orchestra of elementary school students to university students affected most by the 2011 Tohoku disaster: Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima.
The orchestra is positioned as “the opportunity for growth,” where children can learn and experience the world together with friends through guidance from and performance with world-renowned musicians and interactions with people. The Company gave a helping hand to establish SNS measures by providing advertising materials or social networking media and to support it as a sponsorship.
Providing information to strengthen Sustainability in Startups
Open Network Lab ESG is providing information titled “Meet with ESG Startup” through its owned media to introduce the visions and the details of initiatives taken by leading companies. Additionally, it holds events for sharing research information and trends on Sustainability in a clarifying manner and provides such information widely to startups as well as their supporters and stakeholders.
