Initiatives to Contribute to Society

Initiative Policy

The Aozora Group has defined its social contribution activities as “activities undertaken without requiring compensation to address social issues that are difficult to address directly through business and that are socially important yet under-supported.” The Group has identified themes of particularly high urgency and themes of high interest to officers and employees as its main areas of focus for donations and volunteering.
In FY2022, the Group spent approximately 23 million yen on social contribution activities. We will continue to review this expenditure each year to ensure support for a wide range of fields.

The Aozora Group’s Main Areas of Activity

Environmental preservation (support for initiatives to reduce environmental load)
Support for the next generation who will be responsible for the future (support including financial education for fostering the healthy growth of the next generation who will be responsible for the future and support for the next generation in difficult circumstances due to multiple factors)
Support for regions and communities (promoting regional revitalization in cooperation with local organizations in regions which have close relationships with corporate activities, such as regions where the Group conducts its business)
Support for disaster recovery (urgent support for large-scale natural disasters and humanitarian crises, etc.)

Social contribution activity results for FY2022

Main areas of activity	Amount*	Number of participating volunteers
Environmental conservation	2.0 million yen	33
Support for the next generation who will be responsible for the future	7.0 million yen	107
Regional and community support	9.0 million yen	35
Disaster recovery support	5.0 million yen	-
Total	23.0 million yen	175

Including monetary conversion amount of donated supplies

Initiatives to Support Social Contribution Activities of Officers and Employees

The Aozora Group works to encourage participation in social contribution activities by its officers and employees by providing an environment that includes availability of volunteering opportunities and introduction of a support system.

Providing Volunteering Opportunities

At Aozora, we believe it is important for our officers and employees to participate in society as a “good corporate citizen” and be more mindful of social issues. To this end, we strive to provide our employees with opportunities to participate in volunteer activities. In FY2021, we started introducing online volunteering opportunities to officers and employees so they could be active even during the COVID-19 pandemic. In FY2022, 175 people participated in these activities. Participants noted that they were able to take part casually at their own pace using downtime between tasks, and that although it was difficult to take action even if they desired to help, the call for volunteers provided a good opportunity to get started. In this way, the program provided opportunities to continue social contribution activities, even when face-to-face activities were restricted.
In FY2022, we collected donations of unused and unopened food from officers’ and employees’ homes and provided them to organizations that support single-parent households. In total, 104 kg of food was donated.
We also participated as home volunteers for the “Easy Subtitle Project” run by the NPO eboard, which works to provide educational opportunities for children with learning difficulties. We volunteered for a project to apply notes to assist reading kanji characters in educational materials supplied by eboard. Volunteer participants who are raising children reflected that the activity prompted conversations with their own children regarding some children having learning difficulties and the availability of programs to assist them.

Matching Donation Program

In FY2022, we conducted a matching donation program to help widen the view of individual officers and employees and encourage their own involvement in society. This initiative collected donations from the officers and employees and added a contribution from the Bank enabling them to participate in a social contribution activity together. The support themes were set as “environment,” “children,” “relative poverty,” and “welfare,” and donations were made to four organizations working to solve issues in each field; namely the Nature Conservation Society of Japan, Chance for Children, Japan Kodomo-Shokudo Support Center “MUSUBIE,” and Bridge for Smile. This initiative prompted employees with no history of donating to make a first step, while also providing an opportunity for officers and employees to deepen their understanding of the social issues addressed by each organization.

Support for the Next Generation Who Will Be Responsible for the Future

The Aozora Group is working to support children and young people who will be responsible for the future. Since FY2021, we have participated in the Children’s Smile Movement run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. In FY2022, we held programming experience events for the children of our officers and employees.

Programming Experience Event

In FY2022, we held a parent-child programming experience event as a summer holiday plan for families of our officers and employees. The event provided children with an opportunity to acquire knowledge of programming, which is an essential skill in the digital transformation of finance, and also helped improve the IT literacy of their parents, who are our officers and employees.

Regional and Community Support

Support for Regional Revitalization Projects

Using programs such as a corporate version of the furusato nozei (hometown tax donation) system, we supported regional revitalization projects addressing regional issues. In FY2022, we made donations to six local governments and organizations.
Through donations, we deepen our connections with people living in the regions, along with our understanding of local strengths and issues, as we aim to contribute to regional revitalization.

Donation recipient government or local organization	Supported project or activity
Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture	Sendai City Center Reconstruction Project: Next-generation Synchrotron Radiation Facility-related Industry Support Business
Sosa City, Chiba Prefecture	Project to provide school meals using organic ingredients produced locally for local consumption
Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture	National Kindergarten Picture Book Enhancement Project — Smile Picture Book Project
Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture	Children’s Individual Creativity Development Project
Hokkaido Shinkin Bank Himawari Foundation	Local Community Welfare Organization Support and High School Student Scholarship Project
JMACS	Childcare Support Project (After School Childcare and Experiential Seminars)

Presentation ceremony for certificate of appreciation at Sosa City Hall

Donating Disaster Supplies

In September 2022, disaster supplies (7,656 rice cookies, 4,488 units of disaster relief supply bread) stocked at the Bank’s Head Office were donated to 11 foodbanks throughout Japan through the mediation of Kuradashi Co., Ltd.
Food bank activities deliver food that is designated for disposal for various reasons despite being edible to facilities and households that need it. The donated disaster supplies were provided to cafeterias for children and welfare institutions through the donation recipients.

Local Cleanup Efforts

Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward, where our Head Office is located, has designated June 6 and November 6 each year as “Chiyoda Ward cleanup days” in an effort to promote cleaning and beautification activities. After a long hiatus due to COVID-19, we resumed our cleanup activities in November 2022. On June 6, 2023, we cleaned up the area around the Head Office and Sophia University’s campus as part of our environmental protection and community contribution activities. A total of 57 volunteers attended this year’s event, which included Sophia University employee and student volunteers.

Sapporo Branch: Taking Part in Local Cleanup Efforts

Our Sapporo Branch takes part in the "Tsukiichi" cleanup initiative, run by the Sapporo Ekimae-dori Association since 2015, and branch employees use their lunch breaks to help clean the area around Ekimae-dori Street, popular with tourists from both within Japan and abroad.

Kyoto Branch: Participating in the "Gion Matsuri" Festival

Aozora’s Kyoto Branch helps the local community pass on its traditional culture by providing financial sponsorship for festival preservation associations as well as assisting in the making of “chimaki” (a charm to ward off illness and misfortune) and participating in the parade of decorative “yamahoko” floats.

Kanazawa Branch: Participating in the “Ishikawa Hyakumangoku Cultural Festival” and “Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival”

The Kanazawa Branch contributes to regional invigoration through its participation in local events. The branch joined the “Odori Nagashi” parade in the “72nd Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival” on June 3, 2023, and plans to serve as a public relations volunteer in the “Ishikawa Hyakumangoku Cultural Festival 2023” that will be held all across the Ishikawa Prefecture over 44 days from October 14, 2023.

Joint Projects with Sophia University

In 2017, we relocated our head office to the Sophia Tower on the Sophia University Campus. We take this opportunity to strengthen our collaboration by providing finance-themed lectures as well as conducting joint research and social contribution activities with Sophia University.

Basic Banking Seminar in collaboration with Sophia University

Since 2017, we have held a Basic Banking Seminar as a formal course in collaboration with the Faculty of Economics, Sophia University. Aozora’s officers/employees with years of experience in the banking operations provide lectures with a focus on the role of banks and their relationship with the economy and society as a way to support the enhancement of financial literacy among the next-generation of students. In FY2022, exercise-style PBL (Project Based Learning) sessions were held 14 times mainly for juniors at the Faculty of Economics. A total of 17 Aozora officers and employees, including President Tanikawa, delivered lectures on a wide range of financial literacy-related topics such as “People’s Lives and Banks,” “Financial Innovation and Banks” and “Social Contribution and Banks.”

Support for Creating Learning Spaces for New Members of Society through Industry-Academia Collaboration

Sophia University’s Professional Studies program is a new form of industry-academia collaboration that allows businesses and the university to work together to create learning spaces. In its role as an advisory partner, Aozora offers advice regarding topics such as the needs of companies and the acceptable international standards required on the frontlines of business.

Working with the “+Re:” Volunteer Community

Aozora supports Sophia University's official Volunteer Community "+Re:" in their efforts to collect disposable contact lens cases. By recycling the collected lens cases, the group is able to contribute to the reduction of CO₂ emissions released when the cases are burned along with normal garbage. In September 2021, the Bank placed a disposable contact lens recycle box in its Head Office and collected 36,492 contact lends cases in FY2022.

Other Initiatives

Participation in the Ecocap Movement

The Bank has participated in the Ecocap Movement since December 2010. We separate and recycle caps from plastic bottles as part of an initiative to provide vaccines for children around the world, in addition to contributing to the reduction of CO₂ released through bottle incineration.
In November, in solidarity with the aims of the "Ecocap Week 2019" campaign led by a volunteer group from Meiji University called Tree, we donated prizes to their lottery event wherein participants received raffle tickets in return for bringing in plastic bottle caps.

Participation in the TABLE FOR TWO Program

Since March 2011, we have participated in the TABLE FOR TWO (TFT) program, providing employees the opportunity to donate ¥20 with the purchase of a meal at our Head Office cafeteria (approximately the price of one school meal in some developing countries). TFT is based on the concept of "table for two," whereby people from developed countries share a meal with children from developing nations. For the fiscal year ended March 2023, we donated the equivalent of 20,170 meals.

Student Loan Repayment Assistance Program for New Employees

Aozora provides a student loan repayment assistance program for young employees who obtained student loans to finance college and graduate school studies. The goal of this program is to create a comfortable, fulfilling workplace environment and promote the hiring of talented staff. Eligible employees will receive assistance benefits every year for three years after they join the Bank.

Donation of Used Stamps to Volunteer Organizations

Aozora collects and donates used stamps to volunteer organizations to assist people providing care overseas in obtaining funds, medical supplies and other Bank.