Social Contribution Activities
The Aozora Group works to address social issues through the provision of financial services and participation in CSR activities as a way to “contribute to the sustainable development of society” and “participate in society as a ‘good corporate citizen’” as stated in our management philosophy and Code of Ethics and Conduct.
Initiative Policy
Aozora 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.” We have determined the scope of activities, from the perspective of themes of particularly high urgency and themes of high interest to officers and employees, as our key areas of focus for donations and volunteering.
In FY2025, many officers and employees took part in the following social contribution activities.
Aozora’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 and economic 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 a range of possible 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 (e.g. urgent support for large-scale natural disasters and humanitarian crises)
Social Contribution Activity Results for FY2025
|
Main areas of activity |
Amount |
Number of participating volunteers |
|---|---|---|
|
Environmental preservation |
3.6 million yen |
83 |
|
Support for the next generation who will be responsible for the future |
6.8 million yen |
76 |
|
Support for regions and communities |
8.1 million yen |
68 |
|
Support for disaster recovery |
1.8 million yen |
- |
|
Total |
20.3 million yen |
227* |
- Many officers and employees took part in voluntary food drive activities, but they are not included in the number of participants above as it is difficult to ascertain how many people actually took part.
Environmental Preservation
Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward, where Aozora’s Head Office is located, designates June 6 and November 6 each year as the Chiyoda Ward cleanup days in an effort to promote cleaning and beautification activities. Approximately 40 officers and employees from Aozora participated in a cleanup effort around the Yotsuya Head Office and Sophia University campus, joined by the employees and students of Sophia University, as part of the environmental preservation and regional contribution activities.
Support for the Next Generation Who Will Be Responsible for the Future
Joint Projects with Sophia University
A portion of the tenant fees we pay to Sophia University are used mainly as scholarships for overseas students, which contributes to expanding educational opportunities for them. Since the relocation of our Head Office to the Sophia University campus in 2017, we have strengthened our partnership with the university in multiple ways, such as launching the Aozora-sponsored “Basic Banking Seminar” in collaboration with the Faculty of Economics, Sophia University, and co-sponsoring the “Sustainability Through Your Lens” Short Film Contest that Sophia University hosted in FY2025 to promote sustainability awareness among young people.
Support for Regions and Communities
Participation in the Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival
Employees from the Kanazawa Branch, together with their families, join the “Odori Nagashi” parade in the “Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival” every year.
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.
Participation in Financial Industry in Tokyo For Charity Run 2025
The Financial Industry in Tokyo For Charity Run (“FIT Charity Run”) 2025 was held in the vicinity of Meijijingu Gaien (Outer Garden of the Meiji Shrine) on December 7, 2025, attracting more than 4,500 participants from 99 companies.
The Aozora Group participated in this event as a supporting company, also joined by the Group’s officers and employees and their family members as runners and volunteers.
The FIT Charity Run, a charity event led by companies in the financial sector and related business operators, aims to provide industry-wide support for organizations that conduct community-based and socially significant activities while finding it difficult to raise enough funds to cover operational expenses partly due to their name recognition.
Sponsorship money, profits mainly from the sale of event T-shirts and charity lotteries, entry fees, and donations from participating companies and participants are sent as a contribution to local communities through NPOs.
Utilization of Support for Disaster Recovery and Volunteer Leave System
Aozora has established a volunteer leave system as part of an environment that encourages our officers and employees to serve as disaster relief volunteers in the event of a large-scale disaster. The system allows employees to take leave for volunteer activities on weekdays under certain conditions and also receive subsidies that partially cover their cost of participation.
In FY2025, we made a contribution to Peace Boat Disaster Relief, an organization working to assist disaster-affected people and strengthen disaster resilience of communities, through our matching gift program. The organization explained to us about the importance of disaster assistance as well as problems that tend to occur during a disaster when making a presentation to solicit donations.
Matching Gift Program
We sponsor a matching gift program to help widen the views of individual officers and employees and encourage their direct involvement in helping our society. This initiative is designed to solicit donations from the officers and employees and add a contribution from Aozora to respect their spirit of charity, enabling everyone to participate in a social contribution activity together.
Aozora’s Matching Gift Program was launched in FY2022, with many officers and employees participating each year. In FY2025, which marks the fourth anniversary of this program, Sustainability Supporters* undertook tasks including selecting donation recipients under the program and disseminating relevant information internally.
As a result, we made donations to 10 organizations, including eboard and Gold Ribbon Network, in FY2025.
- Appointed in each business group to promote awareness of, and action on, sustainability on a daily basis across the Aozora Group.
Food Drive Activity
For this initiative, we collect unopened food from households and donate it to Good Neighbors Japan, a certified NPO that supports single-parent families facing financial difficulty. At the two food drive events we held in FY2025, our officers and employees donated a total of Approximately 200 kg of food. Through this initiative, we aim to raise awareness among our officers and employees of our CSR activities while also remaining committed to reducing food waste as well as supporting regional communities. We will continue promoting this activity and contribute to solutions to social challenges.
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.
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.