Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Social | Sustainability

Basic Approach Structure and Governance Main Initiatives

Basic Approach

The Sanrio Group recognizes that promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) is essential to realizing its vision of “One World, Connecting Smiles” and has set DE&I as one of the Sanrio Materiality issues. We seek to establish systems and environments that provide fair opportunities for every employee to play an active part and where each employee's abilities, individuality, and background are harnessed to create new value.

Structure and Governance

Under the leadership of the president and CEO, the Human Resources Division leads the Group's efforts to promote DE &I. They work with all departments to plan and conduct training to raise DE &I awareness and knowledge among officers and employees throughout the Group.

Main Initiatives

DE&I Seminars

DE&I seminars are presented once a year for the managers of Group companies in Japan to share information such as latest DE&I trends in Japan and overseas, and the views of investors, fund managers, and consumers on DE&I. We also hold seminars for all employees of Group companies in Japan to raise their awareness of DE&I.

Unconscious Bias Training

Sanrio has provided Unconscious Bias Training (formerly Diversity Training) since FY3/2023 designed by grade level for corporate officers, managers, and employees. The training helps individuals become aware of unconscious biases, an understanding of which will help create a working environment that is comfortable for all people.

Participation and Advancement of Women

The company's ability to grow is directly linked to creating an environment where people can play an active role regardless of gender. While the majority of our workforce, some 60%, is women, the fact is that relatively few women are currently in management positions.
We have therefore set increasing the ratio of women in management positions as an important measure for promoting DE&I, and are developing several systems that will support employees both in career advancement and in their private lives. Based on discussions and interviews with employees, we are expanding systems such as childcare leave and vacation, reduced work hours, sliding work hours, and telework. We are also proceeding with revisions to our evaluation and promotion systems, which we began in 2023.

Percentage of Women in Management Positions (Head office, FY3/2025)

Section manager level and above: 44.4% (achieved target for FY3/2025)
Senior management (executive officers and general managers): 33.9% (Target for FY3/2027: 30% or more)

Constituent of the MSCI Japan Empowering Women Index (WIN)

Sanrio has been selected for inclusion in WIN since 2019.
WIN is comprised of companies with a high level of gender diversity, such as female employees, women in management positions, and initiatives for diversity, based on information disclosed under the Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace, and with prospects for long-term sustainable growth. WIN is used as an index for ESG investment by the Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF).

For details, please refer toExternal Evaluations / Initiative and Organization Participation

Introduction of Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) Leave

We introduced sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) leave that enables employees to take time off for fertility treatment, egg freezing, and menopausal symptoms, in addition to the existing menstrual leave, to create a work environment where all employees can choose the workstyle they prefer according to their stage of life and where everyone can work with a smile. This leave may be used by men as well as women.

Employment of Persons with Disabilities

The Sanrio Group employs people with disabilities and strives to ensure their personal success. We hold study sessions to deepen understanding of disabilities in addition to creating systems that enable individuals of all abilities to take on challenges and advance their careers.

Number of persons with disabilities employed (Sanrio Co., Ltd., FY3/2025)

Smile Group Mission

We treat each person with a disability with care and support their independence and ambitions as contributing members of society.
We respect individuality and abilities, and all people with and without disabilities living together in harmony.
As a company, we engage with social issues and work with people with disabilities to advance our business.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Disability Employment Excellence Company Award (2022)

In September 2022, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Director of the Bureau of Industrial and Labor Affairs honored Sanrio with the 2022 Disability Employment Excellence Company Award.