Japan Tobacco Inc. announced that it received a “Gold” recognition, the highest ranking in the PRIDE Index 2020, for the fifth consecutive year. The index is organized by “Work with Pride” and evaluates companies’ initiatives related to LGBT and other sexual identities in Japan.
“We are delighted to receive the ‘Gold’ recognition for the fifth consecutive year," said Koichi Mori, senior vice president of human resources. “At JT, we position respecting diversity as one of key management challenges. We are strengthening our initiatives across the nation and working to create a work environment more open for all employees. We will continue to actively promote diversity in order to achieve sustainable growth by leveraging the strengths of diverse human capital.
"JT believes that embracing diversity and finding value in our differences will lead to its sustainable growth. At JT, diversity can mean, but not exclusive to, differences in gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity, as well as experience and expertise," said Mori.
The company has taken a variety of initiatives to create, develop, and enhance the work environment by fostering diversity, where each individual can freely express their own personalities and recognize one another’s differences. JT raises employee-awareness on LGBT through implementing training programs, revising its internal policy for a better environment, and fostering a company culture which embraces diverse values. These corporate-level initiatives have led to branch offices taking part in LGBT-related initiatives locally.