Human Rights

Our Approach

The shared values articulated in the Code of Conduct of the Fujitsu Way are guidelines for each employee to follow when conducting their daily business operations. Prime among them is "We respect human rights", a principle that underpins all our corporate activities. By promoting management that respects human rights, we are working to ensure that this concept becomes an integral part of the day-to-day actions of all employees in the group.

In December 2014, the Fujitsu Group released the “Fujitsu Group Human Rights Statement” to promote activities that respect human rights in accordance with this Code of Conduct, as set out in the Fujitsu Way. The statement was revised in December 2022, and has been prepared in 21 languages, including Japanese and English, with the aim of ensuring that it becomes embedded in the corporate culture of all our group companies. We have notified our major suppliers of the revisions and request that they familiarize themselves with the revised Statement and comply with its content.

Fujitsu has publicly announced its support for the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact (*1) based on universal principles regarding human rights and rights at work, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. We have also made public announcements regarding the Modern Slavery Acts passed in the UK and Australia.

The Fujitsu Group is a member of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), which is a global CSR alliance. As such, the Group has adopted the RBA Code of Conduct in its CSR Procurement Guidelines and promotes the Human Rights Enlightenment Structure among its suppliers and throughout its supply chain.

• (*1)
  Ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact:
  The compact identifies ten principles that corporations should uphold in four areas: human rights, labor practices, the environment and anti-corruption.

• Fujitsu Group Human Rights Statement
• Fujitsu Group Human Rights Statement APPENDIX
• For other languages
• Modern Slavery Statement (UK)
• Fujitsu Modern Slavery Statement September 2022 (Australia)
• Supply Chain Policy

Organizational Structure and Regular Reviews

The Sustainability Management Committee is chaired by the CEO and meets once every 6 months to check on the progress of our activities to promote respect for human rights and whether we are on track to meet our targets. The committee also discusses new activities and considers non-financial indicators. They then reports to the Management Council Meeting and the Board of Directors Meeting with the results. As part of our activities to promote human rights and DE&I as key issues for globally responsible business, we have established a structure of regular meetings for those responsible for promoting human rights in each of Fujitsu’s operating regions. The Committee also works collaboratively with each of the Business Groups, the Corporate Divisions and the regions to put in place actions that will address human rights issues throughout the supply chain.

Promotion of Human Rights Due Diligence

Assessment of Human Rights Impacts

To ensure that the effectiveness of human rights due diligence is maximized in the Fujitsu Group, we conduct regular Human Rights Impact Assessment.

In 2022 we enlisted the cooperation of Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), an international NPO, which undertook Human Rights Impact Assessment for Fujitsu Group management and businesses from a third-party perspective. As well as conducting interviews with each of the Fujitsu Group regions, Corporate Divisions and Business Groups, BSR employed desktop research(*2) and analysis of submitted documents to compile a list of human rights issues. They then ranked the issues according to their levels of severity, likelihood and correlation with businesses. The results identified human rights issues such as employees’ working environments, workplace health and safety, the use of forced or child labor in supply chains, and data privacy and data security in our businesses.

• (*2)
  Desktop research:
  A research method where data is gathered by referencing websites and other materials. In this instance, the research was carried out based on materials presented by Fujitsu Business Groups, materials published by external sources, and other materials issued by external organizations such as NGOs and NPOs.

Initiatives to Prevent or Mitigate Negative Human Rights Impacts

The Fujitsu Group requires that all its suppliers support the Fujitsu Group Human Rights Statement. The Group also requires them to support the prohibition of human trafficking, forced and child labor and discrimination, to support freedom of association and collective bargaining rights, and to promote policies such as pay equity. The human rights due diligence initiatives in the Fujitsu Group supply chain are based on the RBA Code of Conduct.

• Supply Chain

The Fujitsu Group embeds the RBA’s Code of Conduct and engages in socially responsible procurement with its suppliers and throughout its supply chain.

We have formulated and made stakeholders aware of the Fujitsu Group’s CSR Procurement Guidelines, and we request that suppliers fully understand and comply with that Guidelines. To keep track of the progress of those initiatives, the Fujitsu Group conducts regular CSR surveys of its major overseas and domestic suppliers each year. The FY2022 survey elicited responses from 533 companies. Feedback was actioned based on survey results from 77 of Fujitsu's key suppliers of products and services, including product-related materials, catering, security, and manufacturing employment agencies/subcontractors.

The Fujitsu Group has stipulated that it prohibits the use of forced labor or child labor. The Fujitsu Group CSR Procurement Guideline issued to suppliers includes demands that they eliminate forced labor and child labor, and written surveys are used to check their progress with those initiatives.

The policy of the Fujitsu Group is to eliminate from its products, components and supply chain any minerals that give rise to conflicts (“conflict minerals”), or minerals that are at high risk of being associated with forced labor or human rights violations. To this end, the Fujitsu Group conducts surveys of high-risk minerals.

• Addressing High-Risk Minerals

The Fujitsu Group takes the rights of all its employees very seriously and complies with the core labor standards set out by the ILO. It also will not discriminate on the basis of race, skin color, religion, beliefs, gender, social status, family origin, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, birthplace, age, or any other factor that is not related to legitimate business interests.

• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The Fujitsu Group has established a Human Rights Promotion Committee, chaired by the executive responsible for human resources, that leverages various opportunities to undertake research and awareness-raising activities. Reports on the status of activities and issues within the areas in Japan and in group companies are regularly provided to the secretariat of the Human Rights Promotion Committee. Findings are used by the Human Rights Promotion Committee to summarize activities and set policy direction on an annual basis to drive ongoing, structured educational activities that promote respect for human rights. We are also members of the Industrial Federation for Human Rights, Tokyo, a voluntary organization, and work on mutual training with many of the member enterprises to make respect for human rights an integral part of our corporate culture. In addition, from our standpoint as a company, we engage in activities that work to raise community awareness.

• Conducted an e-learning program on "AI Ethics and Business” for all Fujitsu Group employees in Japan in FY2022; attended by 94% of all employees in Japan.
• Conducted an e-learning program for all employees on the topic of preventing harassment in the workplace, including discrimination against members of the LGBTI+ community
• Continued training for all new and promoted employees and staff identified for management training, focusing on preventing various forms of discrimination and harassment
• Conducted a "Barrier-Free Minds" workshop that includes messaging around employees with a disability and is aimed at establishing workplaces and a society in which everyone can participate actively, whether disabled or not
• Conducted an "Unconscious Bias Awareness: Achieving Greater Diversity and Inclusion” e-learning program accompanied by video seminars for all employees to help reveal underlying systemic discrimination while further promoting diversity and inclusion

• Period poverty: Held a webinar to improve the health status of women worldwide by enabling informed discussion on the topic of period poverty: what it is, how best to find sustainable solutions to the problem, and how employees can contribute
• Is privilege real? (focusing on human rights): Held a webinar that discussed prejudice, discrimination and the idea of inalienable rights. This included sessions that used case studies taken from everyday life to make employees aware of their own prejudices and the fact that those prejudices can have an enormous impact on their own lives
• Empathy and compassion: Held a webinar teaching a range of methods for dealing with difficult situations. This included considering ways to support others by looking at life from their viewpoint, and also ways to support oneself
• History of rights for LGBTQI+ people: Held a webinar looking back at the history of LGBTQI+ rights around the world. We welcomed a special guest from the Bisi Alimi Foundation who gave a talk on the recent anti-LGBTQI+ laws passed in Nigeria and the impacts those laws have on the rights of LGBTQI+ people

The Fujitsu Group aims to improve the work-life balance and productivity of every employee through a variety of initiatives aimed at reducing long working hours. By promoting Work Life Shift, we are also enhancing our systems that support diverse modes of employment based on teleworking, allowing employees to make use of flexible working arrangements, such as flex time and exempt labor systems.

• Social Well-being
• Work Life Shift

• For more initiatives in other regions

  • UK: The UK has developed Work Your Way commitments which include a Well-being hour each week, opportunity to work core hours, work from different countries for up to 4 weeks per year (subject to approval) and protected focus time which gives people meeting-free focused time to get on with their work.

    Portugal: Currently have Gimme 5 and Me Time programs in Portugal Global Delivery Center, where employees can apply to work one hour less every day of the week for a period of time or an afternoon off for personal time.

We undertake written surveys of group companies in Japan and other countries based on the ISO 26000 standard to check on the status of initiatives promoting respect for human rights. In FY2022, we conducted surveys at 6 facilities and 79 global group companies to assess the progress of human rights and work practices programs with the aim of identifying problems and helping to expand such programs company-wide. We also conducted a survey of 21 overseas group companies in FY2020 investigating working hours, wages, privacy and reporting systems.

• For more information

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Because the Fujitsu Group shoulders considerable responsibility as an IT developer and supplier, we devote a great deal of effort to deepening our understanding of the potential negative impacts of the many and diverse human rights issues entailed by advanced IT such as AI, and to minimizing those impacts. This applies to areas such as data security, privacy protection, and the ethical use of data.

The rapid progress of AI is resulting in dramatic changes to people’s lives and the communities in which they live. While this innovative technology offers new solutions to social and environmental problems, it remains a “black box” process where people do not understand how its outcomes are achieved. Another issue is that the large volumes of data involved in that process can include inherent biases, which the technology encourages. Even when care is taken with the use of AI, it can lead to unforeseen problems for people. There are reports of cases of wrongful judgment due to misidentification by AI as well as ethical issues such as inequality of access, which can erode people’s trust in AI. This is why the Fujitsu Group considers it an essential part of its responsibility as an AI developer, supplier and operator to offer AI that is not only convenient, but also safe and secure.

The Fujitsu Group has long advocated a ‘human centric’ approach and argued that information technology should fundamentally be used to focus on, and to benefit, people. In March 2019, as a reflection of the rapid recent development of AI technologies, the Fujitsu Group formulated and announced the "Fujitsu Group AI Commitment". As one of the companies which carries out AI-related businesses including research, development, implementation and operation activities, we aim to emphasize the importance of communication with a wide range of stakeholders in the community, including users and consumers, as we distribute the enormous value of AI to the society. For that purpose, the commitment outlines our promises with the customers and the community.

• Fujitsu Group AI Commitment

The Fujitsu Group has identified the ethical risks listed below arising from the use of AI, and is formulating mitigation measures to address emerging risks that could significantly impact our future business.

• For more details of emerging risks

  • Emerging Risks The Ethical Risks of Utilizing AI
    Description	As a company that has been researching, developing, providing, and operating AI technologies since before the 1980s, Fujitsu has long asserted that information technology must be used in a human-centered manner. In recent years, there have been reports of troubling instances whereby ethical problems arise from the use of AI in the handling of privacy information. Examples include discrimination and unfairness due to negative judgments caused by false recognition by AI. Such cases can undermine people’s trust in AI. Fujitsu believes it is critical that those who develop, provide, and operate AI technologies achieve not only convenience but also use that is safe and secure.
    Impact	As we see the widespread use of AI increasing with unprecedented speed, particularly in the case of generative AI, there is also a risk that users and consumers who have been inconvenienced by AI supplied by Fujitsu may file claims for damages and thereby harm the Fujitsu Group’s reputation. In addition, proposed AI regulation announced by the European Commission (in June 2023) would require developers, users, and others involved to take strict action based on the degree of risk that their AI systems could adversely affect human rights. Violations could result in penalties, including fines of up to 7% of total global sales. This makes implementing appropriate risk management in the development and operation of AI systems essential.
    Mitigating actions	The Company established the Fujitsu Group External Advisory Committee on AI Ethics as a body that meets regularly and engages in ongoing dialogue with stakeholders from society. Part of this dialogue involves feedback on the “Fujitsu Group AI Commitment,” which serves as the Group’s AI ethical guidelines. The Company also participates in international discussions on AI ethics through its membership in AI4People and other forums. By virtue of these risk mitigating actions, the Fujitsu Group management and staff can become aware of the ethical risks of AI and understand the precautions needed when researching, developing, installing and running AI. By minimizing the likelihood of situations that might cause inconvenience to users and customers, we can foster people’s trust in AI. In particular, with regard to proposed European AI regulations, the Company has developed an “AI Ethical Impact Assessment” system that comprehensively identifies potential risks in AI systems as a proactive response to regulation violation risks and has released this system free of charge.

As stipulated by the policies laid down in the Fujitsu Group AI Commitment, the Fujitsu Group conducts education and training activities across the entire company and includes content that considers urgent and specific issues in AI.
Because we believe it is crucial for a culture of understanding to be championed by senior management in order to instill respect for human rights, the Fujitsu Group has set up the Fujitsu Group External Advisory Committee on AI Ethics, which comprises external experts in the field, to objectively evaluate ethics as it is practiced in the group. Discussions by this committee use a structure shared with the Board of Directors Meeting, incorporating the group's efforts for AI ethics into its corporate governance framework and allowing for ongoing review and improvement.

• Fujitsu Establishes the Fujitsu Group External Advisory Committee on AI Ethics to Ensure the Safe and Secure Deployment of AI in Society
• Trustworthy AI and a Prosperous Society Created Together with the “Fujitsu Group External Advisory Committee on AI Ethics”

• For detailed information on Fujitsu’s ethical AI initiatives, view the websites shown below.
  • • Fujitsu AI Ethics Governance
    • Fujitsu Establishes AI Ethics and Governance Office to Ensure the Safe and Secure Deployment of AI and Leading-edge Technologies in Society
    • AI Ethics: AI Ethics from Principles to Practical Implementation - Trustworthy AI Design & Auditing
    • Fujitsu Delivers New Resource Toolkit to Offer Guidance on Ethical Impact of AI Systems

Framework for Reporting and Consulting on Human Rights Issues

The Fujitsu Group conducts its business activities worldwide in close collaboration with local communities. Working with these communities, we have established systems to engage in human rights-related consultations and information gathering both inside and outside the company, in order to listen to and understand the opinions of various parties and reduce and prevent negative human rights impacts.

The Fujitsu Group has created an intranet-based system to consult with and accept input from all Fujitsu Group employees on human rights-related issues including harassment. Within Japan, Fujitsu has set up Human Rights Consultation Service. The matters discussed are reported to the Human Rights Promotion Committee and regularly communicated to auditors, with careful consideration given to ensuring that personal information and privacy are respected. The objectives are to understand the utilization status of this consultation service and to put in place initiatives designed to prevent recurrences of any breaches.

Since November 2023, the Fujitsu Group has been participating in the Engagement and Remedy Platform, operated and provided by Japan Center for Engagement and Remedy on Business and Human Rights (JaCER), to receive complaints and reports on human rights from a wide range of stakeholders (*3). JaCER aims to provide a non-judicial platform for grievance redress and to act in a professional capacity to support and promote redress of grievances by member companies based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. By accepting complaints through third-party contact points, we aim to promote fairness and transparency in the handling of complaints and promote dialogue and redress more than ever before.

• (*3)
  Reports by Fujitsu Group employees regarding illegal activities, illegal transactions, and other non-compliance activities, as well as reports and consultations from Fujitsu Group employees, are accepted through Fujitsu Alert, not this Platform. Consultations on human rights are available at the Human Rights Consultation Service.

• JaCER "Engagement and Remedy Platform Contact Desk"

Fujitsu Alert receives reports and consultations from all Fujitsu Group employees and external parties relevant to the Fujitsu Group, including customers and suppliers, regarding violations of laws and regulations, illegal transactions, and breaches or potential breaches of compliance on a global basis.

• Global Compliance Program

In addition to Fujitsu Alert, The Fujitsu Group has established internal and external contact points for business partners in Japan to receive reports on breaches or potential breaches of compliance, such as violations of laws and regulations and illegal transactions in Fujitsu's procurement activities.

• Whistleblower system for suppliers in Japan (Japanese only)