Human Rights

Our Approach

The shared values articulated in the Fujitsu Way’s Code of Conduct serve as guidelines for each employee to follow in 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 strive to embed this concept as an integral part of the day-to-day actions of all employees within the group.

In 2014, the Fujitsu Group released the “Fujitsu Group Human Rights Statement” and revised it in 2022. It states that senior management is committed to upholding international norms on human rights, complying with laws and regulations, conducting ongoing human rights due diligence, and engaging in dialogue with stakeholders. It states that senior management is committed to upholding international norms on human rights, complying with laws and regulations, conducting ongoing human rights due diligence, and engaging in dialogue with stakeholders. 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 10 principles of the United Nations Global Compact (*1) based on universal principles regarding human rights and rights at work, such as United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, 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.

• (*1)
  Ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact:
  The compact identifies 10 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)
• Modern Slavery Statement 2024 (Australia)
• Supply Chain Policy

Organizational Structure and Regular Reviews

A Division dedicated to Human Rights has been established within the CEO Office, which reports directly to the President. This group promotes activities that address human rights issues across the value chain in collaboration with corporate and business divisions. The group has established a system of regular meetings with human rights personnel in each region to promote global initiatives.
Activities are reported to and discussed by the Sustainability Management Committee (chaired by the CEO), and the results are then shared with the Executive Management Council and the Board of Directors.

Conducting Human Rights Due Diligence

Assessment of Human Rights Impacts

To maximize the effectiveness of human rights due diligence in the Fujitsu Group, we conduct regular Human Rights Impact Assessments.
Working with Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), an international NPO, the main business activities of the Fujitsu Group were reviewed, and interviews were conducted with each region, corporate division and business division to compile a list of human rights risks. These issues were then prioritized in terms of severity, likelihood of occurrence, and relevance to the business. The most recent Human Rights Impact Assessment identified priority issues such as: “Employee working environment, health and safety,” “Forced labor and child labor in the supply chain,” and “Data privacy and information security in business.”

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 additionally 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.

• Supply Chain

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 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.

Education

Awareness-raising and webinars

Fujitsu and its group companies in Japan hold training and awareness-raising activities on various occasions. These include sessions for new hires, staff promotions (covering new hires, career hires, newly appointed executives, and directors), and management training for senior executives. We also organize events such as awards for human rights awareness slogans on Human Rights Day, along with webinars. We are a member of a voluntary organization called the Industrial Federation for Human Rights, Tokyo. We work together with the many member companies to promote mutual learning so that respect for human rights becomes an integral part of our corporate culture and engage in activities conducive to awareness-building from a corporate perspective.

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 used with care, AI can lead to unforeseen consequences for people. There have been 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 researcher, developer, provider and operator to make AI solutions that are not only powerful to improve our society, but that are 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, provision 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 society. For that purpose, the commitment outlines our promises with 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 have arisen from the use of AI in the handling of privacy information. Examples include discrimination and unfairness due to negative outputs caused by biased training data. Such cases can undermine people’s trust in AI. Fujitsu therefore considers it an essential part of its responsibility as an AI researcher, developer, provider and operator to offer AI that is convenient, safe and secure to use.
    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 experienced issues with AI provided by Fujitsu may file claims for damages and thereby harm the Fujitsu Group’s reputation. In addition, the European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) requires developers, users, and other stakeholders to take strict action based on the level of risk that their AI systems could pose to the enjoyment of 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. (in June 2024)
    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, Fujitsu Group management and staff can become aware of the ethical risks of AI and understand the precautions needed when researching, developing, providing, and operating AI. By minimizing the likelihood of situations that might cause inconvenience to users and customers, we can foster people’s trust in AI. As a company that researches, develops, provides, and operates AI technologies, we aim to communicate knowledge about the rich value that AI brings, while emphasizing dialogue with a wide range of social stakeholders, including users and consumers.

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 the latest as well as specific AI-related issues.
Because we believe it is crucial that C-level management recognizes the importance of AI Ethics in order to establish a corporate culture which promotes AI Ethics, 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 AI Ethics initiatives in the Group. A summary of the committee’s discussions is 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

Tracking the effectiveness of measures

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.

The RBA (Responsible Business Alliance) is a CSR alliance composed mainly of global electronics companies. Its purpose is to eliminate human rights abuses and environmental degradation in the global supply chain. Its Code of Conduct is a set of standards for responsible behavior that companies must observe, including respect for human rights.
Since joining the RBA in 2017, the Fujitsu Group has been working both internally and with suppliers to promote responsible business practices and build responsible supply chains, including incorporating the RBA Code of Conduct into the Fujitsu Group Sustainable Procurement Policy.
The RBA Validated Audit Process (VAP) audit is an assessment by third-party auditors to ensure that an employment site is properly operated in accordance with the RBA Code of Conduct. The Fujitsu Group's server and storage facilities at Kasashima (Ishikawa) and Hobara (Fukushima) underwent a VAP audit in FY2023 and received Gold Status and Silver Status respectively, certifying them as having a safe and secure working environment with a high level of respect for workers' human rights.
The audit did identify a few non-compliances such as “Failure to inspect first aid kits at certain non-manufacturing sites” (Kasashima factory), “Failure to conduct evacuation drills at sunset” and “Some faulty Emergency lights” (Hobara factory), but remedial action has since been taken and all sites now comply with the RBA Code of Conduct.

Kasashima facility

Hobara facility (Currently: Fsas Technologies Inc.; facility located in Hobara-machi, Fukushima Prefecture)

Dialogue with Stakeholders

The Fujitsu Group held a dialogue with external experts to canvass and evaluate suggestions on the Group's human rights initiatives. The Corporate Executive Office’s Sustainability Division led the dialogue. In addition to relevant divisions such as Supply Chain, Compliance, HR, and AI Ethics, participants from overseas regions also took part in the discussion.

• Details of dialogue

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 a 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 (*2). 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.

• (*2)
  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"