Respect for Human Rights

The Advantest Group recognizes that respect for the human rights of all those affected by our global business activities is essential. We support and participate in the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact, which take into account the fundamental responsibilities of business in the areas of human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption, as advocated by the United Nations Global Compact, and we have also joined the Global Compact Network Japan, a local network in Japan that support the same principles of the United Nations Global Compact. We are continuing to promote initiatives in each of these areas.

This respect for human rights is stipulated in "The Advantest Way" and forms the basis of all our activities.

In July 2021, Advantest formulated the Advantest Group Human Rights Policy. This policy expresses our respect for human rights as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact, and the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

With the appointment of our new Group CEO in April 2024, we have once again reviewed the Advantest Group Human Rights Policy based on these international norms. In revising the policy, we interviewed not only relevant departments within the company, including the labor union, but also external human rights experts, and created a draft based on their opinions and advice. The draft was then deliberated and approved at a management meeting, and the policy was revised accordingly.

We also place importance on stakeholder engagement so that human rights can be respected in our activities throughout the supply chain. The contents of our human rights policy are reflected in our procurement policy and the Supply Chain CSR Promotion Guidebook. We also ask that our stakeholders, who may potentially affect human rights through their business activities, consider not only themselves but also their procurement partners.

In addition, since it is necessary to comply with the laws and regulations of each country regarding human rights, we comply with the laws and regulations regarding human rights while also working with the legal department. For details, please refer to “Country Specific Regulations”.

Led by our Chief Human Capital Officer (CHO), we have established a global common framework and a framework for individual regions for addressing human resources issues, including human rights.

All compliance-related risks are reported to the Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) on a timely or regular basis, and the CCO reports to the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors. Since the CHO has also been serving as the CCO since July 2023, all risk information, including those related to people who have contacted the Human Rights Protection and Personnel Mediation Committee, is summarized by the CCO. This governance system, which allows information to be gathered in a centralized manner through the dual role, is a strength of our risk management.

Furthermore, the human rights policy and key measures are reviewed on a regular basis.

We have identified six key issues related to human rights. In these key issues, we are working to assess and identify human rights risks while preventing and mitigating negative impacts on human rights through various means of human rights due diligence.

The effective promotion of human rights due diligence (human rights DD) requires interaction with external experts. In fiscal 2023, we participated in a program jointly planned by the ILO Office in Japan and the United Nations Global Compact Network Japan to develop human resources within companies who can respect international human rights and labor standards. We will continue to use the advice of experts on our company's human rights initiatives and issues to guide our future activities.

Focused around the Corporate Ethics Office and the Human Rights Protection and Personnel Mediation Committee, Advantest strives to promote and set policies on human rights issues and deal with complaints about discriminatory treatment.

The Advantest Way, our corporate philosophy, is the basis for all of our activities. The Advantest Way incorporates a pledge that we will respect human rights without discriminating on the basis of race, gender, age, nationality, religion, social origin, physical disabilities, disease, sexual orientation or any other factors.

The e-learning training for The Advantest Way, which has been in place since fiscal 2013, is the most important training for our company, and it is the first course to be taken in the Group-wide Compliance Education Program (GCEP), which was established in fiscal 2023. In FY2023, this training was completed by all employees in the Advantest Group, both in Japan and overseas.
The INTEGRITY Workshop, a face-to-face training session based on The Advantest Way, is held as part of the training for new employees (including mid-career hires and those joining the company through M&A), and provides an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the company's corporate culture.

We have also formulated a human rights and discrimination manual and a harassment prevention guide, as we promote the protection and respect of human rights by setting a target of 100% GCEP course completion as part of our Sustainability Action Plan 2024-2026.

Advantest respects the basic human rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining. In countries and regions permitting the formation of labor unions, Advantest recognizes the right of a union to organize, the right for collective bargaining and the right to hold strikes through labor agreements. Even in countries and regions which do not permit the formation of unions due to laws and regulations or labor practices, we strive to build sound relationships and solve problems through dialogs between labor and management with the goal of fostering freedom of association and collective bargaining.

Organizations include the Advantest Labor Union at Advantest and its domestic subsidiaries. In FY2023, 80.2% of employees are members of labor unions at Advantest. All unions engage in discussions on labor and management.

Furthermore, safety, health, and settlement of grievances are described in the labor agreement with the Advantest Labor Union, and both sides cooperate to respond to issues such as Health and Safety Committee operations, human rights issues, and personnel grievance settlements at each business base.

Advantest has set up a common global Corporate Ethics Helpline to address human rights issues and concerns that are not readily resolvable in the workplace, designed so that those facing such issues can report to and consult with our Corporate Ethics Office. We have adopted a system that allows anonymous report and consultation, which are accepted in 16 major languages. Posters with QR codes have also been posted at each business location for reporting and consultation via mobile devices like smartphones. Reports and consultations are overseen mainly by the Corporate Ethics Office, and every precaution is taken to prevent those employees seeking help from suffering any disadvantage or retribution. Additionally, we have established, an external law firm (lawyer) as a contact point, in order to make it easier for our employees to consult with or report to the helpline. The helplines and contact point can also be used from overseas, and links are available on the Global Intranet page.

Moreover, in Japan, we have established a Human Rights Protection and Personnel Mediation Committee together with the labor union to oversee consultations about domestic human rights issues. There is three harassment-related consultations received by the Helpline and Human Rights Protection and Personnel Mediation Committee in FY2023. The Human Rights Protection and Personnel Mediation Committee properly responds to all incidents to seek a rapid resolution while giving due consideration to the privacy of the employees concerned.

Through this activity, Advantest aims to foster a workplace environment in which employees can work with peace of mind while respecting each other's human rights.

The Human Rights Protection and Personnel Mediation Committee responds to consultations and complaints received in a flexible manner which cause no disadvantage to the consultants, while taking into consideration the consultants' intentions and the contents of the hearing.

When the Human Rights Protection and Personnel Mediation Committee receives a consultation or complaint from the person concerned (or from the head of the department or a third party), a primary contact person is selected from among the committee members according to the content of the hearing. The committee members and the labor union then conduct hearings with the "person concerned (victim)," the "other party (perpetrator)," and the "bystanders". The following actions are taken depending on the factual situation.

In July 1999, Advantest created a manual to prevent harassment, and has since made efforts to prevent all forms of harassment. This manual has been revised and expanded following amendments to laws and regulations to include pregnancy, childbirth, and parental leave. The manual is published on the intranet to offer easy access to employees.

The key points are as follows.

We are working to devise methods for self-checking that can be conducted in response to the issues above.

To boost employee understanding of harassment prevention, every year starting from April 2006, training for new employees and new managers has incorporated training on harassment prevention as well as human rights education. We also provide extensive training for our managers. In fiscal 2019 and 2020, we provided harassment training for all managers. From November 2022 to May 2023, we held more than 20 in-person training sessions on harassment prevention and communication for officers and managers at Group companies in Japan and other recommended participants.