Human Rights

As described in Basic Policies of Sustainability, the Yamaha Motor Group strives to contribute to the sustainable development of society through our business activities based on our corporate philosophy and to always abide by the letter and spirit of domestic and international laws and regulations. We are dedicated to earning the trust of the global community, and we place great value on communicating with all stakeholders. We recognize that respect for human rights is an issue of vital importance.

In 2017, the Yamaha Motor Group signed on to the UN Global Compact advocated by the United Nations. As a corporate group, we have and will continue to support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the Children’s Rights and Business Principles, which support the principles related to human rights and labor in the UN Global Compact.

The Yamaha Motor Group strives to ensure legal compliance in every country and community where the Group companies pursue business activities. But no matter what laws and regulations might prevail, business is conducted with priority given to international agreements and the spirit of the UN Global Compact. In addition, the scope of respect for human rights goes beyond employees of the Yamaha Motor Group to include suppliers and other business partners.

Policies and Guidelines

Yamaha Motor Group Sustainability Basic Policy

We have made the declaration that “We will respect human rights, will not discriminate, and will not use child labor or carry out forced labor under any form” toward all stakeholders, including employees and business partners.

Yamaha Motor Group Human Rights Policy

Based on the Yamaha Motor Group Sustainability Basic Policy, we have established the Human Rights Policy that serves as the foundation for all Yamaha Motor Group business activities.

Code of Ethics

We will forbid derogatory comments against employees on the basis of race, nationality, ideals, principles in life, physical characteristics, personality, relatives, etc., that abuse or deny a person’s character, and harassment of any kind, including sexual harassment.

Sustainability Guideline for Suppliers

We ask that our suppliers strive in all aspects of employment to eliminate discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sex and other issues, to refrain from the use of child labor or forced labor, to ensure fair working hours and wages, and to engage employees in dialogue and communication in good faith.

Statement on Modern Slavery Act

In accordance with the Modern Slavery Act, we publish a statement on our website in the United Kingdom and Australia and update it yearly.

Human Rights Due Diligence

The Risk Management System that covers all business divisions and subsidiaries of the group incorporates human rights related risks, including those in the supply chain, and such risks are considered as targets for monitoring, evaluation and the preparation of countermeasures. These risks are assumed to be the following: “discrimination, acts or speech violating human rights, or harassment between employees and executives (full-time and non full-time) or between employees or executives and business partners or potential hires. The Group may suffer the loss of reputation, lawsuits, boycotts or financial loss as a result of these.”

In 2022, this risk assessment identified three Group companies (two in Japan, one overseas) with human rights-related risks, and they carried out investigations, training and monitoring at each location.

Furthermore, in regard to subsidiary companies, the Human Resources Division of corporate headquarters also confirms each year that no discriminatory actions, forced labor, child labor, harassment and other violations are occurring.

What is more, we conduct a Groupwide compliance awareness survey each year to gauge how aware employees are about human rights.
To enable employees to promptly report human rights violations, such as harassment, which they have experienced or witnessed, we also have a reporting line established, and we maintain and operate a whistle-blowing system. Operation of the contact point for the whistle-blowing system is subcontracted to a third party to ensure the anonymity of the whistle-blower and the confidentiality of the reported content.

We ask our business partners to sign a commitment to the Sustainability Guideline for Suppliers. We also work with a third-party organization specializing in human rights to implement human rights due diligence. Human rights-related risks are identified, including those related to regionality, and questionnaire surveys of our business partners are also carried out. In 2021 and 2022, we collaborated with a third-party organization specializing in human rights and discussed ways to identify human rights risks. A decision was made to focus on foreign technical interns who are working (and are the subject of much attention) in Japan where the corporate headquarters of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. is located. After the third-party organization listened to management and interviewed workers, the results revealed no issues such as forced labor, human trafficking, child labor, overwork, discrimination, or problems with health and safety. We were also able to confirm that positive working and personal relationships had been established.

Furthermore, when starting a new business, we implement due diligence concerning the risks in the environment, society, human rights, and labor related business and regionality.

Employee Education

In regard to human resources development, in our stratified training, we take up sustainability as a topic and include explanations related to human rights. Additionally, human rights-related training is provided by establishing it as a theme for inclusion in compliance training and in e-learning. We also participate in and implement the activities of a subcommittee of the Global Compact Network Japan (the Japan office for the UN Global Compact), and we are also working to raise the level of support for human rights at Yamaha Motor.

Note that the Yamaha Motor Group had 4 reports of human rights violations in 2022.