Revised Personnel System for More Effective Evaluation and Compensation
In FYE 2025, we implemented our first major revision of the human resource system in approximately a decade. This included raising salary levels, particularly for young and mid-career employees, and introducing measures to enable the early appointment of outstanding employees as Executive Officers of Group companies. Furthermore, from FYE 2026, we are enhancing differentiation in compensation by setting annual salary levels of up to ¥35 million for manager-level employees and ¥40 million for general manager-level employees in cases of exceptional performance. We have also revised our stock compensation plan, doubling the standard grant amount and awarding additional shares upon promotion. As a result, these changes are expected to increase employee’s annual income by approximately 10% year on year.

Women’s Advancement in the Workforce to Increase Diversity within the Organization
As a trading company with strengths in the consumer-related business, we aim to capture the diversifying needs of consumers and evolve our business model accordingly. To create an environment where women can continue working without giving up on their careers, we provide detailed individual support to remove barriers to career development, taking into consideration life events, etc. In FYE 2025, we will integrate the women’s dormitories, and promote communication across age and departments as a place for internal networking and human resource development. In response to significant changes in the administrative environment driven by DX initiatives and the advancement of internal controls, we have redefined “clerical staff” and renamed them as “Business Experts (BX).” BX are tasked with playing a central role as an Organizational Hub by leveraging advanced expertise.

Support for Balancing Work and Childcare
In 2010, we established an in-house childcare facility. In FYE 2023, we began providing childcare and work-life balance allowances^*1 to employees, regardless of gender, who return to work from childcare leave within one year as a system to support employees who wish to return to work early after giving birth, regardless of the timing of their child’s enrollment in nursery school. In FYE 2024, we started workplace after-school care, and from April 2024, we made it “mandatory” for men to take childcare leave, thereby strengthening our support. In FYE 2025, the rate of male employees taking childcare leave increased to 96%. Furthermore, compared to FYE 2022—prior to the introduction of the support allowance—the number of male employees taking childcare leave for four weeks or more has increased approximately sixfold.

*1 This allowance is provided to cover additional expenses (such as childcare costs) incurred when balancing work and childcare, for employees who take four weeks or more of childcare leave and return to work before their child turns one year old.

Investing in Human Resource Development to Support Proactive Career Development
Since FYE 2000, we have positioned human resource development expenses as “human capital investment” for the sustainable improvement of corporate value. To foster “next-generation merchants” who can respond to changes in the social environment and increasingly diverse customer needs, we support employee growth through on-the-job experience and training, based on regular career reviews.

Virtual Office (In-House Dual Jobs System)
In April 2023, we formally introduced Virtual Office, an online platform for cross-organizational collaboration that enables passionate employees to participate in projects they have interest in beyond organizational boundaries, with the aim of further accelerating the promotion of crossorganizational projects and the creation of new businesses. We aim to foster the exchange of insights that break down the industry silos, a common challenge for general trading companies, while stimulating a spirit of challenge and growth ambition among junior and mid-career employees, leading to their revitalization and growth.