Engagement with Society and Local Communities

The principle of social contribution activities of the Hitachi Cable Group is to meet social expectations and demands as a good corporate citizen and to perform activities toward the realization of full and rich human lives and a better society. At individual works that are our bases of manufacturing activities, both in Japan and overseas exchanges with people in the local communities have been deepened through social contribution activities closely tied to the communities as well as a promotion of sports and culture.

Social contribution through environmental activities

Hitachi Cable Group conducts environmental improvement activities near works.
Densen Works (Sukegawa Town, Hitachi City) has made a joint effort with the "Society to Clean the Kazusagawa River" (comprised of local volunteers) since 1994, and Toyoura Works (Kawajiri Town, Hitachi City) has done so with the Juo River Fishery Cooperative to clean up the river near the works. Every year, about 40 to 50 employees participate in the activity, pick up trash scattered along the riverside, which are then sorted, disposed of and recycled.
In addition, domestic and overseas Group companies are actively engaged in cleaning and other community contribution activities.

Main cases of environmental activities (FY2009)

Description Business establishment Miyagi Prefecture Participation in cleaning volunteer activities sponsored by the Secretariat of the Sendai-Shiogama Port Promotion Association Tohoku Rubber Co., Ltd. Participation in cleaning volunteer activities sponsored by Hitachi Aobakai Hitachi Densen Shoji, Ltd. Tohoku Branch, Tohoku Rubber Co., Ltd. Yamagata Prefecture Cleaning activity of Uesugijinja and Uesugi shrines Hitachi Cable Precision Co., Ltd. Ibaraki Prefecture Participation in cleaning volunteer activity of the Kazusagawa River City road cleaning activity in Hitachi City Participation in climbing and cleaning of the hiking course of Mount Kamine & Mount Takasuzu Environmental improvement activity on Mount Ogitsu Participation in climbing and cleaning of Mount Tsukuba Participation in cleaning volunteer activities of the Juo River, Juo train station and Kawajiri Coast Cleaning activity in the neighborhood of the works Works and Group Companies of Hitachi area Cleaning activity of the Kasumigaura Marathon course (International Blind Marathon Kasumigaura) Cleaning, weeding and twig cutting in the neighborhood of the works Tsuchiura Works Saitama Prefecture Participation in Sainokuni Road Support initiatives Hitachi Alloy, Ltd. Tokyo Cleaning activity around the works and the Kanda train station Hitachi Densen Shoji, Ltd. Yamanashi Prefecture Cleaning activity in the neighborhood of the works Hitachi Cable Film Device, Ltd. Bangkok (Thailand) Environmental preservation activity ( hunting prohibition campaign, release of fish into the wild, and tree planting) Hitachi Bangkok Cable Co., Ltd.

More than 30 continuous years of improving the hiking course of Ogitsuyama Nature Park

The Ogitsuyama Nature Park in Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture is a sanctuary of many small animals and insects, and especially in the wetlands, many fireflies can be observed every year. The park serves as an oasis for citizens to feel close to nature. The Mountaineering Club of Hitachi Cable has continued to conduct environmental improvement activities, including weeding the 10km hiking course and installing fingerposts at junctions around the Nature Park for over 30 years since 1977. In 2007, the club renewed obsolete fingerposts with new ones made of recycled plastic, and in 2008, voluntarily produced guide maps of the hiking course and distributed them to citizens. These environmental preservation activities have received praise, with two of the Club members being designated as "Natural Park Instructors" by the Ministry of the Environment. In addition to the improvement activities carried out by the Mountaineering Club, Hitachi Cable recruits employees to volunteer for environmental preservation of the Ogitsuyama Nature Park, and working with local citizen volunteers, activities such as weeding the wetlands, securing of channels for aquatic animals and picking up litter take place.   left:Climbing & cleaning right:Mountaineering Club members who were chosen as Natural Park Instructors

Social contribution through corporate sports

Marathon Team volunteer activities

As a symbol sport of the company, Hitachi Cable's Marathon Team plays an important role in the shared excitement among our employees and the people in the local community as well as a strengthened sense of integrity in the Hitachi Cable Group. The Team has participated in the New Year Ekiden (the All-Japan Inter-Business Organization Ekiden relay race) that takes place in Gunma prefecture every New Year's Day for seven consecutive years (total 22 times). They also participate in the "Hitachi Sakura Road Race" as guest runners, aggressively promoting exchanges with people in the community through volunteer participation in local events and festivals around Hitachi City.
Members of Hitachi Cable's Marathon Team and other employees participate as volunteers in the Kasumigaura Marathon (International Blind Marathon Kasumigaura) that takes place every April in Tsuchiura City where Hitachi Cable's Tsuchiura Works is located to engage in social contribution activities. Members of the Marathon Team serve as escorts for visually impaired runners while our employees assist at the event as helpers to escort the participants between the train station and the venue and to help them meet with escort runners, contributing promoting sports for people with disabilities.

Sport promotion assistance by the Basketball Team

Hitachi Cable's Basketball Team, the "Hitachi Cable Bulldogs" belong to the Japan Basket Ball League 2 (JBL2), participating in games all over Japan, contributing to the promotion of basketball.
The team also aggressively conducts exchange activities in the community around Hitachi City, their hometown, through basketball. For example, the team hosts about 10 to 15 practice matches and gives technical instruction (clinics) to students in the local community in the period between March and July every year. About 2,000 pupils and students from local elementary, junior and senior high schools participate in the initiative each year.
Hitachi Cable's Basketball Team also actively participates in local events, especially in Hitachi City, playing an important role in community exchanges and contributing to promoting sports in the local community.

Initiative to promote harmony

Factory/establishments tours and opening of facilities to the community

A scene from a factory tour (Hitaka Works)

The Hitachi Cable Group accepts diverse stakeholders to tour factories and business establishments. In FY2009, we invited elementary school students in the neighborhood of Hitaka Works and held a factory tour. This event is held annually as part of social studies, and this year, a total of 110 people, including pupils, teachers and parents visited the works over three days. We also offered opportunities for elementary school pupils and junior high school students in the neighborhood to visit our Head Office and works of our Group company Hitachi Cable Film Device, Ltd. Hitachi Cable also opens its grounds and gyms to people in neighboring communities.

Coexistence with local communities

Hitachi Sakura Matsuri Festival volunteer activities

Individual works serving as the bases of production activities and other individual establishments of the Hitachi Cable Group have implemented many activities closely related to local communities. We support festivals and other events to nurture friendship with the local citizens. We are in active cooperation with festival activities to promote exchanges with local communities by, for example, having a booth at the "Hitachi Sakura Matsuri" (Hitachi Cherry Blossom Festival) that takes place on the station road of JR Hitachi station every April with employee voluntary participation. Our Group company Hitachi Cable Precision Co., Ltd., participated in "Uesugi Yukidourou Matsuri" snow lantern festival in Yonezawa city in February 2009, assisting the production of snow lanterns, the main focus of the festival.

Our welfare facilities in the Hitachi area use local seafood and locally harvested produce as cooking materials, promoting a spirit of "local consumption of locally produced goods." All works have their own internal firefighting teams, not only responsible for in-house fire prevention for a quick response to fires, but also extending assistance during the occurrence of fires or large-scale disasters in collaboration with the Hitachi Fire Department.
In the case of our overseas Group company, Hitachi Cable Philippines, Inc. organizes a program called Family Welfare for citizens in the community and employee's families, implementing dinner parties with elementary school pupils and children who cannot go to school, free-of-charge dental checkups, repairing houses of employee's families using scrap wood, and support of part-time jobs for members of employee's families. About 150 children attended the dinner party that took place in August 2008.

Examples of main communication closely related to communities (FY2009)

Description Business establishment Hosting factories/establishments tours for neighborhood residents and elementary school pupils and junior high school students Head Office of Hitachi Cable, Hitaka Works, Takasago Works, Hitachi Cable Film Device, Ltd. Hitachi Magnet Wire Corp. Opening of facilities Making grounds, gyms and welfare facilities available for use by the general public Hitaka Works Making grounds and tennis courts available for use by the general public Tonichi Kyosan Cable, Ltd. Free-of-charge lending of "Toyouradai Model House" in Kawajiri Town, Hitachi City, for a meeting of citizen professors Hitachi Cable Logi-Tech, Ltd. Participation in local festival Booth at the "Hitachi Sakura Matsuri" festival Hitaka Works Participation in "Hitachi Onmosa Matsuri" festival by Marathon and Basketball teams Hitaka Works Hosting "Hitaka Natsumatsuri" summer festival for exchange with local residents Individual works and Group companies in the Hitachi area Making snow lanterns for the "Uesugi Yukidourou Matsuri" snow lantern festival in Yonezawa Hitachi Cable Precision Co., Ltd. Participation in the Fish Festival in Sing Buri, Thailand Hitachi Bangkok Cable Co., Ltd. Promoting local consumption of locally produced goods at welfare facilities Welfare facilities in Hitachi area (Hitaka Club, Suginouchi Club) Assistance to blood donation activities Individual works and Group companies in the Hitachi area, Tsuchiura Works, Tonichi Kyosan Cable, Ltd., Tohoku Rubber Co., Ltd., Hitachi Bangkok Cable Co., Ltd.

Social welfare/contribution activities

Hitachi Cable donated a total of one million yen, together with our Chinese Group company after the Great Sichuan Earthquake of May 2008, and the employees of our Group companies in China raised subscriptions and donated a total of about 3.6 million yen.
Since FY2008, Hitachi Densen Shoji, Ltd. has donated a portion of the sales of environmental-friendly products to "Oarai Umi no Daigaku" and "Seijukai," organizations that are engaged in environment-related activities and to Chiyoda ward, Tokyo.
Furthermore, as a member of the Hitachi Group, we endorse and make donations to a wide range of social contribution activities in such diverse fields as education, environment and welfare by foundations of the Hitachi Group.

Continuing "ecoCAP Movement" to reach one million caps

The Hitachi Cable Group endorses the group MATE that promotes the "ecoCAP Movement" in Yokohama City and extends its support to it. In the ecoCAP Movement, caps of plastic bottles normally incinerated as plastic waste are sorted, collected and recycled in order to address a reduction in CO2 emissions, and by taking advantage of the profit from sales, this citizen group provides vaccines for various infectious diseases to children all over the world. Our Group has supported the movement since November 2007, collecting caps from Japanese works, branches, offices and Group companies. As of May 2009, a total of 1,014,880 caps have been collected, which is the equivalent of 1,269 polio vaccines. This is the equivalent of CO2 emissions of 7,992kg (the amount absorbed by 571 Japanese cedars in a year.)