Diversity & Inclusion
- Initiatives for Diversity & Inclusion
- Initiatives for Empowering Our Diverse Workforce
- Diverse Work-Styles and Work-Life Balance
-
Initiatives for Diversity & Inclusion
Message from Management
Group CEO, Director,President and Representative Executive Officer
Masahiro Minami
Resona's Vision for Diversity Management
We are promoting diversity and inclusion as a mode of value creation driven through new awareness gained by having each and every employee understand, recognize and elevate different ways of thinking.
Looking Back on Our Initiatives
Following the injection of public funds, we made great strides in the promotion of diversity during our management reforms. The various personnel systems generated from the proposals of the Resona Women’s Council, which reports directly to management, helped to largely propel our promotion of women’s empowerment, and in recent years, we are working to realize diverse work-styles through the introduction of the Smart Employee System and other means.
Implementation Structure
We have established a closely integrated implementation structure by creating diversity management offices or diversity management groups inside the Human Resources Division of Resona Holdings and Group banks.
Regarding our initiatives for diversity, progress is reported to management and the board of directors regularly, and we are moving ahead based on their evaluations and views.
Initiatives for Raising Awareness
Diversity Training for All Employees
We have been conducting diversity training for all employees since FY2018, with explanations provided by department managers in each workplace.
FY2024 Unconscious biases Training - Gaining an awareness of biases against yourself FY2023 Unconscious Bias Training - Resona Group's promotion of diversity FY2022 Unconscious Bias Training - Diverse work styles and diversity promotion Diversity Management Training for Managers
We hold diversity management training for managers.During the sessions,participants engage in group work regarding human resources administration not influenced by such factors as gender nor age.
-
Initiatives for Empowering Our Diverse Workforce
Initiatives for Empowering Women
Resona Women’s Council 2.0
In April 2005, the Resona Women’s Council was established as an advisory body operating directly under top management. With the aim of ensuring the reflection of the voices of female employees in business management, the Council started out with an exclusively female membership. It has since gone on to see the implementation of a variety of its proposed measures designed to help women remain active in the workforce over the long term even as they pursue higher careers. These measures range from some related to the development of a workplace environment to others concerning the provision of career-building assistance.
In recent years, the Council’s proposals have come to include a number that are not necessarily gender specific. Reflecting this, the Council was upgraded in April 2025 into the “Resona Women’s Council 2.0,” which boasts a 3:7 male to female ratio. The Council now fully leverages input from this diversified membership to upgrade its activities.
Main accomplishments of the Resona Women’s Council
- Enhanced Childcare Leave Program
- Job Return System
- Mentorship Program
- System for Converting Employment Status*
- Job Return Support System
- *In 2015, we introduced the “Smart Employee” program where an employee can limit their working hours or the scope of their duties compared to others, and later we expanded this to a system enabling employees to switch between job types.
Career Seminars for Female Employees
We hold training and seminars for each position to foster career awareness.
Senior manager positions
Mentorship Program Program for expanding the horizons of newly promoted female general managers with officers or senior general managers serving as mentors. Female employees can request to be appointed as officer or group leader. Officer Roundtable Discussions Held for participants in the mentorship program. Managers
My Career Training(advance) Leadership training for managerial appointees Persons in charge
My Career Training(basic) Fosters career awareness for becoming a manager Career Design Forum Network building for cross-industry exchanges Challenges in Empowering Women and New Initiatives
We established targets to reach a 30% or more ratio of female executives*1, a 20% or more ratio of female line managers in senior manager positions*2, and a 40% or more ratio of female line managers*2 (percentage of managers supervising others) by FY2030, representing a 10% increase over June 2021.
As of March 31, 2025, the ratio of female line mangers in senior manager positions was 16.5% and the ratio of female line managers 34.4%. We will continue working diligently toward achieving these targets.
Furthermore, regarding the ratio of female executives, in May 2019 our top management joined the 30% Club Japan, an initiative aiming to increase the representation of women in executive positions. We also endorse the "Challenge to 30% in 2030" campaign organized by the Japan Business Federation.
- *1Resona Holdings
- *2Sum of Resona Holdings, Resona Bank, Saitama Resona Bank, Kansai Mirai Bank and Minato Bank. The figures of FY2023 and before include those of Kansai Mirai Financial Group.
Targets for Female Line Managers and Results
Number of Board Members/ Ratio of Female Executive
(Resona Holdings)
Male of board members (persons)
30
Female of board members (persons)
4
Ratio of female
executives (%)11.7
As of June 26, 2025
Initiatives for Promoting the Active Role of Seniors
In April 2006, we introduced the Master Employees Program where employees who reach mandatory retirement age at Group companies can be rehired up to the age of 65. In October 2019, we increased this maximum age to 70. In addition, we introduced a selective retirement system in April 2021 enabling employees to report their retirement between the ages of 60 and 65. After retirement, employees may be rehired as Senior Smart employees up to the age of 70.
By enabling employees to independently select their working style during their 60s based on work-life balance, we are striving to provide workplaces where they remain motivated to work by effectively utilizing their wealth of knowledge and skills.Initiatives for Empowering People with Disabilities
The Resona Group is engaged in the development of an employee-friendly workplace in which everyone can realize their full potential and play a key role while also cultivating mutual understanding and The Resona Group is engaged in the development of an employee-friendly workplace in which everyone can realize their full potential and play a key role while also cultivating mutual understanding and respect.
People with disabilities are employed at branches and the head offices of Group banks, where they actively engage in a range of operations from ushering in customers from the lobby and processing clerical work to cleaning up branch floors and premises.
Furthermore, over many years of operations Group subsidiary Resona Mi Rise has built up a wealth of know-how regarding the employment of people with disabilities. This know-how is now utilized by the entire Group to identify new tasks that can be assigned to people with disabilities based on their individual characteristics and to update their workplace environments.
In addition, ensuring that all employees are correctly informed about their colleagues with disabilities is essential to developing a workplace environment that allows people with disabilities to work with confidence. Accordingly, we implement periodic training to help employees study the Group’s basic concepts regarding how to treat people with disabilities as well as the differing characteristics of various disabilities and the types of reasonable accommodation required of businesses in the course of serving people with such disabilities.
Initiatives to Empower Global Human Resources
We continue to hire several non-Japanese students studying at Japanese universities as part of our new graduate recruitment every year. The Resona Group believes that human resources with a global perspective, who can identify trends in global business, technology and financial services in a timely and appropriate manner, and utilize this not only in international business, but in every division, regardless of nationality, are essential. We will continue to foster such a global perspective at the companywide level. Locally hired staff play an important role at the branches of our overseas subsidiaries. At Bank Resona Perdania in Indonesia and at Resona Merchant Bank in Singapore, we actively promote qualified local staff to management positions to engage in business closely tailored to the local market.
For more information on recruitment activities at Bank Resona Perdania. please refer below.
Initiatives for Human Rights
Bank Resona Perdania : Sustainability Report -
Diverse Work-Styles and Work-Life Balance
Supporting a Balance between Work and Infertility Treatments
In recent years, an increasing number of married couples are undergoing infertility treatments, which will increase the number of employees receiving these treatments while working. Amid this growing awareness, insurance began covering infertility treatments in April 2022.
Taking this into account, we introduced a childbirth support program to help employees strike a balance between work and infertility treatments. Through our support for fostering the next generation, from pregnancy to childcare, we hope to retain employees for the long-term by providing a balance between a meaningful lifestyle and high quality work. This program allows an employee to use leave or accumulated paid leave to pursue infertility treatment, while our mutual aid society also offers a financial assistance program.
Supporting Employees to Balance Work and Childcare
The Resona Group has established Job Return Support Systems including various seminars and programs for taking childcare related leave and working while raising children. This ensures that we have a work environment in place supporting employees to balance work and childcare.
To support long-term employment, we have introduced a working reduced hours program that can be used by employees until their child(ren) enters the first grade of elementary school, as well as the System for Converting Employment Status that allows employees to convert to Smart Employee with limited working hours from when their child(ren) enters the first grade through the sixth grade of elementary school.Also, for employees who resigned due to their family situation, the Group has introduced the Job Return system, which gives these employees the right to return to work as a Smart Employee. Through such initiatives, we are working to develop a workplace environment that supports diverse working styles.
We grant “early reinstatement allowance” to those who opt to be reinstated from childcare leave by the time their child turns one year old, irrespective of the recipient’s gender, as part of mechanisms aimed at encouraging earlier reinstatement to their workplace.
Moreover, we grant a “full-time working hour allowance” to employees who opt not to shorten their working hours while raising children who are yet to enter elementary school.
Also, we began distributing “babysitter coupons” to employees under a system designed to partially subsidize babysitting expenses. In these ways, we have enhanced support measures that help employees engaged in child rearing, including those who are part of double-income households, to remain confident in their continued employment.
Each Resona Group company has acquired Platinum Kurumin certification as a "childrearing support company" in recognition of our various initiatives to support employees' return to work from childcare leave.
First-Time Father and Mother Seminar - Programs for Childcare
The First-Time Father and Mother Seminar is held for female employees prior to giving birth, men whose spouse will be having a child and their supervisors in order to make them aware of childcare related programs and foster understanding. At the same time as providing explanations about how to prepare for maternity leave or childcare leave, this seminar provides a venue to think about work-life balance, especially in terms of work and childcare, through the advice of senior colleagues.
The seminar is held using a television conference system and also streamed via our at-home learning system, enabling employees to watch at any time and from anywhere.
Job Return Support Seminars
We host Job Return Support Seminars for employees on childcare leave to not only alleviate any concerns but also provide networking opportunities and maintain motivation. This is achieved by providing explanations of programs they can use after returning to work and any changes that may have taken place in their duties during their leave as well as by holding discussions or interactive talks with employees who have taken childcare leave before. Since 2020, we have held the seminar online so that employees looking after a child or children at home can participate.
Additionally, we offer the Job Return Support Seminar for employees who have returned to work from childcare leave within the previous one year period. The seminar encourages participants to share information among themselves regarding any challenges they may face collectively. It also seeks to ease any anxiety about returning to work and foster awareness about future career development options through presentations given by employees who have taken childcare leave before.
Next-Generation Development Support Guidebook
We compiled the Next-Generation Development Support Guidebook that contains details on programs and procedures for childcare geared toward employees who will be having a child and their supervisors.
Work-Childcare Balance Career Interview Sheet
We created this sheet to share information before and during childcare leave between the employee and their supervisor to promote in-depth discussions about their career, work-styles, and childcare needs after returning to work.
Men’s Participation in Childcare
Joining the Iku-Boss Corporate Alliance Since male employees tend to take somewhat shorter periods of childcare leave compared to female employees, we need to establish programs easily accessible to male employees and further promote an environment that encourages them to take advantage of these programs.
As part of initiatives to address this challenge, in FY2018 top management members, along with heads of each business unit, declared their commitment to supporting staff engaged in child rearing. Today, we still require newly appointed office heads to create an Iku-Boss declaration and display it behind their own desk.
In addition, in FY2018 Resona Holdings joined the Iku-Boss Corporate Alliance. We are now working to develop Iku-Boss with an understanding of work-life balance.
The ratio of employees taking spousal maternity leave at Resona Bank and Saitama Resona Bank has been 100% every year since FY2017. In our action plan following the Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace, we established the target to increase the acquisition rate of childcare related leave by men to 80% by FY 2025 based on the recognition that work-style improvement and changes in mindset are needed for promoting work-life balance, including among male employees. The above target has already been met. To promote the further utilization of childcare leave, we are currently striving to achieve a target of raising the ratio of eligible male employees who take childcare leave to 100% by the end of FY2027.
Since October 2022, the first 14 days of childcare leave at birth (postpartum paternity leave) is paid, and we are encouraging employees to take five days of spousal maternity leave. We will continue our efforts to further promote the use of leave, including the development of a work environment in which both men and women can take leave if they wish.
Ratio of employees who took childbirth leave upon their spouse’s giving birth Ratio of eligible male employees who take childcare leave Average number of days off taken by male employees for childcare leave FY2024 100% Legal standard 97.0%
In-house standard 99.4%14.8 FY2023 100% Legal standard 100.8%
In-house standard 97.3%14.2 FY2022 100% Legal standard 98.2%
In-house standard 95.7%2.9 - *Resona Bank, Saitama Resona Bank, Kansai Mirai Bank, Minato Bank.
- *Legal standard:Represents the ratio of individuals who began taking childcare leave during the fiscal year (subject to calculation) to individuals whose spouses have given birth during the same year in accordance with the standard stipulated by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
- *In-house standard:Represents the ratio of individuals who took childcare leave upon their spouse’s giving birth during the fiscal year (subject to calculation) to individuals whose spouses have given birth during the same year in accordance with in-house rules
Support for Balancing Work and Family Care
Since we expect an increase in employees with concerns about family care in the future, we are working to create programs that enable flexible work-styles and ensure these programs are easy to access.
Employees can take family care leave up to one full year, while there is no cap on the number of times they can take this leave as long as it adds up to one year. Resona Bank and Saitama Resona Bank offer a program for working reduced hours program, and employees who want to reduce their work burden can use the System for Converting Employment Status where they can switch temporarily from employee to Smart Employee or Partner Employee.
We keep employees informed by compiling the Work-Family Care Balance Support Guidebook, which contains simple and clear information on Japan’s nursing care insurance system and the family care programs accessible at the company, and by creating "Work and Family Care Balance - Working at Resona," which contains actual examples of how employees have used company programs. Every year we hold the Family Care Seminar in order to alleviate concerns employees have about family care through information provision, and prepare them for balancing work and family care.
Work-Style Reform and Work-Life Balance
We are working to increase productivity and to expand options for diverse work-styles in order to increase competitiveness by maintaining and improving organizational strengths. This is achieved by developing an environment where everyone can thrive professionally, regardless of time or other constraints. We have introduced a variable working hours program for all employees to ensure flexible work-styles tailored to the individual needs for balancing work and family life. In addition, under certain conditions, employees have access to work-styles tailored to their job, by using the discretionary labor system or flex-time system. In 2017, we introduced a telework program and in 2019 we introduced satellite offices, as a way to expand support for balancing work with childcare or family care, and offering more flexible workplaces.
We introduced Smart Day, which takes place once a month, where employees are encouraged to leave work at 3:00pm or take a half day or full-day of paid vacation. All employees are also expected to leave work by 7:00pm every work day. Other measures include handing out cards with the planned time of leaving work that day and using stopwatches for meetings at all offices. Through these efforts, we aim to improve work-life balance while boosting the efficiency of our day-to-day operations. We commend examples where work-style reform has made considerable contributions to improving brand power, with the unique initiatives of each business location shared within the Group for rollout.