September 29, 2025 Human Rights/DE&I

IHI Holds Workshop on Identifying Human Rights Risks in Business Activities

IHI has positioned respect for human rights as a key aspect of its ESG (environmental, social, and governance) management. As part of our initiatives, we recently held a workshop that brought together employees from corporate divisions and business divisions to identify risks related to human rights. Executive Officer and General Manager of the Human Resources Division Mamiko Saito also attended the workshop, in which the 60 attendees exchanged opinions.

In recent years, respect for human rights has become a fundamental responsibility of global companies. IHI is intensifying its human rights efforts as part of its management strategies, and it is developing systems for actively dealing with human rights risks.

The goals of this workshop were to prevent and mitigate human rights risks and to reflect the voices of those in the field in IHI’s development of systems for addressing issues and providing support as necessary. Participants in the workshop were not limited to personnel in charge of human rights but included various people working on the business frontlines. They looked at entire business processes, from the planning to the manufacture, sale, and use of products. They identified what kinds of human rights risks were encountered by the different people involved in business activities, such as employees, business partners, customers, and members of local communities.

Comments from participants were positive—”Workshop participants included people doing other types of work and with different fields of expertise, so I was able to see human rights risks from new perspectives,” “The workshop reaffirmed for me the importance of using multiple viewpoints when identifying risks,” and “I realized again just how important respect for human rights is, both in our sales activities and day-to-day work. In particular, I felt that when collaborating with others, such as other staff, business partners, customers, or members of the community, maintaining an attitude of mutual respect for each other’s human rights also helps improve performance.” An expert in the fields of business and human rights also took part in the workshop, providing advice on how to deal with the kinds of risk that are especially high due to the nature of IHI’s work, such as bribery, climate change and human rights, and dangerous and unfair work conditions.

Based on the workshop discussions, going forward, we plan to assess priorities from the perspectives of severity and likelihood, reexamine serious human rights issues, and reflect our findings in our human rights policies. Through these activities, we will further improve the effectiveness of our human rights risk management throughout our company management.

We will also strive to deepen human rights initiatives across the entire industry through workshops, study sessions, and other activities involving other companies, contributing to the realization of a sustainable society.

Participating expert: Toshiki Higuchi, EcoNetworks Co. partner and CEO of Keiseido, LLC
Graduated with an MA in International Human Rights Law from the University of London (SOAS). After interning in the UN, he worked in a refugee support project in an extra-governmental organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He then began working for the Japan section of international human rights NGO Amnesty International. There, he conducted studies and analyses of human rights issues in Japan and overseas, formulated strategies and plans for realizing societal impacts, and performed implementation evaluation and reporting. He was involved in projects related to issues such as gender diversity, inclusivity for immigrants and refugees, the empowerment of younger generations, and more. He then began working for PwC Consulting, assisting global companies in formulating human rights policies and implementing human rights due diligence. In April 2024, he set out on his own, founding Keiseido, LLC and began offering specialized services related to business and human rights. He is currently the CEO of Keiseido. He is also one of the directors of the Forum for Refugees Japan.

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