Society

    Respect for Human Rights

    Table of contents

    Basic approach, policy, and system

    At Murata, we manufacture and provide products all over the world, with support from diverse people including our employees, business partners, and members of local communities. Each and every one of these people involved with Murata are rights holders, and protecting and respecting their human rights is the bedrock of our corporate activities.

    Based on this approach, we support global standards related to social responsibilities including the UN "Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights" and the International Labour Organization (ILO) "Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work," and promote respect for human rights of each and every individual related to our value chain.

    Toward that end, we establish human rights policies and strive to promote continuous operations through such means as conducting human rights due diligence, establishing a grievance mechanism, and conducting human rights training based on these policies.

    Murata is also a member of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), a company alliance that promotes corporate social responsibility in global supply chains. As a member of the RBA, we fully support the vision and mission of the RBA, respect the RBA Code of Conduct, and have incorporated these into the "Murata Group Human Rights Policy."

    Overall image of initiatives for respecting human rights

    Murata Group Human Rights Policy

    Preamble
    We (Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and the member companies of the Murata Group, hereinafter referred to as “Murata”) recognize that respect for human rights is a topic of universal significance, and one that is extremely important in business; we believe that respecting human rights is a key aspect of our responsibility to society as we strive to realize sustainable business activities. This Human Rights Policy has been drawn up, and approved by our Board of Directors, with the aim of fulfilling our responsibility to respect human rights in line with the Murata Philosophy and our Corporate Ethics Policy.
    This Policy applies to all Murata company officers and employees.

    1. Our Commitment to Respecting Human Rights

      Murata respects the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Children’s Rights and Business Principles, and the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Code of Conduct.
      Murata respects the laws and regulations that apply in the countries and regions where Murata does business. In the event that the laws or regulations of a particular country or region conflict with international human rights principles, Murata will strive to adopt an approach that respects international human rights principles.
      Murata will not allow human rights defenders to be coerced, threatened, physically attacked, or attacked through legal means.

    2. Value Chain – Expectations and Responsibilities

      In all the countries and regions where Murata conducts business, Murata respects both internationally recognized standards and the laws and regulations, cultures, religions, customs, and histories of the individual country or region. Based on this respect, Murata also respects the fundamental human rights of everyone in the value chain, including Murata employees, the employees of Murata’s business partners (including suppliers and customers), local residents and other external stakeholders, and strives to uphold these rights and ensure that they are not infringed on.
      Through its value chain, Murata will continue to encourage business partners and other related parties to support the Murata Group Human Rights Policy and to adopt similar policies themselves, and will promote efforts to collaborate with business partners and other related parties on the safeguarding of human rights.
      If any non-compliance with this Policy is discovered, Murata will urge the party concerned to remedy the situation in a timely manner. If no improvement is seen, Murata may take appropriate action in terms of its business relationship with the party concerned.

    3. Governance

      In accordance with this Policy, Murata has established a Human Rights Committee as a sub-committee of the Sustainability Committee, which is chaired by the President, to implement initiatives and activities relating to human rights. The officer in charge of human rights, who chairs the Human Rights Committee, is responsible for performing oversight to confirm that the Murata Group Human Rights Policy is being followed.

    4. Human Rights Issues Relating to Business Activities

      Murata prohibits all forms of discrimination, forced labor, child labor, harassment, etc. and safeguards the right to freedom of association and the right to have reasonable working conditions (in terms of wages, working hours, safety management, etc.) as well as environmental and product safety, and the right to privacy. In addition, besides providing customers with safe products and services and implementing appropriate information disclosure, Murata also strives to maintain harmonious coexistence with the local community, taking into consideration ways in which its business activities might impact local people.
      (For more details of Murata’s approach to human rights in relation to business activities, see the Appendix)

    5. Human Rights Due Diligence Implementation Process

      Murata will put in place a human rights due diligence framework, and will implement this on an ongoing basis. Human rights due diligence is a series of actions that include identifying, preventing, and mitigating any adverse impacts on human rights involving Murata, Group companies or suppliers, etc., evaluating the effectiveness of the measures taken in this regard, and fulfilling the duty of accountability.

    6. Access to remedies

      Murata will establish multiple internal and external contact windows so that all stakeholders can raise their concerns regarding human rights without fear of suffering disadvantageous treatment, and will put in place a system for handling grievances that takes into account suggestions from external experts.
      Murata will not hinder a stakeholder seeking remedies via a judicial or non-judicial grievance mechanism, and will also collaborate constructively with any judicial or non-judicial grievance mechanism besides those provided by Murata itself. In addition, Murata will not impose the waiving of the legal right to make use of other judicial or non-judicial grievance mechanisms as a condition for using a particular grievance mechanism, and will not require confidentiality clauses in relation to human rights concerns. Furthermore, Murata will not permit the taking of retaliatory action against whistleblowers or persons who collaborate with surveys, and will provide protection for whistleblowers.
      If it is confirmed that Murata’s business activities have caused an adverse impact on human rights, or have contributed to such an impact, Murata will speedily implement corrective measures, such as collaborating on the provision of remedies or on solving the problem.

    7. Training and Awareness-raising

      To strengthen understanding of and realize effective implementation of this Policy through its business activities, Murata will implement appropriate training for its company officers, managers, and employees, and verify implementation status, on a periodic, ongoing basis.

    8. Information Disclosure

      Murata will report on the implementation status of human rights initiatives and human rights due diligence based on this Policy on the Murata website as appropriate.

    9. Stakeholder Engagement

      With regard to the series of initiatives implemented based on this Policy, Murata will make effective use of the views of independent external experts, and will implement dialogue and consultation with relevant stakeholders in good faith.

    Murata Manufacturing Co.,Ltd.
    PresidentNorio Nakajima

    • This policy is subject to periodic supervision by the Board of Directors.

    Link: (Appendix) Addressing Human Rights Issues Relating to Our Business Activities (PDF: 164KB)Open in New Window

    System for promoting respect for human rights

    Based on our human rights policies, we established the "Human Rights Committee" as a subcommittee to the Sustainability Committee chaired by our president to promote initiatives related to human rights. The Human Rights Committee, chaired by the officer in charge of human rights, serves as a forum for determining company-wide policies and initiatives, and meets regularly twice a year with the Human Resources, Procurement, and Sustainability departments playing a central role in addressing human rights in the company and related members added according to the issues.
    Actions discussed by the Human Rights Committee are reported to and reviewed by the Sustainability Committee.
    Respecting human rights is one of "Murata's key environmental and social issues (materiality)." We have established cross-departmental working groups and are advancing our initiatives through frequent and close collaboration. Progress on the initiatives is supervised by the Board of Directors. In addition, as part of our day-to-day human rights efforts, the relevant departments hold discussions once a month and managers decide how to respond.

    Link: Identifying material issues

    Promotion system diagram

    Goals and medium- to long-term targets for respecting human rights

    We have set the 2030 goals and medium- to long-term goals with regard to promoting initiatives related to respecting human rights throughout the company.

    Our Vision for 2030
    • To expand the scope and continuously implement human rights due diligence (risk identification, prevention and mitigation, monitoring and information disclosure)
    • To ensure that grievance mechanisms are functioning throughout the entire value chain.
    Medium- to long-term goals
    FY 2027 targets

    Implementation rates for prevention/mitigation of significant human rights risk that have been identified as well as monitoring and information disclosure: 100%
    FY 2030 targets

    Implementation rates for prevention/mitigation of significant human rights risk that have been identified as well as monitoring and information disclosure: 100%

    Human rights due diligence

    At Murata, we take the impact that our business activities have on people's rights seriously, and we place importance on fulfilling our responsibility to respect human rights both within the company and across the entire value chain.
    Taking into account the impact on stakeholders — our own employees, those of our business partners, and members of local communities, we identify priority issues with a focus on the severity of the impact and the perspectives of those affected, and we advance our initiatives accordingly. Should an adverse impact on human rights arise, we take corrective and remedial action, and we strive to understand and improve the issues through dialogue with stakeholders.
    At Murata, based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, we identify and assess, prevent and mitigate, monitor, and disclose information on adverse impacts, and we continuously carry out a series of human rights due diligence processes that also include carrying out remedial action.

    Image of Managing human rights risks in the value chain

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    Identification and assessment of adverse impacts

    Assessment of impacts on human rights throughout the value chain

    We assessed impacts on human rights in the entire Murata Group in 2020, and have advanced initiatives to address the identified risks. In 2024, we once again assessed impacts on human rights in our value chain and identified risks, in light of changes in environments inside and outside the company.

    Identification/assessment process for human rights issues

    STEP1 Identifying human rights risks throughout the value chain
    Using the following steps, we identify human rights risks across the value chain
    STEP2 Identifying salient human rights risks through a significance assessment
    We assess the significance of the identified human rights risks, drawing on advice from external experts
    • Identify risks through our internal reporting system, audits, internal surveys, and other means
    • Dialogue with rights holders, including dispatched workers and foreign workers
    <Assessment criteria>
    • Severity (scale, scope, and irremediability)
    • Likelihood
    STEP3 Identifying priority issues and organizing our response policy
    • Following discussion by the Human Rights Committee and the Sustainability Committee, the Board of Directors identifies the areas to be addressed on a priority basis (priority issues)
    • It then decides to make these areas the focus of prevention and mitigation measures, monitoring, and information disclosure

    Priority issues (priority areas to tackle)

    Priority issues Future major initiatives Related webpages
    Healthy labor environments, and employee safety and security In addition to initiatives to prevent employee overwork and reduce long working hours, we continue to address occupational safety and health issues focusing on our production sites.
    • Information sharing and training related to work-hour management
    • Determining/monitoring domestic and overseas work hours
    		 Approach to the human rights of our workforce
    • Creation of a safety culture
    		 Secure and safe workplace and health management
    Responsible supply chains We work with our business partners to tackle labor rights issues involving dispatched and subcontracted manufacturing workers on-site, as well as employees at supplier companies.
    • Worker interviews at production sites
    		 Approach to the human rights of our workforce
    • Supplier risk assessments and CSR audits
    		 Sustainable Procurement
    Consideration of human rights in society and local communities We are engaged in protecting the rights of nearby local residents impacted by Murata's business activities.
    • Prevention of environmental pollution at production sites (chemical substance leaks, etc.)
    		 Prevent pollution
    • Continuing dialogue with local communities and local residents
    		 Coexistence with society and local communities

    Prevention and mitigation of adverse impacts

    After identifying human rights risks through such means as assessments, audits, and complaints from stakeholders, we share information with related internal departments, and implement initiatives to prevent or mitigate adverse impacts.

    Priority issues Prevention and mitigation measures Related webpages
    Healthy labor environments, and employee safety and security Addressing a labor issue at a Murata plant:
    A survey at a Murata plant in Vietnam indicated that, in the past, some workers may not have received sufficient overtime pay. In response, the local subsidiary looked into the situation, paid the portion of overtime pay that had been insufficient in some cases, and revised its working arrangements as a measure to prevent recurrence.    		 Approach to the human rights of our workforce
    Initiatives to foster a culture of safety:
    At Murata, we believe that employees' health and the creation of safe, secure workplaces are the foundation for realizing CS and ES, our most important values.
    Through safety and health training, risk experience training, and the promotion of risk assessments, we work to prevent industrial incidents before they occur and to raise safety awareness, while also creating comfortable working environments and promoting health management.     		Secure and safe workplace and health management
    Responsible supply chains Addressing labor issues at suppliers:
    Through CSR audits of suppliers, we have identified cases where improvement is needed with regard to human rights risks affecting worker safety and health and people in particularly vulnerable positions, such as pregnant women and women raising children. Specifically, we found cases where the assessment of work-related risks associated with pregnancy and childcare had not been adequately mapped out and cases where a system for occupational health and safety risk assessment, including the effects of equipment, work content, and physical strain, had not been sufficiently established. We therefore instructed the suppliers to reflect these matters in their management systems and work processes.    		 Sustainable Procurement
    Consideration of human rights in society and local communities Initiatives to prevent environmental pollution in local communities:
    If environmental pollution occurs due to chemical substances leaking from a plant, it could adversely affect the lives and health of local residents. In order to prevent these risks, we set and follow our own rules covering both physical infrastructure and operational practices, such as installing emergency shutoff equipment to prevent leakage outside the site and setting voluntary standards that are stricter than regulatory requirements.    		 Prevent pollution
    Educational support for multicultural coexistence:
    We believe that no business can succeed without relationships of trust with the local community. Based on this belief, we fulfill the roles required of us according to local needs in order to contribute to the development of society and the community, aiming to prosper together with them. In light of the impact that Murata's business activities have on local communities, we believe it is important to engage in continuous dialogue with members of the community on a range of issues, including human rights. We therefore provide regular opportunities to exchange opinions with members of the local community, and when grievances are raised, we use these occasions for dialogue.
    In addition, as the number of foreign workers at Murata increases, we believe it is important for these workers to better coexist within their local communities. At Izumo Murata Manufacturing, based on issues shared at a meeting to exchange opinions held once a year with the local Board of Education, we work together with partner companies on initiatives such as dispatching interpreters to elementary and junior high schools and donating foreign-language books.     		Coexistence with society and local communities

    Monitoring

    In addition to monitoring the work conditions and work hours of Murata employees, engaging in discussion with labor unions, and conducting employee surveys, we regularly check the results of supplier risk assessments.
    In order to ensure that measures for adverse impacts are being appropriately implemented and are effective, the Human Rights Committee chaired by the officer in charge of human rights sets goals for each issue and confirms the status of initiatives every six months.

    Information disclosure

    We disclose information through the Murata website and the Murata Value Report (integrated report).
    Link: Murata value report (Integrated report) (PDF: 23.4MB)Open in New Window

    Remedy (grievance mechanism)

    At Murata, we have established a system for receiving concerns and grievances about human rights from stakeholders, and for appropriately handling these issues.
    We have established multiple services inside and outside the company in order to maintain an environment where employees, workers and suppliers throughout our value chain, members of local communities, and all other stakeholders can easily report issues and ask for advice.
    When responding to a complaint received through one of these services, we ensure the privacy of the informant, and we have also established mechanisms to ensure that nothing detrimental will occur to the informant.

    If it is determined that Murata's business activities have caused or contributed toward an adverse impact, we promptly implement appropriate corrective measures and strive to provide remedies to those who were impacted.

    Who can use the service What we handle Name of the service Contact Response policy
    • Officers or employees of Murata Manufacturing and its affiliated companies, and their families
    • Employees of dispatch and contractor companies working at Murata Manufacturing and its affiliated companies, and their families
    		Acts that violate, or are suspected of violating, laws and regulations, the Corporate Ethics Policy and Code of Conduct, or other compliance requirements, committed by our Group or by officers or employees of our Group Reporting and consultation hotline for compliance violations (internal reporting service)
    • In-house reception service
      (Compliance Promotion Committee / Audit and Supervisory Committee Office)
    • External reception service
    		 Link: Whistle-blowing system
    Officers or employees of Murata Manufacturing and its affiliated companies / dispatch-company employees and their families Acts of harassment in our Group's workplaces Harassment consultation hotline External reception service Link: Responding to harassment
    Business partners* (suppliers) or their officers and employees Acts that violate, or are suspected of violating, laws and regulations, the Corporate Ethics Policy and Code of Conduct, or other compliance requirements, committed by our Group or by its officers and employees Consultation window for business partners (suppliers) Link: Consultation window for business partners (suppliers) Link: Supplier consultation window
    All stakeholders
    (workers in the value chain, local residents, and others)    		 Complaints and consultations regarding human rights Japan Center for Engagement and Remedy on Business and Human Rights (JaCER) Link: For all stakeholders (Grievance mechanism)
    (*Link to Japanese language page)    		 Link: About JaCEROpen in New Window
    Inquiries regarding our sustainability activities Inquiry form about our sustainability Link: Inquiry form
    (*Link to Japanese language page)    		 -
    • Business partners that provide goods or services to our Group

    Education and training on human rights

    We believe that continuous human rights training is essential, as the key to our success is for each and every employee to understand the connection between their work and human rights and to act accordingly.

    Internally, we conduct training on our Corporate Ethics Policy and Code of Conduct including respecting human rights, for all domestic and overseas employees. We utilize a variety of opportunities to work toward enhancing human rights awareness among our employees, such as holding lecture meetings on business and human rights conducted by external specialists, conducting human rights training when employees join the company or are promoted to managerial positions, and holding human rights study sessions based on specific situations in the Human Resources Department.
    We also conduct training specializing in preventing discrimination and harassment for all employees.

    For our suppliers, we share the Murata Group Sustainable Procurement Guidelines, which cover respect for human rights. We also engage in direct dialogue with suppliers through conducting CSR audits, and communicate the importance of our procurement policies and guidelines.
    We also share the latest information with suppliers and many other companies to educate and enlighten them so as to deepen their understanding of the importance of our initiatives, through participating in "Responsible Minerals Sourcing Inquiry Briefings" hosted by JEITA.

    See here for details on our discrimination and harassment training and participation rates in this training.
    Link: Discrimination/harassment training

    Stakeholder engagement

    In order to appropriately identify the adverse impacts on human rights associated with our business activities and to respond effectively, we regard dialogue with stakeholders as an important process.
    Human rights risks are difficult to grasp fully on the basis of internal information alone, and we believe that incorporating the perspectives of those who may be affected makes it possible to understand the issues in a way that better reflects reality.
    For this reason, through dialogue with stakeholders including our employees, workers in the supply chain, and local communities, we work to improve the accuracy with which we identify and assess human rights issues and to enhance our responses.

    Examples of dialogue

    • Example of dialogue with employees

      At Murata, through regular labor-management consultations with the labor union and interviews with employees, we engage in dialogue to get a clear picture of working conditions and the workplace environment. In labor-management consultations, we continuously exchange views on systems and workplace issues and reflect employees' voices in management. At the same time, through interviews, we get a direct read on the perceptions of our own employees and indirectly employed workers, as well as the realities of the workplace, striving to identify issues at an early stage. As a result of this dialogue, while we confirmed that the workplace environment is generally good, we have also identified some issues regarding the understanding of our systems, which we are working to improve in collaboration with the relevant parties.

    • Example of dialogue with suppliers

      To understand the human rights risks at our suppliers, regular self-assessment and on-site audits are conducted.
      Through these efforts, we have identified situations such as long working hours (working more than 60 hours a week) and cases where the legally required one day off in every seven was not always provided, as well as cases where risk assessments concerning workers' occupational health and safety and risk assessments giving consideration to pregnant and postpartum women workers had not been sufficiently carried out. In addition, employee interviews raised concerns about equipment hazards and physical strain, confirming risks at the on-site level as well. In light of these situations, Murata held discussions with the suppliers and, going beyond individual responses, requested that they develop their management systems and work processes so that corrective action takes root as a company-wide framework. Specifically, in addition to reviewing their management of working hours, we have asked them to formulate and implement corrective plans so that risk assessment, including occupational health and safety and consideration for pregnant and postpartum women, is built into a structured system that is operated and reviewed on an ongoing basis.

      Furthermore, with regard to raw materials such as 3TG* and cobalt mined in conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs), we conduct supply chain risk assessments and share information in cooperation with our suppliers, based on the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct. If a risk assessment identifies a smelter or refinery where there are concerns about involvement in human rights violations or conflict, we confirm with the supplier whether that smelter or refinery is used and request corrective action. Through these efforts, we work to identify, prevent, and reduce risks such as involvement in human rights violations and conflict.

    • Examples of dialogue with other parties
      Logistics partner companies

      Long working hours and occupational safety and health are major issues in the logistics industry. At the Osaka Logistics Center, one of Murata's logistics sites, we engage in dialogue about labor and safety issues with several partner companies involved in warehouse management and transportation at regular meetings and connect this to necessary improvements. As a result of exchanging information, we have made actual improvements to the safety of work environments based on proposals from the people working on-site (for example, revising the layout of truck berths to ensure safety while also accommodating fluctuations in on-site logistics).
      In addition, a new Labor Standards Act came into effect in Japan in 2024, giving rise to what is called the 2024 Problem, in which the hours that drivers spend on duty are restricted. To address this issue as well, we held discussions with our partner companies and took measures such as setting up a warehouse to serve as a hub in order to reduce the hours drivers spend on duty.

    • UNDP Business and Human Rights Academy

      Murata participated in the Business and Human Rights Academy hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and, over two days of training, learned practical ways to apply human rights due diligence.
      We also took part in individual guidance sessions and held discussions with domestic and international experts about Murata's human rights initiatives. While we received recognition for the solid efforts being made on labor at both our own company and our suppliers, we were also advised to operate with greater awareness of the entire value chain across our human rights initiatives as a whole and to disclose the results.
      Reflecting that advice, we incorporated a value chain perspective into the human rights impact assessment conducted in 2024 and the review of our human rights policy in 2025.

    • 3TG: tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold

    Responding to the UK Modern Slavery Act

    In accordance with the Modern Slavery Act that came into force in the UK in 2015, we have released the following statement on slavery and human trafficking.

    Link: Statement pertaining to the UK Modern Slavery Act

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