Community Relations

Community Involvement and Development

The following policies related to local communities are laid down in the Toshiba Group Standards of Conduct.

Toshiba Group Corporate Policy

Toshiba Group Companies shall:

contribute to and cooperate with all local communities in which Toshiba Group operates and perform its duties as a member of these communities.
support Directors and Employees in undertaking voluntary activities and give full consideration to each individual's desire to exercise his or her civil rights.
make appropriate donations in each country and region where Toshiba Group operates, after considering the contribution to the community, the public nature and the reasons for making donations; and.
try to improve the brand image in all aspects of their relationships with the communities.

Toshiba Group Standards of Conduct Chapter 3 17. Community Relations

Structure for Community-related Corporate Citizenship Activities

The General Affairs division at each site or company is responsible for handling relations with local communities, including constant communications with community associations and other organizations.

Examination and Evaluation of Community-related Corporate Citizenship Activities

Development of good relations with local communities is one of the points checked in internal management audits. For manufacturing sites, the Toshiba Environmental Audit also evaluates the extent to which operations have an impact on the local environment.
All operational sites are working toward maintaining good relations with the local communities.

Communication with Local Communities

Toshiba Group companies and plants engage in communication suitable to the characteristics of their business operations and the interests of local communities.

Examples of Communication Activities at Operations (Japan) for FY2009
Activities	Activities / Achievements for FY2009
Plant tours (tours of manufacturing lines, environmental facilities, etc)	54 operations
Practical learning programs for school students over several days	24 operations
Opening of plant grounds and sports facilities to the public	24 operations
Neighborhood clean-ups by employees	296 times in 112 companies by 21,007 participants
Blood donation by employees	total of 3,810 liters in 79 companies by 10,588 participants
Festivals to promote amicable relations with local communities	6 operations

Evaluation of Local Impact of Establishing New Operational Sites

When establishing new business operations, companies at Toshiba Group adhere to laws and regulations, engage in dialogue with local authorities and residents and strive to maintain harmony with the community. Once operations are underway, the companies disclose information about their business activities and environmental protection initiatives and thus engage in fruitful communication with local residents.

Management of Issues As a Result of Business Activities

Local resident tour at Ome Complex, Japan

Dialogue at TTEI, Thailand

With regard to environmental matters of high concerns to local residents, many Toshiba business sites proactively hold meetings, inviting the local residents to their facilities and soliciting opinions.
For instance, for announcing a meeting with local residents, Toshiba's Ome Complex in Japan encouraged people to participate by announcing the event in the Ome City newsletter and local cable network. Responding to rising interest in the environmental issues in Thailand, Thai Toshiba Electric Industries Co., Ltd. (TTEI) held a one-day event for local exchange.
The company invited 50 local residents to its premises for an explanation of the home appliance manufacturing process at the plant, focusing on the safety and environmental systems installed to protect the environment.

In the years ahead, Toshiba will continue to engage in face-to-face dialogue with local communities.

Prevention of and Response to Accidents due to Business Activities

Local residents in an emergency drill using earthquake simulation vehicle (Kitashiba Electric Co., Ltd.)

To prevent fire and other accidents, each operational site performs periodic safety inspections of equipment and chemicals in accordance with fire and safety laws and regulations. Also, depending upon the requirement of each site, manuals and checklists are prepared for fire and disaster prevention and for safety management.
As a precautionary measure for any disaster or accident, periodic emergency drill is conducted to prepare for taking prompt action, including providing information to the concerned and working to prevent damage to the neighboring areas.

Contribution to Local Communities through Job Creation

Toshiba Group employs approximately 200,000 people around the world. The jobs created contribute to local communities, especially the production facilities which employ a considerable number of local people.

Support for Local Community Development and Public Policies

Contribution to Local Communities through Tax Payments

By paying taxes in accordance with national laws and regulations, group companies make an economic contribution to the regions where they operate. The local taxes paid by employees augment the contribution, particularly in areas where production facilities are located.

"Saiban-in" (Lay Judge) System Leave

Toshiba set up a new leave system called "Saiban-in" (Lay Judge) System Leave to coincide with the commencement of the Lay Judge System from May 2009 in Japan. This leave facilitates the employees to participate as citizen jurors in criminal court procedures.

Based on the law for implementation of the "Saiban-in" system in criminal court procedures, the salary per day for the employee selected to participate in such system amounts to the basic salary per day. Also, based on the above law, the number of leave days provided under this system equals to the maximum number of participation days under the Lay Judge System.