Governance
Framework for Inclusion and Diversity
NEC’s Inclusion and Diversity Group, a dedicated organization for promoting inclusion and diversity, works with related departments within NEC to promote various measures, such as providing support for and promoting the understanding of women’s career advancement and active participation, and the employment of people with disabilities and sexual minorities (LGBTQ). In addition, this group is engaged in measures related to smooth onboarding of non-Japanese employees working in Japan and mid-career hires. In this way, the Company is fostering an in-house culture that helps these diverse internal human resources make full use of their individuality and uniqueness, and to work and participate at their full potential.
We believe that fostering an inclusive culture is essential for creating an environment in which diverse talent can come together and continually generate sustainable innovation through “new combinations of knowledge.” This is why we put “inclusion” before “diversity.”
In April 2025, we established our I&D Policy, which is guided by the mission: “We will continue to create social value by leveraging diverse talent and technology, based on our policy of equity and fairness.”
Female corporate officers have participated as speakers in career development programs for women, and officers other than those in charge of HR have been appointed as executive sponsors for promoting I&D, advancing these efforts with support from top management.
The NEC Group appoints many local talents to key leadership positions including the presidents of local subsidiaries.
Outstanding local leaders are appointed as corporate SVPs, to create a structure that reflects local voices.
Since 1997, the Company has used the Human Rights Promotion Committee to share and discuss the status of human rights awareness activities for all employees and the implementation of various measures under the Inclusion & Diversity Policy, with the aim of respecting human rights, including prohibiting discrimination and preventing harassment and overwork.
Management
Strategy
NEC believes that creating a culture where diverse talent can thrive and where a broad range of perspectives and ideas are respected is essential and strategic for driving innovation. To that end, the Company is advancing initiatives such as global talent utilization, expanding mid-career hiring, promoting women’s advancement, encouraging the employment of people with disabilities, and fostering understanding and support for sexual minorities. Furthermore, the NEC Group established its I&D Policy in April 2025 to ensure workforce diversity.
The NEC Group’s I&D Policy states: “We will continue to create social value by leveraging diverse talent and technology, based on our policy of equity and fairness.” We have defined five pillars to realize this policy.
- An equitable environment empowering everyone
- Fair systems and rules
- Organizations where individuality flourishes
- Responsible execution and communication
- Creation of social values by tackling social issues
Inclusion and Diversity Risks and Opportunities
The principal risks and opportunities identified by NEC as the materiality during the Mid-term Management Plan 2030 period for this theme are as follows:
“Promoting the Creation and Delivery of New Value Through an Inclusive Culture (I&D)”
1. Impact on the Environment and Society
1.1. Negative Impact
- Due to unconscious bias, etc., vulnerable groups such as mid-career hires and women are not given opportunities, resulting in lost opportunities for talented individuals to thrive
1.2. Positive Impact
- Achieve an inclusive culture in which diverse talent thrives and every individual—not only women—can realize their full potential
2. Financial Risks and Opportunities
2.1. Risks
- Gender ratio imbalances adversely affect decision-making processes and quality in management
- A certain level of investment is required for initiatives such as enabling people with disabilities to thrive and measures to ensure retention of mid-career hires
2.2. Opportunities
- An inclusive culture contributes to the creation of innovation
Materiality during the Mid-term Management Plan 2025 period is as follows:
“Diverse Human Resource Development and Cultural Transformation”
1. Risks
- Difficulty in securing and developing human resources
- Long working hours
- Harassment
2. Opportunities
- Greater organizational strength through improved employee engagement
Inclusion and Diversity Strategy
NEC has established strategies and is implementing various initiatives related to the three targets of ensuring diversity among leadership, recruit and employ people with disabilities, and ensuring psychological safety and fostering an inclusive culture. Details of these initiatives are provided in “Details of Initiatives” below.
1. Promoting Women’s Active Participation in the Workplace
As a global company, NEC believes it is desirable for more women to participate in management decision-making and leadership roles. Based on this belief, NEC implements initiatives to promote women’s active participation, including education and awareness-raising activities, as well as enhancing their presence outside the Company.
2. Promoting Employment of People with Disabilities
Based on the belief that “We will continue to create social value by leveraging diverse talent and technology, based on our policy of equity and fairness,” the NEC Group currently employs 844 employees with disabilities (as of June 1, 2026; total for NEC Corporation, NEC Friendly Staff, Ltd., NEC Business Intelligence, Ltd., and NEC Solution Innovators, Ltd.). As of June 2026, the four Group companies above have reached the statutory employment rate of 2.7%, but some have yet to do so. NEC will promote an increase in the overall Group’s employment rate.
3. Promoting Global Talent Acquisition
To achieve global business expansion, NEC is hiring foreign nationals in its research, technology, sales, and administrative categories. We also promote diversity and enhance global competencies by welcoming employees from international subsidiaries.
4. Inclusion of Mid-career Hires
To realize “the right person at the right job and the right time,” NEC has conducted a wide-ranging review of the way it utilizes human resources. We are promoting mid-career recruitment to enable immediate execution of our business strategy and accelerate job-based human resources management, including the use of external talent.
5. LGBTQ Initiatives
We believe the most effective way to ensure a safe and inclusive workplace where LGBTQ individuals can be themselves is to foster greater understanding of LGBTQ issues and to increase the number of “Allies”1 .
1. Someone who understands the situation of, and strongly supports, LGBTQ individuals
Risk Management
We regularly compile results on women-related indicators and monitor gaps between actual performance and our targets. We are taking the following measures to close these gaps.
- Conducting unconscious bias training for the director and senior director levels to ensure fair, unbiased evaluations
Metrics and Targets
FY2031 KPIs
(Scope: NEC Corporation unless otherwise specified, Period: April 2026 to March 2031)2
M: Indicates the main non-financial targets related to materiality.
M: NEC Corporation and four major consolidated subsidiaries in Japan Percentage of female managers: 20%
M: FY20273 Diversity Score: 55% (+2 points compared to FY2026)
2. Including cases where transfers effective April 2031 have been decided.
3. FY2027 will be measured using the current survey. From FY2028 onward, a new KPI to assess the degree of inclusiveness will be established.
FY2027 Goals
1. Ensure Diversity Among Leadership
- Incorporate targets related to building a pipeline to management positions into the evaluation metrics for division managing director-level employees and above, toward achieving a 20% ratio of female managers at NEC Corporation and four major consolidated subsidiaries in Japan by fiscal year 2031
- Increase the ratio of female mid-career hires
2. Recruit and Employ People with Disabilities
- Strengthen the promotion framework for employment of people with disabilities throughout the NEC Group
- Expand new fields of work using AI and other technologies, and internalize previously outsourced operations
- Roll out the Mirairo ID integration service across the NEC Group using a “Client Zero” approach, creating new social value
3. Fostering an Inclusive Culture
- Continue to provide opportunities to make people aware of unconscious bias
- New seneior director-level employees and above take JobRainbow Co., Ltd.’s D&I Certification Level 3 examination
- Incorporate the Diversity Score into the evaluation metrics for division managing director-level employees and above
FY2026 Goals and Results
1. FY2026 Goals
1.1. M: Ensure Diversity Among Leadership
- In order to achieve the 20% ratio of female managers set in Mid-term Management Plan 2025, set goals for number of female managers for fiscal year 2026 and set goals for seneior director roles or higher
- Set goals for the ratio of diverse human resources among new manager appointments for positions of seneior director and above
- Increase the ratio of female mid-career hires
1.2. Recruit and Employ People with Disabilities
- Strengthen the promotion framework for employment of people with disabilities throughout the NEC Group to meet the increase in the employment statutory rate in 2026 (2.7%)
- Expand job categories by identifying and reallocating tasks in business support areas and internalizing work that was previously outsourced
- Roll out the Mirairo ID integration service across the NEC Group using a “Client Zero” approach, creating new social value
1.3. Further Enhance I&D Literacy
- Continue to provide opportunities to make people aware of unconscious bias
- Make I&D training mandatory in web-based training for all employees
- Conduct I&D training for seneior directors and above
2. FY2026 Results
2.1. M: Ensure Diversity Among Leadership
- In order to achieve the 20% ratio of female managers set in Mid-term Management Plan 2025, set goals for the number of female managers for the fiscal year 2026 and set goals for seneior director roles or higher, with an achievement rate of 82.1%
- Set goals for the ratio of diverse human resources among new manager appointments for positions of seneior director and above, with an achievement rate of 52.0%
- The ratio of women among mid-career hires decreased 0.8 points year on year to 24.1%
2.2. Recruit and Employ People with Disabilities
- • The combined employment rate for people with disabilities at NEC Corporation and three consolidated subsidiaries in Japan was 2.81% as of June 1, 2026, achieving the statutory employment rate; over 70% of major Group companies achieved the statutory employment rate; employment initiatives will continue to be promoted across the NEC Group
- Rolled out the Mirairo ID integration service to nine NEC Group companies using a “Client Zero” approach
- Expanded the services eligible for Challenge Points to include Mental Health Counseling and Self-growth Assistance, promoting employees’ career ownership regardless of disability status
2.3. Further Enhance I&D Literacy
- Unconscious bias content provided in new employee training, mid-career hire training, new people manager training, and company-wide web-based training
- Inclusion and Diversity training was conducted as web-based training for all employees in August, with an attendance rate of 92.8% at NEC
- JobRainbow Co., Ltd.’s D&I Certification Level 3 examination was conducted as I&D training for seneior director-level employees and above, and all 234 eligible corporate officers and seneior directors obtained Level 3 certification
Initiatives for Inclusion and Diversity
More detailed information on these initiatives is provided below.
Inclusion and Diversity
1. Promoting Women’s Active Participation in the Workplace
On the following website, the Company publishes its results in connection with indicators relevant to its initiatives for women’s active participation in the workplace.
Database of companies promoting women’s active participation in the workplace (Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare website) (Japanese language only)
1.1 Initiatives to Enhance External Presence
1.1.1. Joining the 30% Club Japan
In 2020, NEC joined the 30% Club Japan to improve gender balance among corporate officers. As a member of the TOPIX President’s Council, NEC is undertaking various initiatives to improve gender balance among corporate officers. Beginning in fiscal year 2027, NEC’s President Morita serves as Chair of both the 30% Club Japan and the TOPIX President’s Council.
1.1.2. Signing the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs)
As noted in reports by the United Nations Human Rights Council, women’s roles have traditionally been fixed in Japan, which has also affected the appointment of women to management positions in companies. In light of this situation, NEC recognizes that ensuring diversity, including gender equality, and creating an environment in which diverse talent can thrive are important management issues, and signed the WEPs in 2023.
1.2. Education, Awareness, and Promotion Activities in and Outside the Company
1.2.1. Development program for potential female managers
- A total of 104 non-managerial employees (including 30 NEC employees), regardless of job type, voluntarily participated in cross-industry networking events for women operated by four companies, including NEC (held in person in fiscal year 2026). In addition, an exchange session with Eisai Co., Ltd. was held, attended by 38 participants.
- In October 2025, NEC held the One NEC Women’s Career Forum 2025, a career event for female employees at the assistant manager and staff (non-managerial) levels across the NEC Group, attended by 30 participants.
The first session featured a panel discussion with the corporate officer serving as Gender Diversity Executive Sponsor and two female corporate officers from the NEC Group, while the second session consisted of networking discussions with senior female employees. - Potential management candidates are identified by name, and training is provided both to the candidates and their supervisors. All female executives participated as speakers to support the candidates’ development with powerful and encouraging messages.
1.2.2. Unconscious bias training
Information on unconscious bias is also provided in new manager training, training for all people managers, new employee training, mid-career hire training, and mandatory web-based training for all employees.
1.2.3. Diversity promotion initiatives led by female employees
- Operated female employees such as “Scarlet Elegance in NEC” (SELENE), an association of volunteer women in management positions at NEC.
- In 2021, W-Canvas was launched as a women’s Employee Resource Group. Under the vision of “enhancing the Quality of Life and Career for everyone working at NEC,” W-Canvas disseminates a variety of useful information for employees and hosts events.
1.2.4. Involvement of Senior Management
Approximately 30 employees from NEC and Group companies, including the corporate officer serving as Gender Diversity Executive Sponsor and the Chief Diversity Officer, participated in the International Conference for Women in Business held in July 2025.
1.2.5. Work Environment and Facilities for Female Employees
A lactation room was set up at the NEC Innovation Park, which opened at the NEC Tamagawa Office in April 2026, for employees returning to work shortly after childbirth.
1.3. Initiatives to Reduce Gender Disparities
We are promoting paternity leave for men and working to reduce gender pay gaps.
- Addressing the social issue of “enhancing child-rearing support,” we have set a management strategy goal of achieving a 100% paternity leave take-up rate among male employees in fiscal year 2026 to help normalize paternity leave and foster a corporate culture where this is standard practice.
- In order to increase the proportion of women in senior positions (management and above, decision-making levels), the Company has made improved female hiring and promotion a KPI for corporate officers and other leaders.
- Seminars on men’s participation in childcare, led by external experts, are held approximately once every three months
- In October 2024, we introduced a new program called the NEC Baby Smile Package, which supports all phases from pregnancy through return from parental leave, regardless of gender.
- Interviews are conducted with employees who have taken childcare leave and their supervisors, and their experiences are shared internally to encourage more men to take childcare leave
- A childcare leave guide for men was published in October 2022. Guides for supervisors and women were also published in March 2023
- In April 2024, the Company introduced a job-based compensation system that determines compensation based on position, eliminating the influence of personal attributes such as gender and years of service.
Hiring, Retention, and Compensation
2. Promoting Employment of People with Disabilities
2.1. Groupwide Committee for Promoting the Employment of People with Disabilities
The committee shares employment challenges and initiatives among NEC Corporation and its affiliates in Japan to enhance the expertise and organizational capabilities of those in charge of employing people with disabilities, while also planning and developing groupwide measures.
2.2 Signatory to The Valuable 500
NEC has agreed with and become a signatory to The Valuable 500 initiative for promoting active participation of people with disabilities in the workplace, which was launched at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos in January 2019. In addition to continuously promoting initiatives to create environments that allow employees with disabilities to demonstrate their full potential, the Company will also strive to realize safety, security, fairness and efficiency to enable a rich range of social activities by promoting the active participation of people with disabilities through employment and contributing to society through support for para-sports.
NEC Joins The Valuable 500
2.3. Expansion of Challenge Points
“Challenge Points” were introduced in the cafeteria-style benefits program “Will be” to better support employees with disabilities in maximizing their performance. Employees who have reported their disability certification to the Company receive points annually, which can be used for the purchase, rental, and repair of welfare equipment such as prosthetic and assistive devices and daily living aids; costs associated with obtaining or renewing disability certificates; travel expenses for bringing caregivers to assist them; seminars and networking events to learn how to live with disabilities; and housekeeping services. Furthermore, points can now also be used for book purchases and other opportunities for personal skills development.
2.4. Initiatives in the employment liaison service for people with disabilities
During recruitment and selection, in addition to providing information accessibility support for written examinations and interviews (including speech-to-text support, Braille examination materials, and enlarged-print materials), NEC works with specialized organizations to understand each candidate’s disability and consider reasonable accommodation4 after employment.
In addition, NEC conducts promotional activities that combine recruitment, para-sports, and other branding efforts to attract talented individuals.
Furthermore, before employment, NEC provides support tailored to individual disability characteristics, including confirming barrier-free accessibility at assigned workplaces and other locations frequently used in daily life, together with prospective employees.
4. Reasonable accommodation: Measures to improve circumstances that impede workers with disabilities from effectively demonstrating their abilities
2.5. Inclusion of people with disabilities using technology
The NEC Group leverages its advanced technologies to develop new fields of work and create environments where employees with disabilities can demonstrate their full potential. In fiscal year 2026, NEC worked on initiatives to improve the employee experience by linking digital employee IDs with Mirairo ID (digital certificate for people with disabilities) as part of its Client Zero approach, under which NEC serves as its own first client. In considering these initiatives, NEC practices inclusive design by involving many employees with disabilities and incorporating their perspectives and experiences.
3. Promoting Global Recruitment of Human Resources
- In addition to recruiting foreign national international students as new graduates, NEC conducts recruitment activities targeting researchers at overseas universities
- Actively accepts employees from overseas subsidiaries and conducts personnel exchanges and human resource development
- Established an October entry system for foreign nationals, Japanese nationals enrolled at overseas universities, and individuals with overseas study experience
- A prayer room was set up in the headquarters building and at the NEC Innovation Park, which opened at the NEC Tamagawa Office in April 2026, for employees requiring religious accommodations.
The number of international graduates hired in fiscal year 2026 was 12. For details on human resource development, including for foreign nationals, please refer to the following.
Human Resource Development
4. Inclusion of Mid-career Hires
Details about measures for mid-career hires are presented in the following sections.
Hiring, Retention, and Compensation (Hiring)
5. LGBTQ Initiatives
5.1. Efforts to Increase Allies
- Corporate officer appointed as LGBTQ Ally Community Executive Sponsor
- Establishment of a visible Ally consultation desk within the Company to provide a direct consultation channel
- A volunteer Ally community (ERG) within the NEC Group actively works to increase the number of allies
5.2. Participation in DIVERSITY CAREER FORUM 2025 as a Sponsor
For the ninth consecutive year, NEC exhibited at the DIVERSITY CAREER FORUM to introduce its inclusion and diversity initiatives. University students and others with a strong interest in diversity came from all over Japan to participate in the event.
5.3. NEC Awarded “Gold” in PRIDE Index 2025
For the sixth consecutive year (since fiscal year 2021), NEC received the highest “Gold” rating in the PRIDE Index 2025, developed by the organization work with Pride, which evaluates initiatives for LGBTQ and other sexual minorities at companies and organizations in Japan. NEC met all the evaluation criteria for the five indicators: “declaration of conduct,” “community of concerned parties,” “awareness-raising activities,” “human resource systems and programs,” and “social contributions and liaison activities.”
5.4. Revision of Internal Regulations
In October 2019, the Company revised 14 internal regulations, such as adding “a person who is a de facto marriage partner or in a partner relationship” to the definition of “spouse” in order to give de facto marriage partners, including same-sex marriage partners, equal treatment to legally married couples.
5.5 Fair Recruitment Practices
The Company added the items regarding LGBTQ issues in interview manuals. Since then, it has been promoting awareness so that recruiters can carry out interviews appropriately. The Company also removed the gender field from the entry form.
Hiring, Retention, and Compensation