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Since its founding in 1945, Kyodo News has been reporting and editing domestic and international news for distribution to media outlets worldwide. In February 2023, the company established a Diversity Promotion Committee comprising approximately 30 members, including executive officers and senior management from various departments. Following discussions within the committee, Kyodo News released the first DEI Declaration in the domestic industry as a top-down message from the president in June, and began preparing an action plan.

A key priority was to deepen understanding of DEI within the organization and ensure that each employee recognized its importance. To achieve this, a bottom-up approach was taken in the creation of the action plan, with each workplace engaging in discussions aimed at raising awareness and promoting the integration of DEI principles.

As Kyodo News worked through the processes of current state analysis, executive commitment, roadmap creation, and KPI setting, participation in Google's DEI Acceleration Cohort Program proved to be perfectly timed.

Members from the Diversity Promotion Committee, including the chair, vice-chair, and secretariat, participated in the program, resulting in a shared understanding and smoother communication of challenges. Through workshops, participants gained confidence in the significance of advancing DEI, which reinforced the company’s commitment to pursuing DEI initiatives without wavering. Additionally, sharing challenges and concerns with other participating companies heightened industry-wide awareness of DEI promotion.

Consulting and workshops helped affirm the need to address the gender gap, and this became a core pillar of Kyodo News’s action plan alongside mindset reform and the promotion of diversity. By December 2023, the DEI action plan was finalized, and efforts to achieve the established KPIs commenced in January 2024.

In terms of communication, opportunities for direct dialogue between executives and employees were created, along with an increase in DEI-related discussions during existing meetings. Hierarchical training sessions were also introduced to enhance DEI understanding. The company has observed a gradual permeation of the DEI concept throughout the organization, although it acknowledges the challenges of transforming corporate culture.

Kyodo News recognizes that DEI promotion is a long-term commitment that cannot be achieved overnight. However, the company is resolute in its belief that reflecting societal diversity in its content is essential to maintaining its status as the most trusted journalism organization. Kyodo News remains committed to advancing DEI with unwavering conviction for the future.