Kirin Holdings Selected As a 2022 Nadeshiko Brand

● Fourth year in a row recognized for women’s promotion initiatives
● Activities implemented include training for women to balance work and motherhood
● Changing all employee mindsets for the better, including 100% of men to take parental leave

TOKYO, Tuesday March 22, 2022 - Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (Kirin Holdings) was selected as a Nadeshiko Brand(https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2019/0912_001.html) - that encourages women’s success in the workplace under the joint initiative between the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In the past, Kirin Holdings has been selected as a Nadeshiko Brand in fiscal 2018, fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2021, and as a Semi-Nadeshiko Brand (a secondary award) in fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2020.

As part of its diversity promotion strategy, Kirin Holdings has been working on the promotion of activities aimed at female employees under the commitment of the management team, and Kirin Holdings has been strengthening its promotion system by making human resource strategies - including diversity promotion - a regular agenda item at the Board of Directors meetings. In addition, Kirin Holdings regards the resolution of issues surrounding the advancement of women as CSV*1 (the foundation of Kirin Holdings’ management philosophy) and actively disseminates information on beneficial initiatives that transcend the company, such as the know-how of Kirin Holdings’ internal ‘Nari-Kirin Mom/Dad Training*2’ and systems and measures borne from the opinions of female employees. These points of governance, promotion system, and information disclosure were particularly highly commended and led to Kirin Holdings being selected for the award.
*1 Creating Shared Value: combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.
*2 A demonstration conducted in which five female employees of the Kirin Group - also mothers - improved their labor productivity while thoroughly implementing a working style that requires them to respond to time constraints as well as unexpected situations such as a child's fever. The experiment not only demonstrated that women can have the confidence to continue working even after major life events, but also led to measures to improve the management of those around them and to organizational culture change, which are necessary for women to continue working while achieving high results. From February 2019, all divisions of Kirin Holdings, Kirin Brewery, Kirin Beverage, and Mercian Corporation have been be the main targets of the program.

What does “Nadeshiko” mean?

This term originates from ancient Japanese. Yamato nadeshiko is a Japanese term that meant the "personification of an idealized Japanese woman," or "the epitome of pure, feminine beauty" (Wikipedia(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamato_nadeshiko)). In recent times, the term has been shortened to nadeshiko to describe the ideal of modern brilliance and success for women. As such, the Nadeshiko Brand recognizes companies that take initiatives that help women succeed and shine.

Initiatives under the Kirin Group's Long-Term Plan for the Advancement of Women 2030 and under the Kirin Group 2022-2024 Medium-Term Business Plan

Kirin Group's Long-Term Plan for the Advancement of Women 2030

What Kirin Holdings is aiming for
To create an organizational culture in which more women can achieve a way of working that enriches both their work and their personal lives, and develop their careers while balancing personal growth and contribution to the company.

Targets
(1) Increase the ratio of women in management positions in Japan to 30%*.
(2) Increase the ratio of female executives at Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, to 30%.
*Kirin Holdings is included in the calculation.

Training Policy
Fostering female employees through “fast-track career development” so that they can experience challenging work early on in their careers based on their aptitude, experience the excitement of work, and proactively shape their careers even after major life events such as childbirth.

Priority issues
1. Secure a wide and diverse range of human resources and create an environment in which they can experience growth
2. Closing the gap between life and work
3. Change in the work style of management-level staff
4. Promotion of women in decision-making positions

Kirin Group 2022-2024 Medium-Term Business Plan

The Kirin Group 2022-2024 Medium-Term Business Plan aims to remove barriers that may prevent working mothers in particular from playing an active role in the company, and to create an environment where they can exercise their abilities to the fullest.

Initiatives
● In addition to continuing development programs aimed at career development and personal growth, Kirin Holdings will review the timing and methods of these programs to increase opportunities for a wide and diverse range of employees to take on challenges eagerly without hesitation.
● Consider possibilities of working in remote locations and relocation to enable employees who need to better balance work and childcare to shape their careers in a more positive manner.
● To provide employees with opportunities for growth after returning from childcare leave, and to improve their sense of growth, Kirin Holdings will begin operating an evaluation system for the fiscal year that takes into account periods of shorter daily working hours and childcare leave.
● Encourage 100% of male employees to take parental leave as well as participation of men of all generations in housework, childcare, and nursing care.
● Encourage behavioral changes that lead to elimination of problems caused by ‘unconscious bias.’

Under the Kirin Group Vision 2027 (KV 2027), a long-term management plan launched in 2019, the Kirin Group aims to become "A global leader in CSV, creating value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals. In this case, the Group has designated diversity and inclusion as well as a culture for innovation as one way to strengthen the organizational capabilities for innovation towards achieving KV2027 goals.

About Kirin Holdings

Kirin Holdings Company, Limited is an international company that operates in the Food & Beverages domain (Food & Beverages businesses), Pharmaceuticals domain (Pharmaceuticals businesses), and Health Science domain (Health Science business), both in Japan and across the globe.

Kirin Holdings can trace its roots to Japan Brewery which was established in 1885. Japan Brewery became Kirin Brewery in 1907. Since then, the company expanded its business with fermentation and biotechnology as its core technologies, and entered the pharmaceutical business in the 1980s, all of which continue to be global growth centers. In 2007, Kirin Holdings was established as a pure holding company and is currently focusing on boosting its Health Science domain.

Under the Kirin Group Vision 2027 (KV 2027), a long-term management plan launched in 2019, the Kirin Group aims to become “A global leader in CSV* creating value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals.” Going forward, the Kirin Group will continue to leverage its strengths to create both social and economic value through its businesses, with the aim of achieving sustainable growth in corporate value.

*: Creating Shared Value. Combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.