Promoting and Respecting Diversity

In FY2025, Mizuno hired 29 women out of 52 new graduates[*d].
Including mid-career hires, the percentage of female regular employees hired in FY2025 was 45.9%[*d]. As disclosed in its General Employer Action Plan, Mizuno has also set a target of ensuring that women account for at least 40% of hires (new graduates and mid-career hires) and will continue its efforts to increase the percentage of female employees.

The Diversity West Japan Study Session, in which approximately 50 companies participate, held a Career Design Forum again in FY2025, with 5 female employees from various job functions at Mizuno taking part. Through roundtable discussions with female leaders from other companies, the forum gave participants an opportunity to envision their future careers from a medium- to long-term perspective and take the first step toward realizing their aspirations.

Mizuno believes that men’s participation in childcare is essential for women who work while raising children to not only balance work and childcare responsibilities but also thrive at work. Accordingly, Mizuno expanded education and training opportunities concerning men’s participation in childcare. The initiatives implemented were as follows:

• Company-wide training aimed at promoting understanding of men’s participation in childcare and fostering a supportive culture
• E-learning for managers on childcare leave for male employees
• Forum on dual-income households
• Holding mama cafe and papa café Sessions (a forum for female and male employees raising children to exchange information)

As of March 2026, the employment rate of people with disabilities at Mizuno was 2.47%[*d], below the statutory employment rate. Mizuno will further strengthen its recruitment of people with disabilities.
To promote the employment of people with disabilities and enable them to thrive in the workplace, Mizuno conducted Company-wide training to deepen employees’ understanding of disabilities and eliminate prejudice against people with disabilities.
In addition, Mizuno will consult with the departments where employees with disabilities may be placed, identify specific duties that can be assigned to them in the workplace, and step up efforts to create employment opportunities.

Mizuno has a re-employment program that extends employment until age 65 for employees who wish to continue working after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60.
In FY2025, 56 of the 62 employees who reached mandatory retirement used the reemployment program.

Japan is reported to have approximately 2.05 million foreign workers (including approximately 410,000 technical intern trainees) and approximately 320,000 business establishments employing foreign workers (https://www.mhlw.go.jp/index.html survey / as of the end of October 2023). These workers have become important members of Japan’s economy and society.

Looking ahead to 2030, the target year for the SDGs, Mizuno intends to contribute, including through its participation in JP-MIRAI, to improving the environment in which employers and accepting organizations can accept foreign workers responsibly and on a stable basis, in compliance with laws and regulations and in accordance with the “Principles of Action” that meet international standards.

As part of its Company-wide employee training, Mizuno conducted a diversity education program that addressed LGBT topics as one aspect of diversity and deepened employees’ understanding of LGBT people.

Through its efforts to promote diversity, Mizuno will create a work environment in which diverse employees can make full use of their individual capabilities and approach their work with a sense of fulfillment, thereby supporting their growth.

Mizuno grants regular and contract employees 10 days of annual paid leave on their date of hire and 20 days per year after six or more years of service. Since FY2014, employees have also been permitted to take this paid leave in hourly increments (up to 5 days or 40 hours per year), and use of this option has become more widespread. Mizuno has also established a rollover system that allows employees to use expired annual paid leave for their own non-work-related injury or illness, caregiving, social welfare activities such as volunteer work, and sports promotion activities, as part of its efforts to enhance employee benefits.
In FY2025, the annual paid leave utilization rate at Mizuno Corporation was 56.2%[*d].

Mizuno offers a variety of programs to help employees balance work and family life.
With respect to childcare support, work arrangements for female employees from pregnancy and childbirth through the childcare period have largely been established and are increasingly used, including the use of paid leave in hourly increments during pregnancy (up to 40 hours per year), prenatal and postnatal leave, childcare leave and extended leave of absence (if leave continues beyond 18 months, until the child reaches age two), reduced working hours after returning to work (until the child completes third grade in elementary school), and the flextime system (likewise until the child completes third grade in junior high school).
Mizuno has also established a re-entry system to support employees who had to leave the Company despite wishing to remain employed due to circumstances such as marriage or childbirth in returning to work, thereby helping Mizuno secure valuable talent. Mizuno similarly encourages male employees to participate actively in childcare by taking childcare support leave and using the flextime system. In FY2025, the childcare leave utilization rate among male employees was 100%. In FY2021, Mizuno launched, on a trial basis, programs that allow employees to work reduced hours or take a leave of absence for fertility treatment and to work reduced hours for nursing care; 3 employees have used these programs to date.

To enable employees to choose approaches to work-life management and diverse ways of working and to work with vitality, Mizuno will continue to enhance both the tangible and intangible aspects of its support framework and support motivated, capable employees.
At Mizuno, employees balancing work and childcare (working mothers) who are raising children aged 18 or younger account for 168 of 309 married female employees, or 54.4%, and continue to work while balancing work and family life.
Among female employees who returned to work after childcare leave, the percentage still employed three years after their return is 93.0%.