Materiality
Promoting and respecting diversity

In fiscal year 2024, Mizuno hired 26 women out of 52 new graduates[*d].
Including mid-career hires, the percentage of female regular employees hired in FY2024 was 39%[*d].
As stated in our General Employer Action Plan, we aim to increase the proportion of female hires (both new graduates and mid-career) to over 40%. We will continue to implement initiatives to raise the ratio of female employees.

In fiscal year 2024, five female employees from various departments at Mizuno participated in the Diversity West Japan Study Session, which includes around 50 companies. As part of this initiative, a Career Design Forum was held again this year. Through roundtable discussions with female leaders from other companies, participants were encouraged to envision their future careers from a mid- to long-term perspective and take the first step toward their goals.

Recognizing that active participation of women raising children requires not only work-life balance but also greater involvement of men in childcare, Mizuno has expanded training opportunities to promote male participation in parenting. The following initiatives were implemented:

• Company-wide training to deepen understanding
• Cross-industry seminars for managers on male involvement in childcare

As of March 2025, Mizuno's employment rate of people with disabilities was 2.40%[*d], which falls below the legally mandated rate of 2.5%. We are committed to further promoting the hiring of individuals with disabilities.
To support this effort and ensure that employees with disabilities can thrive in the workplace, we conducted company-wide training to deepen understanding and eliminate prejudice regarding disabilities.

Mizuno has a re-employment system that allows employees who retire at the mandatory retirement age of 60 to continue working until the age of 65 if they wish to do so.
In fiscal year 2023, 45 employees retired under the mandatory retirement system, and 40 of them utilized the re-employment program.
In fiscal year 2024, 28 out of 32 retirees chose to continue working under this system.

As of the end of October 2023, there were approximately 2.05 million foreign workers in Japan, including about 410,000 technical intern trainees, and around 320,000 establishments employing them (according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). These workers are now essential members of Japanʼs economy and society.

Toward the SDGsʼ target year of 2030, Mizuno is committed to contributing to the improvement of working environments for foreign workers. Through participation in initiatives such as JP-MIRAI, we support the Platform Action Principles, which align with international standards. By doing so, we aim to help ensure that employers and accepting organizations responsibly and lawfully provide stable employment opportunities for foreign workers.

As part of our company-wide diversity education program, Mizuno conducted training sessions focusing on LGBTQ+ as one aspect of diversity. These sessions helped deepen employeesʼ understanding and awareness of LGBTQ+ issues.

Through the promotion of diversity, Mizuno is working to create a workplace where employees from diverse backgrounds can fully demonstrate their abilities and find meaning in their work. By fostering such an environment, we aim to support the continued growth and development of our employees.

Mizuno grants annual paid leave to full-time and contract employees as follows: 10 days upon joining the company, and up to 20 days per year after six years of continuous service.
Since fiscal year 2014, employees have also been able to take annual paid leave in hourly increments (up to five days or 40 hours per year), and usage of this system has been steadily increasing.
To further enhance employee welfare, Mizuno has introduced a rollover system that allows employees to use expired annual paid leave for personal reasons such as illness or injury, caregiving, volunteer work, and sports promotion activities.
In fiscal year 2024, the annual paid leave utilization rate at Mizuno Corporation was 52.9%[*d].

Mizuno offers a variety of support systems to help employees balance their work and family responsibilities.

In terms of childcare support, employment patterns for female employees—from pregnancy and childbirth through the childcare period—are well established and widely utilized. These include:

• Paid leave available in hourly increments from the start of pregnancy (up to 40 hours per year)
• Prenatal and postnatal leave
• Childcare leave and extended leave (up to the child’s second birthday)
• Shortened working hours after returning to work (until the child completes third grade in elementary school)
• Flextime system (available until the child completes third grade in junior high school)

To retain valuable talent, Mizuno has also introduced a re-entry system that allows employees who left the company due to life events such as marriage or childbirth to return to work.
Male employees are likewise encouraged to take an active role in childcare, with support through childcare leave and the flextime system. In fiscal year 2024, the paternity leave utilization rate was 70.9%.
For caregiving support, Mizuno conducts internal surveys to better understand employee needs and enhance related systems accordingly. In fiscal year 2021, we launched a trial program allowing employees to take shortened working hours or leave for infertility treatment, as well as shortened hours for nursing care. To date, three employees have used these programs.

To help employees thrive through effective work-life management and flexible work styles, Mizuno is committed to improving both the structural and cultural aspects of the workplace, supporting motivated and capable individuals.
At Mizuno, 63.8% of married female employees—141 out of 221—are working mothers who successfully balance their careers and family responsibilities.
The retention rate of employees three years after returning from childcare leave is 100%, with 103 employees continuing to work with us.