Work-life balance
Initiatives to Promote Measures to Support the Next Generation Development
Action plan period
April 1, 2024 - March 31, 2027 (3 years)
Targets and Initiatives
Target
- 1.Aim for 100% childcare leave for male (including maternity leave for the wife)
- 2.Creating an environment that makes it easier to obtain the system (awareness, culture, systems, etc.)
Percentage of male employees taking childcare leave (including wife's maternity leave)
FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 |
---|---|---|---|
36.4% | 52.2% | 57.1% | 64.0% |
Initiatives
- Instilling understanding among superiors and co-workers (enlightenment at department/section manager training, rank-based training, system briefing sessions, etc.)
- Continuing to explain the childcare leave system, updating, improving pamphlets, introducing good practices, and disseminating.
- Implementation of work-life balance support seminars for working moms and dads
- Establishment of a system that facilitates work handover (team system, early application, etc.)
Improving the Work-Life Balance
Kazuki Obana, who works in our Credit Management Department, was selected for the SIXES Japanese men's national lacrosse team at The World Games 2022* held in Birmingham, Alabama USA in July. He scored the winning goal in the third place playoff match against England, bringing victory to the team and securing the bronze medal. This spectacular achievement won Japan's first-ever medal in lacrosse at the world championships.

- *The World Games 2022
Held from July 7 to 17, the games consisted of 30 official events and five demonstration events. Around 3,000 top athletes from approximately 100 countries and regions participated, all aiming to be No. 1 in the world in their sport.
Mr. Obana joined the lacrosse team after entering university. For the overseas study mandated by his university in Japan, he looked for an environment where he could attend school and play lacrosse for nine months starting from the autumn of his sophomore year at a US university. He joined the university's lacrosse team, and improved his technique and strength among players in top-class physical shape and performance. After returning to Japan, his university team won the Japan Lacrosse National Collegiate Championships during his senior year, and he was selected as a candidate member of the national team. He subsequently joined Nippon Steel Trading Corporation where he could continue with lacrosse while working fulltime.
At his new job, he was assigned to the Credit Management Department, and is continually busy working for credit management in the Steel Division, Foodstuffs Division, and responsible departments at related companies in Japan and overseas. As a lacrosse player, he spends as much time as possible on weekdays with personal training such as jogging and strength development. On days off, he frequently trains and participates in practice matches with his club teammates. By maintaining a high awareness of "improving work efficiency" and "schedule management," he has strived to secure time for training while still making steady progress at work. Although his workload can be heavy when urgent issues arise, and during the month-end and year-end busy periods, at those times he makes special efforts such as training that can be carried out in short periods, and has thus been able to balance both his work duties and lacrosse activities.
After becoming employed at Nippon Steel Trading Corporation, he launched a new club team together with companions who also wanted to achieve a higher level of play. This team is now at the center of his sports activities.
In order to attend The World Games 2022, the company granted him special leave, which is in addition to company annual paid leave, so that he could participate in the Games. While he was away his coworkers took over his duties so that Mr. Obana could concentrate on the matches as they cheered him on and supported him back in the office.
Comment from Kazuki Obana:
The special leave granted to me by the company and the support shown by everyone around me at work really made me feel that Nippon Steel Trading Corporation supported and appreciated me both as a valued employee and as a lacrosse player. I hope to continue to further grow as a NST employee and as a lacrosse player in the future.
In these and other ways, Nippon Steel Trading Corporation will continue working to promote the work-life balance so our employees can continue to enjoy and enhance both their work and their personal lives.
