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Initiatives for Societyand EnvironmentKurumin MarkChild care leave planAssociates can take leave until the March after the child’s third birthday while receiving aid. This can be taken in multiple parts.Note: Akebono has a child care leave plan that exceeds legal standards.Career partner planA program that provides those who left the Company due to family duties with opportunities to later rejoin Akebono within ve years after their resignation. Eligible associates include those who had served for a continuous period of three years or more before leaving and meet other prescribed criteria.Nursing care leave planAssociates can take up to two years leave per family member to provide nursing care while receiving a stipendChild nursing care planAssociates can take up to ve days of leave per year (ten days for associates with two or more children) to nurse sick or injured children or for children’s doctor visits until the child graduates from elementary school. This leave is separate from annual paid leave.Measures to reduce working hoursChild care plans• Reduced working-hours plan: Associates can use the system multiple times until children graduate from elementary school.• Flex time plan• Child care aid plan: A xed monthly aid until the March following the child’s third birthdayImprovements to company environmentNursing care plans• Reduced working-hours plan: Associates can work reduced hours for a total of up to three years per family member to provide nursing care. These can be taken in multiple parts.• Flex time planAkebono puts great emphasis on helping associates strike a good work-life balance. Accordingly, we are constantly working to realize a working environment that accommodates diverse work styles to meet individual needs.For example, we have designed various programs for associates raising children and those caring for their family members to assist them with their efforts to strike a balance between their work and family obligations such as childrearing and nursing care. Some of these programs allow eligible associates to opt for shorter working hours or take leave for child rearing and nursing care. Moreover, we also offer a Career Partner Plan that allows the reinstatement of those who left Akebono due to prescribed reasons. We also support associates’ career development efforts while offering opportunities to participate in self-improvement activities.We distribute Life Supporter, a booklet that summarizes the content of these and other programs with the aim of facilitating the utilization of the programs by associates.Going forward, we will also implement forward-Promoting Work-Life Balancethinking initiatives with an eye to future issues, thereby securing a corporate structure responsive to changes in the social environment. To create a working environment that offers diverse and exible working styles, we will continuously enhance these programs by incorporating feedback from associates.In addition, Akebono obtained the Kurumin Mark—an authorization mark awarded by Japan’s Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare to certify businesses that proactively support the upbringing of future generations, in November 2007 and renewed it in June 2013.Akebono’s Main Initiatives34AKEBONO REPORT 2016