Promoting (ＤＥ＆Ｉ)
- The Sapporo Group’s Message on Promotion of Diversity
- Employment of Diverse Human Resources
- Promotion of Women’s Participation
- Employment of Individuals with Disabilities
- Re-employment of Mandatory Retirees
- Overseas Employment of Local Human Resources
- Activities of Foreign Employees
- Support for Balancing Child-rearing, Nursing Care, and Medical Treatment with Work
The Sapporo Group’s Message on Promotion of Diversity
The Sapporo Group’s Management Philosophy is “Contributing to the evolution of creative, enriching, and rewarding lifestyles.” In order to achieve this goal, we have defined the basic philosophy of our personnel strategy as “Go beyond boundaries.” “Going beyond boundaries” means transcending one’s personal limits, going beyond organizational divides, and going beyond business and national borders. It is only when we nurture each other and acknowledge our differences to create strengths that we can go beyond boundaries—and we believe that this will lead to the realization of our Management Philosophy.
To this end, the Group will continue to respect diversity* of all kinds, recognize and utilize human resources with diverse ideas and thoughts, and strengthen the creation of environments in which everyone can maximize their abilities in a fair and equitable manner.
- Diversity means any individuality in a situation where different people exist, in addition to gender, age, disability, nationality, academic and professional background, employment status, values, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Employment of Diverse Human Resources
The Sapporo Group is founded on its “Open and Fair” mentality. The hiring policies of each Group company is based on this mentality, along with individual company characteristics and environments, to hire diverse human resources without distinction of nationality, gender or educational history, etc.
Sapporo Breweries Employment of Diverse Human Resources
Sapporo Breweries has positioned diversity promotion and work style reforms as the basis of its efforts to realize its vision of “Enriching the Lives of Our Customers.”
The company is working to promote diversity with the medium- and long-term goals of "fostering a corporate culture that recognizes and leverages diversity," "supporting and developing the success of diverse human resources," and "creating an impact on the market and the company's performance."
Promotion of Women’s Participation
As the gateway to respect and utilize all forms of diversity, the Sapporo Group aims to create an environment in which “women can independently develop their careers without being conscious of their gender and can be actively engaged in all fields of work with a sense of fulfillment.” The Group is also committed to understanding and supporting women's health based on their specific health conditions to help them realize their continued careers. In addition, the Group is actively nurturing female employees who can assume positions where they can exert influence on corporate management, such as in various decision-making and the creation of new value. In this way, the Group is striving to expand the scope of their activities as well as building a pipeline for their management and executive positions.
Sapporo Group Domestic Operating Companies
Sapporo Group Domestic Operating Companies have set targets for the ratios of female directors and female managers at 12% or more by the end of 2026, and each company has set its own annual targets. They have promoted training for female employees and their supervisors, 1-on-1 meetings with top management, and active involvement of the workplace managers in human resource development plans by making them responsible for employee training.
As a result, as of December 31, 2025, Sapporo Group Domestic Operating Companies had 17.2% female directors and 10.8% female managers, a 3.6% increase from the previous year in the ratio of female managers.
They will further accelerate the speed of internal human resource development and promote the appointment of external human resources to ensure that each company as a whole achieves its goals. Through these efforts, they will strive to achieve the goals of 30% female directors in Sapporo Breweries and 20% female managers in Sapporo Domestic Operating Companies by 2030.
Percentage of female managers
Percentage of female directors
- Domestic Operating Companies: Sapporo Breweries, POKKA SAPPORO Food & Beverage, Sapporo Lion, and Other Businesses
- Although past data is shown to capture medium- to long-term trends, simple year-on-year comparisons may not be possible due to changes in the scope of operations.
- This link connects to an external website
Sapporo Breweries Efforts to Promote the Advancement of Women
| Target year | Target figure | |
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| Percentage of full-time female employees | 2026 | 25% |
| Percentage of female recruits | 50%* |
- Fair judgment is made on the basis of merit, ability, and aptitude, regardless of gender, in accordance with the type of human resources we are seeking.
- Click here to see the results. ESG Data
Support and development of diverse human resources
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- This link connects to an external website
Fostering a culture that recognizes and leverages diversity
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- These programs are not limited to women, but are widely available.
POKKA SAPPORO FOOD & BEVERAGE's efforts to promote women's activities
POKKA SAPPORO believes that promoting DE&I is a key management strategy for realizing its management vision.
The company seeks both to recognize and to take advantage of the diversity of each of its employees, and so create an environment in which they experience both comfortable working conditions and job satisfaction as they develop; at the same time, as a company that contributes to the realization of sustainable societies, POKKA SAPPORO implements a variety of personnel systems and measures with the aim of continually providing new values required by its customers.
In particular, the promotion of women's activities is positioned as the first step in the realization of DE&I, and the entire company, from directors to front-line managers, is committed to early development of women by expanding the range of jobs and providing them with diverse work experience.
| Programs | Other than designated programs |
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Support for autonomous career development of employees taking maternity and childcare leave
To ensure that female employees on maternity and childcare leave can smoothly return to work and demonstrate their performance, POKKA SAPPORO Food & Beverage has put in place several support measures, including external training programs during the leave period for those who wish to take them, mindset tools for those involved, and supervisor support tools.
POKKA SAPPORO receives “Eruboshi” certification for promoting women’s advancement and participation in the workplace
POKKA SAPPORO is working to revise its personnel system, support career development, and establish wholesome working environments in order to support the activities of its employees. With regard to the promotion of women's activities, we have been conducting career support interviews for employees who are raising children, seminars for female managers, etc. In recognition of the environment in which women can work comfortably and the status of their activities, in 2020, it received “Eruboshi (second level)” certification, given to companies that promote women’s advancement and participation in the workplace.
Nagoya City Recognized as a Company that Promotes the Advancement of Women
Received the Excellence Award in 2022 in recognition of our efforts.
- This link connects to an external website
Sapporo Lion Promotes Women’s Participation
Sapporo Lion is taking steps to "promote the creation of a workplace where female employees can work with enthusiasm for a long time and increase the ratio of female employees in managerial positions.
- [Recruitment] Activities to increase the ratio of female employees by actively recruiting female employees, both career-track and career employees (strengthening recruitment website, assigning female recruiters).
- [Training] Improve skills through in-house training and participation in group training for female employees.
- [Establishment] Promote changes in the corporate culture, and improve the quality of relationships with staff through personnel evaluation interviews and a tutor system.
- [Promotion] Selecting employees for managerial posts through "entrance-type promotion and development" based on the position definitions in the skill map and past evaluations.
Employment of Individuals with Disabilities
All companies within the Sapporo Group have initiatives toward employing individuals with disabilities.
Major activities
- Seminars for all Group employees to promote understanding of persons with disabilities
- Conducting an internship program for new graduates (Sapporo Breweries)
- Establishment of “Ekkyo Talk,” a community for interaction among persons with disabilities
- Holding a meeting of persons in charge of employment of persons with disabilities within the Group
Re-employment of Mandatory Retirees
As the population ages and more baby boomers retire, each company in the Sapporo Group has established programs to re-employ mandatory retirees, based on the Act on Stabilization of Employment of Elderly Persons, and with the aim of handing down the experience, knowledge and technical expertise of seniors to the next generation.
Sapporo Breweries Initiatives
Sapporo Breweries introduced its Retiree Re-employment Program in 1993. In April 2006, this was revised to become the Partner Program; it was then revised again into the New Partner Program in April 2013, to address the raising of pensionable age. In order to expand the choice of work styles it offers, in June 2020, the company made revisions to its Continued Employment Program. This program promotes the employment of senior people past the age of 60, with continued employment of retirees and re-employment training and support for those who do not wish for continued employment. A dedicated information portal and specialized consultation desk for senior employees approaching retirement age have been established starting in 2025.
The company offers senior workers a variety of options for their careers by providing them with the opportunities to be players in the workplace in the same manner as regular employees.
POKKA SAPPORO Food & Beverage Initiatives
In anticipation of the 100-year life period, we revised our continuous employment system in July 2020, which is one of the ways to work after retirement.
We are expanding career options by providing opportunities to work as a player on the same level as regular employees.
Sapporo Lion Initiatives
The “Meister Employee Program” was incorporated in March 2006 to rehire individuals after mandatory retirement, with the aim of actively applying their experience and expertise in “food preparation and service technique.” Support for re-employment preparation is provided, such as seminars related to careers and pension programs before retirement, and also consultation desks for life planning for individual consultation. Additionally, upon retirement, we offer a restart holiday of approximately one month. Even after reemployment, we regularly conduct health checks and interviews with public health nurses.
Overseas Employment of Local Human Resources
Aiming to achieve growth in overseas business, the Sapporo Group is promoting business activities at overseas Group companies located in North America, Europe, and Asia. There, a small number of expatriates from Japan and a diverse group of locally hired management and employees, which account for more than 90% of the workforce, work together as one. We will continue to actively hire local employees and create an environment in which they can play an active role together with expatriates from Japan.
Activities of Foreign Employees
Sapporo Breweries Initiatives
Sapporo Breweries is working to create an environment in which diverse human resources can work with vigor and enthusiasm. This effort includes publishing a consultation book for foreign employees that was created at the initiative of foreign employees and providing training opportunities at workplaces that accept foreign employees.
Major initiatives
- Support for obtaining a work visa (briefing sessions and social gatherings)
- Post-Hire Follow-Up Interviews
- Conducting training for managers on the acceptance of foreign employees
- Creation of a consultation book for foreign employees
Sapporo Lion Initiatives
In the cooking department, more than half of the employed foreigners are part-time staff who are studying in Japan or are foreign students. Among these part-time and temporary staff, there are foreign staff members who have switched their residence status to 'Specified Skilled Worker (i)', a visa granted to foreign nationals with considerable knowledge or experience in specialized industries, and have been promoted to full-time employees. Additionally, for Chinese international and vocational students, we have created a sanitation management manual video with Chinese subtitles to ensure proper hygiene management. International students with a good command of Japanese are actively engaged in serving tourists from overseas.
Support for Balancing Child-rearing, Nursing Care, and Medical Treatment with Work
The Sapporo Group supports employees in balancing work with childcare, nursing care, and medical treatment through its worker-friendly systems and open dialogue with employees.