Local Communities
Basic Stance/Policy
As a good corporate citizen, THK actively contributes to society. Our activities include:
- Establishing a basic philosophy of contributing to society through our business activities
- Identifying areas to prioritize our efforts and using our corporate resources to promote specific contributions based on our corporate philosophy
- Coordinating and cooperating with various stakeholders, including NPOs, NGOs, local communities, governments, and international institutions
- Supporting employees’ own community contributions and involvement
- Participating in industry and business community efforts that contribute to society
In 2018, we provided financial support for numerous causes, including relief for multiple natural disasters in and outside of Japan. To introduce young people to the joy of manufacturing, we also welcomed a total of 184 interns at 10 production facilities around the world.
Activities and Results
Community Involvement
Minato City Marathon
The Minato City Half Marathon 2018 was held in December in the Minato ward of Tokyo, where the THK headquarters is located. We cosponsored the event and provided operational support, with five employees volunteering as course guides. The area in front of the THK headquarters was a checkpoint, and we provided a first-aid station so runners could enjoy the marathon without worry. The event was favored with good weather, and 19 of our employees also participated as runners. We will continue to deepen our communication with local residents through activities closely tied to the regions we are located in.
Science Fair
In September 2018, the Yamaguchi plant participated in the two-day 9th Science Fair at the Onoda Sunpark. The theme of the event was inspiring scientific curiosity and interest and introducing more people to the fun and appeal of science. THK was in charge of helping children make hourglasses with iron, the raw material used for our products.
Both days were packed with attendees, and many determined visitors helped the hourglasses take form. The event was so successful that we ran out of all the materials we brought to make over 150 hourglasses.
We will continue to pursue activities that present children with challenges that encourage them to wonder “Why?” and nurture their scientific interest.
Sekigahara 2018
The Gifu plant ran a snack stand at the Sekigahara festival held in October 2018, serving mitarashi dango, hot dogs, and soft drinks. The lively two-day festival was blessed with good weather, and around 60,000 visitors attended. The THK snack stand was also very popular, and 17 of our employees spent a busy but rewarding time there. During the festival, our employee parking lot was open to attendees, many of whom took advantage of the parking space. City representatives thanked us for our cooperation.
This festival is held every year, and we plan to continue actively supporting it as a means to revitalize the local area.
Employee Story: Community Involvement Through Karate
I started practicing karate 25 years ago. I have been active in the Shintani Wado Kai Karate Federation for over 10 years, and I currently instruct around 20 students ranging in age from 7 to 75. Karate helps you develop respect for others, self-confidence, and self-control.
Through our lessons, you naturally learn how to behave as part of a group. Even when people come to us shy, quiet, and lacking self-confidence, after a year, they grow to the point where they could lead the class. I hope that my students grow in practical ways through karate and become the kind of person who can speak in front of a crowd with confidence.
Coexisting with Local Communities
Administrative Proposals
In 2012, Vice President Sun at THK Liaoning became a member of the Dalian People’s Political Consultative Conference for the Jinzhou New Area, a district under the administration of the city of Dalian. Every year since then, she has brought up proposals reflecting the desires of local citizens. In 2017, she proposed a strengthening of services for the elderly, which aimed to establish community centers where children whose caretakers work can interact with the elderly. This proposal received the Jinzhou New Area’s seventh outstanding proposal award and was adopted by the city.
In March 2018, Dalian announced a directive to establish community centers for Dalian’s elderly and other residents, and the city plans to continue strengthening its elderly services.
Supporting Education
Year Two of the THK Education Outreach Program
To use our experience as a manufacturer to support proactive learning, we partnered with Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.1 and launched the THK Education Outreach Program in 2017. In 2018, we introduced students to manufacturing through school visits and began our program to create manufacturing-related learning materials. We visited the Kaichi Nihonbashi Gakuen Junior High School twice in March and invited junior high school teachers to visit the THK headquarters for an information session about the learning materials project. Following the information session, participants attended the Learning Materials Research Committee meeting. After incorporating feedback from those educators into our vision of the next generation of talent, we refined the content of our learning materials.
As we did in 2017, we also sponsored the second Science Castle2 Grant THK Prize. Out of thirty-four research grant proposals, ten were adopted, and Seiko Gakuin High School was awarded the THK Prize.
- 1 Leave a Nest Co., Ltd., is a company whose corporate philosophy is “Advancing Science and Technology for Global Happiness.” They promote initiatives in science education and training for the next generation.
- 2 Science Castle is a conference that Leave a Nest Co., Ltd., holds for junior high and high school students.
What students said about the school visits:
- “It was really fun to use so many tools in creative ways.”
- “It was a great chance for every student to share their ideas.”
What teachers said:
- “The Japanese education guideline reforms encourage a focus on the pursuit of knowledge. This program aligns well with that goal because it involves creating things without a set solution.”
- “All of the students were extremely engaged in the activities. The fact that they remained focused the entire time speaks to how effective this program is.”
Science Castle Grant THK Prize Winner: Seiko Gakuin High School
We are grateful for the opportunity to present the results of our research at Science Castle. We are also proud that we won the THK Prize for using the LM Guide as the subject of our research to experiment and develop our own solution for a challenge faced by society.
First, we discussed different social challenges the world is facing. We concluded that every problem—energy problems, food shortages, and overpopulation—stems from a lack of land. We focused on effectively using the ocean, which we cannot say has been utilized enough. We felt we could use the ocean for more land to solve the land shortage and showcase Japan’s advanced technology to the world.
Our plan is to create artificial islands and install the R Guide on the floating structures that surround the island to absorb the rocking from the push and pull of the waves. When we created a small model, placed it in an acrylic pool, and measured the movement caused by the waves we generated, we found that the rocking of the floating surfaces was somewhat absorbed (see photo).
Our experiment is still ongoing. Even if it is not much, through trial and error and repeated experimentation, we hope to see satisfying results.
A Word from the Technical Advisor
I was really amazed at the spectacular concept of creating land on the ocean and the efforts of this team repeatedly coming up with and testing hypotheses to gradually make progress toward their goal. I will continue rooting for them, and I look forward to their future research.
Reliability Research Section,
Fundamental Technology
Research Laboratory
Disaster Area Relief
Relief for Tropical Storm Victims
The landfall of Tropical Storm Rumbia in mainland China in August 2018 caused damage to 13 cities, including Weifang, Dongying, Heze, and Tai’an in Shandong Province. Around 5.09 million people were affected by the disaster, with 18 fatalities and nine cases of missing persons. The direct economic impact reached a loss of 12.08 billion yuan (about 193.3 billion yen). As a result of the heavy rains, water levels at the nearby Yeyuan, Tangshuiya, and Heihushan reservoirs rose drastically. Releasing the water triggered massive flooding in the downstream city of Shouguang, causing homes, crop fields, greenhouses, and pig farms to be inundated with water and resulting in severe damage.
THK Liaoning immediately collected donations for the affected areas, sending the clothes and bedding gathered from around 100 employees to the Shouguang Charity General Association.
Charitable Contributions
As part of our contributions to society, we provide financial assistance in times of natural disasters and donate money to organizations devoted to the advancement of science and the future development of manufacturing in Japan.
| Date | Purpose | Recipient |
|---|---|---|
| June 2018 | Northern Osaka earthquake | Japanese Red Cross |
| July 2018 | July 2018 heavy rains | Japanese Red Cross |
| Sept. 2018 | Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake | Japanese Red Cross |
| Oct. 2018 | Sulawesi earthquake (Indonesia) | Japanese Red Cross |
