While Japan’s service sector is widely lauded for its high standards of politeness, punctuality, efficiency and attention to detail, one issue front-line workers are contending with is “customer harassment” in which retail workers or call …

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) was selected for inclusion in the top 10% of companies worldwide in S&P Global’s Sustainability Yearbook 2024. On April 9, 2024, the research and rating firm hosted an award ceremony in Tokyo where SoftBank rec…

Since 2010, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) has been using high-quality paper shopping bags with a plastic finish at its ‘SoftBank’ stores and other retail outlets. The luxurious white bags displaying the ‘SoftBank’ logo have been a common si…

On February 26, 2024, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) held its first Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) briefing for investors. At the event in Tokyo, three SoftBank executives–Junichi Miyakawa (President & CEO), Masato Ikeda, (Vice Pre…

To offer stable communication services to their customers, network centers are indispensable to mobile network operators. However, with the proliferation of AI, 5G, and IoT devices, which are increasing data traffic, power consumption at n…

In June 2023, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) was selected for inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) for the first time following a review of the 2022 constituent stocks. What is the significance of being a part o…

Formulated in 2015 by the United Nations, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 objectives to be achieved by 2030. With the world now at the halfway point before the 2030 deadline, many considerable challenges remain, in…

On December 15, 2022, a press conference was held in Tokyo to announce the establishment of the Natural Capital Credit Consortium ("NCCC"), an alliance that brings companies, municipalities, and academic researchers together to revitalize …

On September 18, 2022, Yahoo Japan Corporation, a SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) group company, and Kahoku Shimpo Publishing Co., the Sendai-based publisher of a major newspaper in Japan’s Tohoku region, held Tour de Tohoku 2022, a bicycle e…

As reported in June 2021, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to virtually zero by the year 2030 to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. On August 31, 2022, SoftBank announced an additional targe…

In late June this year, temperatures in Japan reached sweltering record highs. And, amidst a power shortage, the Japanese government called on households and businesses to reduce their energy consumption for the first time in seven years. …

As part of its 5th Science and Technology Basic Plan, in 2016 the Government of Japan proposed an aspirational vision, called Society 5.0, that it defined as "a human-centered society that balances economic advancement with the resolution …

SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) announced in November 2021 that it is planning to issue its first-ever Sustainability Bond before the end of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022. Expected to be worth approximately 30 billion yen (about 250 m…

While AI is becoming indispensable to many aspects of modern life, employers are struggling to find people with the necessary AI skills. Japan is not alone in facing this conundrum. Although the number of AI software system developers in t…

September 17 to 26, 2021 is Global Goals Week, an annual week of action, awareness, and accountability for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434), achieving the SDGs is a top management p…

Under the United Nations Climate Change Convention to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs), the Japanese government has set bold targets to tackle climate change. The government’s targets include pledges to reduce GHGs by 46% by the year 2030 ve…

A central tenet of SoftBank Corp.’s (TOKYO: 9434) human resource policy is “creating a strong organization by combining the capabilities of diverse individuals.” With the belief that the promotion of diversity is key to company growth, Sof…

Building on its past efforts to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations (UN), SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) announced the promotion of SDGs as a top managerial priority on May 11, …

On May 11, 2020, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) held its earnings results briefing for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 (FY2019). On a consolidated basis, revenue was 4,861.2 billion yen (a 4% increase year-on-year), operating income was…

Pepper lectured students about marine pollution at an open classroom event held at Yoshikawa Elementary School in Kameoka City, Japan On November 19, 2019, Pepper —the humanoid robot developed by SoftBank Robotics Corp.— taught elementary …

In April 2019, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) launched the “Randsel of Love Donation Project” as a CSR initiative. About 20,000 of these leather school backpacks used by elementary school children in Japan made their way across the ocean to …

Photo of the award ceremony For the third year in a row, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) was awarded a gold rating--the highest ranking-- in the ‘PRIDE Index’ for its LGBT-friendly workplace policies. A conference was held on October 11, 2019…

Okinawa, a chain of islands in the southernmost part of Japan, is famous for its pristine beaches and colorful coral reefs. Due to climate change, however, these reefs have recently seen severe coral bleaching, a phenomenon that greatly di…