Following the revision of the Act on Stabilization of Employment of Elderly Persons which came into effect in April 2006, we have revised our existing Rules for Re-employment Placement after Retirement. Subsequently, the rules were partially revised in response to another legal revision in April 2014. This regulation is a continuous employment system, as defined in the law. The purpose is to rehire employees who are scheduled to retire and who wish to apply for the system, in principle, until the age of 65 or to provide them with re-employment assistance upon retirement. In FY 2020, 105 people (the total of Tokyu Railways and Tokyu Corporation) were rehired.
In addition, in March 2021, we introduced the Active 60s System with the aim of further expanding the field of activity for senior employees, which will further foster job satisfaction and improve the work environment for rehired employees after retirement.
In addition, we are working to further promote the employment of older workers by introducing post-retirement re-employees who have reached the age of 64 to register their careers on the Tokyu Group’s employment website and by considering the possibility of registered companies allowing those who are willing to continue working after the age of 65 to demonstrate their abilities.
＊The affiliations and other information are current at the time of the interview.
Post-retirement rehires who have been involved in the bus business at Tokyu Bell for many years are giving full play to their expertise in safety operations. We go to the sites ourselves to communicate with the delivery staff and gain their trust, while trying to spread awareness of accident prevention and improve the service quality of the delivery staff.
In addition, in many aspects of our business, our senior staff are making full use of their unique knowledge and networks, such as collaborating with the Taiwanese community that we have cultivated over many years in our overseas business, utilizing and passing on their experience in building and construction, and holding seminars on English contracts by people with experience in overseas and legal departments.
＊The affiliation and contents are as of the time of the interview.
Nobuyuki Takahashi, Director & Managing Executive Officer, Tokyu Will Inc.
I joined the company in 1977, and have served as station and conductor, as well as stationmaster, ward master, and head of the Transportation Command Center, which manages the safe operation of trains, as the very cornerstone of safe and stable transportation. Later, as the director of the Tokyu Training Institute, I was engaged in training new employees, training conductors and supervisors, and teaching younger employees in the railway education division, devoting myself to improving the qualities of employees.
I retired in 2018 and now work for Tokyu Will, which employs people with disabilities. By identifying the individual characteristics of employees with disabilities and providing them with a more comfortable work environment, they can work long and stably and become independent as members of society, living in harmony with the local community. I hope that I can help in some small way.
Sadao Keuchi, Dormitory Manager, Shin-Doku-Ryo Dormitory, Labor Relations and Employee Benefits Group, Human Resources Headquarters, in charge of welfare
After joining the company in 1976, I worked in various capacities, including station attendant, conductor, and driver, but always with the motto of safety, accuracy, and speed. Since becoming an assistant stationmaster and stationmaster as a supervisor, I have taught the staff working in the field that even if they cannot do anything by themselves, they can do a hundred times more if they involve everyone and act as a team. In particular, I remember how we worked together to overcome the problem of the undergrounding of Shibuya Station on the Toyoko Line.
Currently, I am the dormitory manager of Shin-Doku-Ryo dormitory, where new career-track employees spend their first year. In addition to taking care of the facilities and other aspects of the dormitory so that the students can live in comfort and safety, I also come to work as early as possible to check on the breakfast, consult with the students about their work and personal problems, and sometimes talk about my own experiences. It has been our company’s tradition for over 50 years to start working life in the Shin-Doku-Ryo dormitory, and we want to do our best to support our dormitory students so that they can spread their wings from here.
Tsuneo Amano, Inner Public Relations, Public Relations Group, Corporate Affairs Headquarters
Since joining the company in 1972, I have been involved in numerous land readjustment and residential land development projects in areas served by Tokyu’s railway lines. Using this experience, I was in charge of compiling and producing the 50-year history of Tokyu Tama Den-en-toshi Kaihatsu (DVD/CD-ROM) in 2005. Since then, we have built up a relationship of trust with the local community, including the shopping arcades along the Tokyu Line, by holding various events. And now, as we approach the 100th anniversary of our founding, we are creating an archive database that will allow us to search and download past photos, historical materials, and group company histories and provide them to group employees so that our history can be passed on forever. I would like to continue to pass on our company’s history to younger employees. I hope that they will make use of this database to learn about the past and use it for new projects.
In April 2004, we established Tokyu Will, a special subsidiary＊ to promote the employment of people with disabilities. The company creates employment opportunities for people with disabilities and helps them become independent members of society.
As of June 2021, 88 people with disabilities were working for the company, mainly in the cleaning of railway-related facilities, bedding cleaning, and business card printing. With the motto of “greeting each other cheerfully and energetically, following the procedures carefully, and helping each other,” each of us is motivated to work hard. As part of our efforts to create an environment where people with disabilities feel comfortable working and want to continue working, we have two job coaches (workplace adaptation aides) who have completed training to acquire specialized knowledge, and half of the staff who support the work of people with disabilities are certified as Working Life Counselors for Persons with Disabilities.
＊Under the special subsidiary system, if a company establishes a subsidiary that gives special consideration to the employment of people with disabilities and meets certain requirements, it can calculate the employment rate of people with disabilities by adding the parent company and the subsidiary together. The employment rate of people with disabilities under this system is 2.75% (as of June 1, 2021), which is the legally mandated employment rate.
New employee initiation ceremony
Kanto Railway Special Subsidiary Liaison Association Tee Ball Tournament
Tokyu Ekiden (relay race)
An employee with a hearing impairment who is in charge of general affairs at the Futako Tamagawa Rise office held a sign language class in 2014 for the staff of the shopping center’s information and other services. In 2018, due to a departmental merger, the need arose to integrate two different telephone company line systems into one, and I served as the primary contact for the project. On a regular basis, we keep in close contact with my colleagues via e-mail, and in the event of emergencies, we ask for their cooperation.
In February 2020, hearing-impaired employees from the Corporate Affairs Headquarters held a study session on hospitality for hearing-impaired customers at Kamata Station of Tokyu Railways (all station attendants and supervisors). The project was implemented after the project team at the station suggested it, and it included points that can be immediately applied to practical use, such as “speak in short words, do not use difficult phrases, try to use letters and writing styles that are easy to read, and it is better to use a memo pad than a writing device.” The lecture was very well received by the participants, who were surprised at the points that could be immediately applied to their work. In the future, we hope to contribute to the improvement of customer service by holding these events at other stations and Group companies involved in the Retail and Life Service Business.
We have been hiring non-Japanese employees for career-track positions since 1991, and they are active in Japan and overseas.
Seconded to Tokyu Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co.
Ziming Yang, Director and General Manager
After working for a foreign consulting firm for eight years, I joined the company with a desire to work as a business owner. When I joined the company, I participated in overseas market research and the restructuring of business internationalization, and I later took charge of operations related to the establishment and operation of a local base in Shanghai, China. During my assignment in Shanghai, I focused on raising the Tokyu Group’s profile in the region, promoting and sending inbound visitors to Japan, and laying the groundwork for business development in Greater China. I implemented various measures to increase the number of tourists from Asia, based on the perspective of foreign consumers. In addition to the areas along the railway lines, we worked with local governments in Izu, Sendai, and other areas that have close ties with the Tokyu Group to revive local economies. In December 2018, I was transferred to Shanghai again and arrived as the president of the local subsidiary. I am also concurrently working on our company’s business, and I travel back and forth between Tokyo and Shanghai, two major cities. In addition, after the organization is revised in April 2019, we started to consider collaboration between the Tokyu Group and other countries, including China. In an ever-evolving business environment, we are determined to push forward toward Global Tokyu.
Shibuya Development Headquarters
Hai Ngoc Doan Le, Development Planning Group, incharge of Urban and Community Development Promotion Group
When I was in elementary school, I stayed in Japan for a few years because my parents were carrying out research there. From that experience, I dreamt of working in Japan and left my hometown in Vietnam to study sociology at a university and graduate school in Japan. After joining the Company, I completed my training in hotel and railway operations and am now involved in work related to the redevelopment of Shibuya.
When I was first assigned to this project, I was in charge of creating guidelines for signs that are easy for visitors to understand (information displays, guidance displays, etc.) and creating a system for optimizing the use of energy throughout the entire city using the AEMS (Area Energy Management System). Currently, we are examining measures to ease the posting of outdoor advertisements in public spaces, which is difficult to achieve under the current regulations, as well as measures to give back to the community through the advertising business.
Our company and Shibuya Ward promote diversity and utilize it in workplace and community development. Shibuya is an inclusive and ever-changing town. I would like to accomplish the mission given to me step by step in this city while leveraging my individuality.
＊The affiliation and contents are as of the time of the interview.
At the Future Design Lab, people with different careers, work styles, and company affiliations come together to share their wisdom and create new business ideas.
The System for Fostering Entrepreneurial Employees (SK System), launched in FY 2015 with the aim of achieving sustainable growth for the Group, has resulted in the realization of up-and-coming businesses such as "NewWork", a members-only satellite shared office, and "tsugi tsugi," a fixed-rate mobile living service that enables people to live as if they were traveling.
NewWork (Only available in Japanese)
tsugi tsugi (Only available in Japanese)
As part of the Tokyu 2050 Project, which aims to realize the long-term management vision of "a City Adored by People around the World," we are inviting proposals for business concepts through the Proposal for Future Management essay contest, and are considering specific projects for those selected. In FY 2020, we launched the Labo Membership System, a new business exploration project in which all employees can participate and the NewsPicks Tokyu Group Edition (1,800 participants as of August 2021), in which participants can freely exchange opinions on news and original articles to find new knowledge and ideas. Through these and other initiatives, we are promoting the gathering of wisdom from a wide range of human resources under the theme of “creating the future of 2050 with everyone.”
The Tokyu Accelerate Program (TAP), which promotes the co-creation of businesses with startups and other companies, entered its sixth year in FY 2020. Nineteen Tokyu Group companies are participating in the program, which has evolved to leverage a wide range of customer contacts in 17 areas. In FY 2021, the platform was rebranded as the Tokyu Alliance Platform and will evolve into an alliance that promotes the co-creation of businesses with applicant companies through two-way communication on a more equal footing, with the aim of enabling everyone in the Tokyu Group to implement open innovation as a matter of course.
ROADCAST, an outdoor advertising media business that utilizes vacant wall surfaces in the city, was born out of the company’s in-house entrepreneurship training program and has led to the co-creation of a business with Heralbony Inc. through TAP to implement the Wall Art MUSEUM STORE. Artwork created by artists with intellectual disabilities will be exhibited as wall art in the city, and, at the same time, people can purchase products that incorporate the artwork through QR codes placed on the wall. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the products will be returned to the welfare facilities and artists to help stimulate the welfare sector economically.
Our efforts to promote diversity are also contributing to the promotion of diversity in our Group companies.
Examples include the relocation of day-care centers to workplaces at the Tokyu Seven Hundred Club and the establishment of a system that allows employees to choose a flexible working style at Becamex Tokyu Bus. All of these efforts promote a safe working environment for female employees after childbirth and also help to secure employees in specialized fields.