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Environmental
Management
Sustainability Report 2006 |
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| Activities in the Community |
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| As a member of society, the Kobe
Steel Group is involved in community activities with local residents
and other activities that make a contribution to society. |
| Support for WHO Kobe Centre for a Further Decade |
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The World Health Organization
Centre for Health Development (WHO Kobe Centre or WKC) was established in
March 1996 in the Iwaya-Wakinohama district of Kobe City (now known as HAT
Kobe) as a project symbolizing reconstruction and renewal after the Hanshin
Awaji Earthquake. As a member of the local business community, Kobe Steel
has provided office space and covered activity costs for a period of ten
years, in association with Hyogo Prefecture, Kobe City and Kobe Chamber
of Commerce and Industry. During that period, WKC's activities have been
highly appraised both inside and outside Japan in its role as an international
exchange forum, organizing international conferences and publishing results
of research studies.
As an ongoing contribution to society, Kobe Steel agreed to continue
its support for a further decade, and on 15 June 2005 Kobe Steel President
Yasuo Inubushi participated in a signing ceremony together with the
WHO Director-General Lee Jong-wook (deceased 22 May 2006), Hyogo Prefectural
Governor Toshizo Ido, Kobe Mayor Tatsuo Yada and Kobe Chamber of Commerce
and Industry Chairman Koshi Mizukoshi. |
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Signing Ceremony
From left, President Inubushi, Chairman Mizukoshi, Mayor Yada, WHO
Director-General Lee and Governor Ido |
| Support for St. Catherine's College Kobe Institute |
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The St. Catherine's
College (University of Oxford) Kobe Institute in Nada Ward, Kobe,
was opened in 1991 with funding from local government and local companies,
as well as more than 100 private companies throughout Japan. Its objective
is to contribute to mutual understanding, friendship and exchanges
between Japan and Europe through academic activities. Kobe Steel has
participated in this project from the early planning stages and continues
to support the Institute.
One activity, the Oxford-Kobe Seminars, is a series of world-class
research workshops held with the aim of promoting academic exchanges
between Asia, including Japan, on the one hand and Europe and the
United Kingdom on the other. Researchers representing universities,
industries, national governments and public research institutes take
part, debating important subjects such as applied mathematics, materials
science, biomedical science, intellectual property rights, education,
migration, civil society, and linguistics. Twenty-three seminars have
been held since 1997. |
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Seminar at the Kobe Institute |
| Donations for Victims of Indian Ocean Tsunami |
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On 26 December 2004
a massive earthquake with a magnitude of 8.9 occurred off the Indonesian
island of Sumatra, creating immense damage with more than 300,000
people dead or missing.
To assist the victims of the disaster and the affected areas, in January
2005 the Kobe Steel Group pledged to donate approximately 60 million
yen in monetary contributions and goods to the Japanese Red Cross
Society through the Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation).
Kobe Steel provided 10 billion yen, and Kobelco Construction Machinery
provided 50 million yen in aid comprising relief goods and construction
equipment with operators and engineers at no cost to the disaster
areas. |
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| Foremen's Association and Volunteers at Kobe Works
Win Flower Clock Award for Seventh Straight Year |
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To contribute to welfare
in the community, the Foremen's Association and volunteers at Kobe Works
have been making donations of candy and Christmas gifts at welfare facilities,
such as children's homes and homes for the elderly, in Kobe's Nada and Higashi
Nada wards every year for the last 28 years. The funds are raised by holding
a bazaar at the Works sports meet and through voluntary contributions. This
activity was awarded the Kobe City Flower Clock Award* in 2005, for the
seventh consecutive year.
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The Flower Clock Award was established
in 1970 to commend citizens' charitable works at the local community
level. |
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| Participation in Kobe's Machikado First Aid Station
Scheme |
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| Kobe Steel participates
in Kobe City's Machikado (street corner) First Aid Station scheme
and has set up automated external defibrillators (AEDs) on the ground
floor of the company's Kobe head office building, and at Nadahama
Garden Baden health spa, one of the facilities for community interaction
near the Shinko Kobe Power Station. At Machikado First Aid Stations,
citizens suffering from cardiac arrest or loss of breathing due to
an accident or sudden acute illness can receive prompt life-saving
treatment with an AED. Fast treatment is vital for patients with cardiac
arrest, for whom the survival rate falls by 10% with every minute
lost. |
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| Visitors to Nadahama Science Square Top 100,000 |
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Nadahama Science
Square, which was opened at the Shinko Kobe Power Station in April
2004 to promote greater interaction with the local community, is a
learning-by-experience educational facility covering the subjects
of steelmaking, power generation, energy and the environment. It is
increasingly visited not just by local people and their children,
but by groups of elementary school children on school excursions.
November 16, 2005 saw the 100,000th visitor pass through the doors,
an event coming 18 months earlier than was initially predicted. The
100,000th visitor was among the fifth grade pupils of Kobe City's
Motoyama Minami Elementary School. The school was presented with book
tokens and Kobe Steel's 100th Anniversary commemorative publication.
At the 2005 Energy Publicity Activities and Publicity Facilities Awards,
sponsored by the Japan Productivity Center for Socio-Economic Development,
Nadahama Science Square received the Steering Committee Chairman's
Incentive Award from the Information Center for Energy and Environment
Education. |
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Display at Nadahama Science Square
Popular corner for first-hand experience of
the wonders of science |
| Welfare Activities by Foremen's Association at Kakogawa
Works |
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| The Foremen's Association
at Kakogawa Works, which had 95 members in 2005, is continuing voluntary
work at five welfare facilities. Activities include such activities
as weeding and ground clearing, helping at and sponsoring prizes for
events such as sports days, cultural festivals, bazaars, and New Year's
rice pounding, and arranging transport for excursions for fruit picking.
Activities vary from one welfare facility to another, and in total
run to more than 40 occasions per year. Others besides Foremen's Association
members, such as administrative staff, employees from cooperating
firms and labor union members, assist with swimming lessons at Kakogawa
School for the Disabled, or help at the Wakaba Gakuen Charity Bazaar,
making them joint activities. Expressions and letters of thanks are
received from the facilities. |
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| Shinko Care Life Involved in Community Projects |
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Shinko Care Life,
which provides care services for the elderly living at home and also
runs assisted living residences for the elderly, has five stations
for at-home care services in Kobe. As this service helps elderly people
to continue living in their own neighborhoods, it has become an important
element for interaction with the local community.
The Okamoto station in Kobe's Higashi Nada Ward has been commissioned
by Kobe City to run a comprehensive community support center, and
is working in cooperation with local medical facilities, businesses,
NPOs, case workers and police to promote integrated welfare activities.
The Okamoto and Tarumi stations also run a range of activities for
local people to enjoy, such as cultural festivals, exhibits featuring
the creative efforts of elderly people, small-scale concerts, and
"Try-Yaru" Week, a work experience program for middle school
students. |
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Flower arrangement class run by Shinko Carelife
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| Chofu Works Thanked for Street Cleaning |
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For many years Kobe
Steel's Chofu Works has been helping to keep the area surrounding
the Works clean and tidy.
In addition to the annual clean-up campaign for the whole of the Chofu
district in Shimonoseki, in which 110 employees participated in 2005,
about 30 general affairs employees help with a weekly clean-up along
National Route 9, which passes the Works. For its contribution to
preserving the clean appearance of the streets, the Works has received
an award from the Governor of Yamaguchi Prefecture. |
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Cleaning around the Works |
| Shinko Hospital Offers Community Healthcare Program and
Other Community Projects |
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| At the time of the
1995 Hanshin Awaji Earthquake, Kobe Steel directed enormous efforts
toward medical help for local victims, despite suffering considerable
damage itself. This led to a greater involvement in activities that
benefit the community, one example of which is the Community Healthcare
Program. Kobe's Iwaya-Wakihama district, which sustained severe damage
in the earthquake, is where residential buildings have since been
constructed for earthquake victims. Several times a year, volunteer
nurses provide medical check-ups at the local community centers, and
the many elderly residents are particularly appreciative of the service.
We are also offering medical advice and other services to the community,
such as a nursing experience project through which local residents
can experience nursing work and other duties at the hospital. |
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| Kobe Welding Wire Donates Books to Fukuchiyama |
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| Recognizing the importance
of children for Japan's future, Kobe Welding Wire, located in Fukuchiyama,
has donated 165 children's books, including popular picture books,
together with wooden bookshelves, to the city library. The company
has also made a donation of 100,000 yen to the Science Theater in
the city's Children's Science Museum, expressing the wish that it
be used for scientific experiments or nature study. |
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| Support for SCIX Activities |
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Kobe Steel is supporting the
activities of the NPO Sports Community and Intelligence Complex (SCIX).
SCIX was set up in March 2003 with Hirao Seiji, General Manager of
the Kobe Steel Rugby Club, as director. Its objectives are "community-building
through sports" and "learning through sports." Kobe
Steel provides ongoing support to SCIX as a visible way of contributing
to the local community.
It is currently promoting the activities listed below in close cooperation
with locally based related organizations and individual volunteers. |
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SCIX Rugby Club |
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| Rugby training for
youngsters is provided by past members of the Kobe Steel Rugby Club
at the Nadahama Sports Ground. |
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Teaching "Spaceball" at Schools |
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| Instruction in "spaceball",
a ballgame that encourages children to think for themselves, is given
at school physical education classes. Past members of the Rugby Club
provide training in collaboration with elementary and senior high
schools as well as universities in Hyogo prefecture. |
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Sports Intelligence Courses |
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| Sports instructors teach courses
on management skills such as team-building and boosting motivation. |
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Football Coaching Seminars |
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| Seminars are run in cooperation
with soccer, rugby and American football associations, to promote
sports and give youngsters some training. The project also hopes to
revitalize Kobe Wing Stadium. |
| Kobe Steel Rugby Club Community Activities |
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Kobelco Rugby Festival 2005 |
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| The Kobelco Rugby
Festival was held on July 10, 2005 to bring together players in Kobe
Steel's rugby club, the Kobelco Steelers, and local people. More than
4,000 people, both adults and children attended. Besides the regular
touch football tournament, autograph signing and charity auction,
there was an old boys' match with players from past years, held to
mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of Kobe Steel. |
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Upgrading the Nadahama Sports Ground |
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Kobe Steel's Nadahama
Sports Ground in Nada ward, Kobe, the practice ground for the Kobe
Steel Rugby Club (Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers), has been renovated
and upgraded. A pitch with an artificial grass surface has been added
to the existing grass pitch, a spectator stand has been built, and
the club house has been remodeled.
The ground is currently opened to high school rugby teams, and there
are plans to make it more widely available for local community use. |
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Nadahama Sports Ground |
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Donation to Japan Spinal Cord Foundation |
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| The Kobelco Steelers
collected donations for its "Steelers Sticker Fund" for
the NPO Japan Spinal Cord Foundation at all Top League Microsoft Cup
rugby matches during the 2004-2005 season. Part of the proceeds of
the Kobelco Rugby Festival 2005 was added to the Fund, and a sum of
587,064 yen was donated to the Foundation. |
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| Support for High School Rugby |
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As a project to promote
more interest in rugby in the run-up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup,
the Japan Rugby Football Association set up a new all-Japan tournament
for high school players. With special support from Kobe Steel, the
Road to the 2011 World Cup: Kobelco Japan Youth Rugby Dream Tournament
2005 was held over three days starting on July 31, 2005 in Yubari
City in Hokkaido. This tournament included teams made up of players
from schools that cannot line up the necessary 15 players for regular
matches, so it was an important opportunity to give some experience
of match play to the widest possible number.
Kobe Steel also acted as a sponsor of the 85th All Japan High School
Rugby Football Tournament held over the 2005/2006 New Year holidays
at the "Rugby Mecca," Hanazono Ground. |
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| Opening Group Company Sports Facilities to Local Residents |
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Kobe Steel Group
companies continue to make their sports facilities available to local
people.
Kobe Steel's Takasago Works gymnasium is used by more than 2,500 people
for a range of activities that includes women's volleyball and the
high school's baton twirling and marching band practice. The sports
ground is used for club activities and community tournaments for baseball,
softball and soccer, thereby helping to promote sports in the local
community. In a similar way, Kobe Steel plants close to residential
areas at Fujisawa, Saijo (Higashi-Hiroshima) and Chofu, as well as
Group companies such as Kobelco Construction Machinery (Hiroshima)
and Shinko Electric (Ise and Toyohashi) make their facilities available
to the local community. |
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Anniversary Special
Community Contributions Mark Kobe Steel's 100th Anniversary |
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| Anniversary Concert Marks Kobe Steel's 100th Anniversary |
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As part of Kobe Steel's
100th anniversary activities, a classical concert, "Hisato Ohzawa
and His Era," was held at the Grand Hall of the Hyogo Performing
Arts Center in Nishinomiya on March 12, 2006.
The concert was given by the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra,
accompanied by the famed pianist Akiyoshi Sako, and conducted by Yutaka
Sado, Artistic Director of the Center. Approximately 2,000 people
mainly from Hyogo Prefecture attended the concert. Revenue from the
ticket sales was donated to promote music in the community.
Hisato Ohzawa (1907-1953) was a well-known Japanese composer who wrote
Kobe Steel's prewar company song. He is the son of an engineer who
played an active role in the founding of Kobe Steel. |
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Grand Hall of the Hyogo Performing Arts Center |
| Kobelco Community Contribution Fund Established |
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Kobe Steel's various offices
and plants continue their contribution activities in appreciation
of their local communities. Taking a more proactive step, Kobe Steel
established the Kobelco Community Contribution Fund.
This system, in the social welfare field, is aimed at assisting children.
Contributions have started at nine cities where Kobe Steel has offices
and plants. Those cities are Kobe, Kakogawa, Takasago, Ibaraki, Higashi-Hiroshima,
Fujisawa, Shimonoseki, Inabe (Mie Prefecture) and Moka. |
| Nobel Prize Winner Gives Talk at Nadahama Science Square |
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Ryoji Noyori, who was awarded
the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2001, gave a lecture on February 18, 2006
at Nadahama Science Square, one of the facilities, associated with the Shinko
Kobe Power Station, that promotes community exchanges.
Nayori is a professor at Nagoya University and president of RIKEN, an institute
under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
His talk was entitled "Taking on the Future."
Around 500 elementary school students in the fifth and sixth grades, their
parents and the Kobe mayor attended the lively lecture. Following the speech
was a vigorous question-and-answer session, where many students with questions
raised their hands, leading to active discussion. |
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| Kobe Steel Donates River Hazard Maps and Disaster Vehicles
to Hyogo |
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| As part of its 100th anniversary
activities, Kobe Steel donated river hazard maps to the Disaster Reduction
and Human Renovation Institution. By pressing the touch panel, visitors
can easily see flood hazard maps of Hyogo Prefecture's major rivers
on large 50-inch monitors. Kobe Steel also donated two 4WD recreational
vehicles to Hyogo for use in disaster relief. |
| Kobe Steel Donates Firefighting Cars to Kobe |
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| Kobe Steel donated
five firefighting cars equipped with loudspeakers to Kobe. "We
will make good use of these vehicles to protect the safety of citizens,"
said Kobe's mayor, expressing his appreciation. The five cars are
assigned to the Higashi-Nada, Nada and other fire departments in Kobe. |
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| Kobe Steel's Technical Development Group Hosts 100th Anniversary
Commemorative Lectures |
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On September 16,
2005 at the Lasse Hall in Kobe's Chuo Ward, Kobe Steel's Technical
Development Group opened the Kobe Steel 100th Anniversary Commemorative
Lectures.
The theme was "Marking 100 Years: The Past, Present and Future
of Kobe Steel's Technology." About 300 people attended the event,
including Kobe Steel employees and former workers, in addition to
others from local companies.
A former Kobe Steel researcher gave a talk on the "History of
Technology." R&D executives at Kobe Steel and its group companies
participated in a panel discussion on "Technology Now."
Masanori Moritani, a professor at The University of the Air and a
technology commentator, gave a special lecture entitled "The
Future of Technology." The presentations sparked lively conversation
that carried on to the reception that followed. |
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| 130,000 People Attend Shinko Kakogawa Festival |
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| Since 1990, the Kakogawa
Works has organized the Shinko Kakogawa Festival. October 30, 2005
marked the 15th anniversary of the Festival, and along with Kobe Steel's
100th anniversary, the event was more festive than usual. About 130,000
people, over 30,000 more than the average year, enjoyed the various
games, stage entertainment, and other events offered. The Kakogawa
Works provided book tokens to the city's elementary and junior high
schools as well as schools for disabled children. In addition, all
students in the fifth grade going to schools in the city of Kakogawa
were given a tour of Kakogawa Works. |
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| Takasago Works Makes Donations to Local Schools, Hospitals
and Welfare Council |
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| The Takasago Works
donated books to Takasago's public kindergartens and elementary and
junior high schools (a total of 25 schools). Child-size chairs and
megaphones were given to 13 preschools. To the municipal hospital
went automatic blood pressure monitors and stretchers. Meanwhile the
Harima Plant, a branch facility of the Takasago Works, in nearby Harimacho,
donated 25 wheelchairs to the Municipal Council for Social Welfare.
In Harimacho, residents may use the wheelchairs free of charge. |
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| Fujisawa Industrial Operations Donates Money to Fujisawa
Welfare Fund |
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| Fujisawa Industrial
Operations donated 500,000 yen to the Fujisawa City Circle of Love
Welfare Fund. This fund helps people with disabilities and those needing
assistance in becoming independent and promotes greater participation
in society. It also supports volunteer activities that foster community
welfare. The fund was established in 1984 by residents to help create
a town with better social services. |
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| Ibaraki Plant Donates Braille Printer to Welfare
Facility for the Disabled |
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| Commemorating Kobe
Steel's 100th anniversary, the Ibaraki Plant donated a braille printer
to the Ibaraki Municipal Welfare Center for the Disabled. The printer,
for personal use, is portable. The easy-to-use keypad has braille
notation and operations are clearly distinguishable by the use of
different sounds. These features make the printer convenient for visually
impaired people to use. |
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| Saijo Plant Contributes Digital blood Pressure Monitors
to Higashi-Hiroshima |
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| The Saijo Plant donated
two digital blood pressure monitors to Higashi-Hiroshima. One unit is at
City Hall, while the other is available at the Comprehensive Welfare Center.
Visitors may freely use the devices. "Thank you for showing your understanding
of the promotion of welfare in the city," said the mayor in appreciation. |
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Donated digital blood pressure monitor |
| Moka Plant Donates AEDs and Crime Prevention Tools |
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Commemorating the
100th anniversary of Kobe Steel, the Moka Plant donated seven automated
external defibrillators* (AEDs) and two training kits to the city
of Moka. To each of the 21 elementary and junior high schools in the
city, two aluminum satsumata** were given for crime prevention. The
Moka City Educational Center of Science received a visual presenter
and a constellation clock.
| * |
An automated external defibrillator
is a device that gives an electric shock to the heart to help
it reestablish a normal rhythm.
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| ** |
The satsumata is a staff with a U-shaped
prong at the end. |
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| Chofu Works Hosts Shinko Chofu Festa 2005 |
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| The Shinko Chofu
Festa 2005 was held on October 16, 2005 in Shimonoseki. Employees,
their families and the local community participated in the festive
event marking Kobe Steel's 100th Anniversary. In addition to refreshment
stands manned by employees and stalls run by the local women's association,
the tuna carving show by the Chofu Fishery Cooperative Association
and an excavator demonstration by Kobelco Construction Machinery were
highly popular events. |
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| Daian Plant Hosts Shinko 100-TEN Festa |
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| On November 26, 2005,
the Daian Plant held the Shinko 100-TEN Festa in commemoration of
Kobe Steel's 100th Anniversary and the 10th Anniversary of the Daian
Plant, located in Inabe, Mie Prefecture. The event was held at Yokkaichi's
Yokkaichi Dome. Including local residents, approximately 1,000 people
took part in the day's events. Following the opening with the traditional
Japanese drumming particular to Daian, the participants went on to
enjoy a day of games and attractions. No Japanese festival would be
complete without a lottery where 115 lucky people won a variety of
gifts, including a 26-inch LCD flat-screen TV, bringing the day to
a successful end. |
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