Kobe Steel included in MSCI Japan ESG Select Leaders Index

Kobe Steel, Ltd. announces that it has been selected as a constituent of the MSCI Japan ESG Select Leaders Index, a leading ESG (environmental, social, and governance) investment index.

The MSCI Japan ESG Select Leaders Index is an index created by MSCI Inc., a major U.S. financial services company, which uses its proprietary ratings to select stocks from among those of listed Japanese companies that comprehensively respond to ESG-related risks and demonstrate outstanding performance in ESG practices. As of June 2022, 305 companies have been included in the MSCI Japan ESG Select Leaders Index. It has been adopted as one of the ESG investment indices by Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), the world's largest public pension fund management organization. In addition, Kobe Steel has also been selected as a constituent of other ESG indices for Japanese stocks adopted by the GPIF, including the FTSE Blossom Japan Index, the FTSE Blossom Japan Sector Relative Index, and the S&P/JPX Carbon Efficient Index.

The KOBELCO Group has been promoting sustainability management based on its Group Corporate Philosophy with the aim of contributing to the environment and society and achieving sustainable growth. Along with this, we are pursuing enhancement of corporate governance that bolsters these initiatives. We believe that the selection of Kobe Steel as an index constituent is a result of the Company's efforts being highly evaluated. We will continue to provide solutions to the needs of society, including ESG, by making the best use of the talents of our employees and our technologies, in order to realize a world in which people, now and in the future, can fulfill their hopes and dreams while enjoying safe, secure and prosperous lives, together with its stakeholders.