Financial and Economics Education
The founder of Nomura Securities Co., Ltd., Tokushichi Nomura, firmly believed that the company could contribute to the advancement of society by engaging in the securities business. He explained Nomura's raison d'etre as follows: "Nomura's mission is to enrich the nation through the securities business. This is something that we must absolutely see through." The healthy development of the economy is a prerequisite for a prosperous society, and we believe that expansion of the capital markets will assist that process. This has led Nomura Group to work towards improving financial literacy and understanding of financial markets in the community.
Education is the source of economic development, and we intend to continue expanding educational opportunities for all ages, offering plans and programs geared to those with a desire to learn.
Finance Courses for Universities
With the aim of offering real-world knowledge to students who will support the Japanese economy in the future, Nomura Group offers finance courses at universities all over the country. In fiscal 2006, 548 Nomura Group employees gave lectures in these courses at 127 universities. The courses were taken by approximately 20,000 students, who found them to be interesting because the courses were based on the instructors' real-life work experiences.
An Introduction to the Economy: "The T-Shirt Shop"
Introductory economics textbook T-Shirt Shop and instructor's guideIn March 2006 Nomura Group prepared a set of educational materials and distributed them to roughly 800 junior high schools who had requested them, delivering a total of approximately 90,000 copies to the schools. Given the popularity of the learning materials, an additional 1,200 junior high schools asked for sets, and we were happy to respond, delivering another 110,000 sets at the end of April 2007. The set included a text for students in picture book format, which explained the complicated workings of the economy and finance in simple language, and a teacher's manual that came with worksheets and examples for exercises in class. The storyline in "The T-Shirt Shop" concerns some fictional junior high school students who start up a T-shirt business. In the course of working through the textbook, students learn about topics including company acquisitions, international trade, and companies' social responsibilities. The program is structured to allow them to progressively gain an understanding of how the economy works as well as the meaning of economic and financial terms and expressions.
Financial Seminars as part of Lifelong Learning
Although economic and financial systems are deeply connected to our lives, on the whole there have been few opportunities to learn about economics and finance. With the aim of addressing this problem, Nomura Group offers seminars as part of lifelong learning programs at local communities and workplaces, through which the public can acquire knowledge of finance and securities.
These courses cover the concepts involved in planning financially for a comfortable retirement. We work to make these courses relatively simple, so that even beginners can benefit from them. We have offered these courses since 2003 and have already had over 120,000 participants.
Special Support for "Nikkei Stock League"
The Nikkei Stock League is a contest for middle and high school as well as university students sponsored by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, in which students create their own investment portfolios and performance reports. The event was held for the 8th time in fiscal 2007, and Nomura Group has been a special supporter since the outset.
Some 2,065 teams from schools nationwide were represented in the 7th Annual Nikkei Stock League Contest, with 8,193 students participating. The participating teams establish portfolio objectives and conduct simulated investments in a number of companies according to their objectives. They prepare reports at the same time. While the goal of this program is for students to learn about economics and investment structures, the participants must also engage in teamwork and employ their imaginations.
"The Secret of Money - The Business of a Securities Company"
"The Secret of Money - The Business of a Securities Company"We co-sponsored this educational publication on financial literacy primarily for elementary school pupils. It describes the roles of money, banks and securities companies in a simple, comic book style. Copies were donated to 24,000 elementary schools and 2,400 public libraries nationwide in April 2003.
"Finance for Beginners"
"Finance for Beginners"In February 2005, we prepared and donated copies of "Finance for Beginners" to 11,000 junior high schools and 2,400 public libraries across the nation.
The book features a qualified financial planner as she explains in simple terms to middle school students in her neighborhood how financial and economic mechanisms work.
"A Woman's Guide to Investing"
"A Woman's Guide to Investing"Women of all ages have become increasingly interested in investing and asset management. In November 2004, Nomura Securities established a Woman Financial Planning Team to provide information specifically geared for women, and in May 2005 Toyo Keizai Inc. published A Womans Guide to Investing, a Japanese translation of A Womans Guide to Investing, the famous tutorial written for American women about how to deal with money issues and build a long-term financial plan.
Nomura hopes that a large number of women will make good use of this resource in increasing their financial literacy, and take the first step towards a better financial future.
"The Basics of Securities Investing"
"The Basics of Securities Investing"In May 2005, Nomura Securities produced an introductory-level investment textbook that was published by Maruzen. The title was called The Basics of Securities Investing, and it discussed investing and investment returns, investing and risk, equity investing methods, bond investing methods, global securities investing, and diversified investing. This text is currently being used as a reference text for securities education courses at universities.
Website for Learning about the Economy-man@bow (Let's Learn!)
"man@bow (Let's Learn!)"Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. and the Nihon Keizai Shimbun jointly sponsor the economic learning website "man@bow" as a means of offering financial seminars to a broad range of people to heighten their interest and understanding of finance and the economy. The site's content is not limited to the economy and investing, but also has easy-to-understand commentary on current topics and market trends. Individual investors can use the site as a tool for learning about asset management.
(http://manabow.com)
Co-sponsorship of the Quest Education Program
The Quest Education Program was launched in April 2003 for middle and high school students to help them learn the realities of the economy and society and acquire life skills from the real world. The program is designed to foster the development of the students' own career and personal ambitions, helping them to decide for themselves what they want to do and become. The program is used by schools as part of the "integrated learning" curriculum. Nomura Group's contribution has been as a sponsor of he "Corporate Access" element of the program, which aims to deepen students' understanding of the workplace and corporate activities through a variety of experiences in association with companies.
Broadcasts of Doki Doki Waku Waku Okane no Hanashi("The Thrill of Money")
Broadcasts of Doki Doki Waku Waku Okane no HanashiWe have been broadcasting this program on the importance of asset management over 160 Cable TV stations across the country since April 2001. It is vital for everyone to start early in making solid preparations for their own future. The program offers a wealth of information, including basic knowledge about money, asset management, financial advice, and reports on students learning the ropes of investing. The program currently has a potential audience of over 12 million Japanese households.
Financial Literacy Program
