Community involvement activities | Japan

Each year at the request of Niigata University, Nomura Securities Co., Ltd.'s Niigata Branch accepts several of the University's students as interns. During their three days at the branch, the students learn about the mission and work of each of the branch's sections and observe these functions in practice. They also visit the head office's dealing room, the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), and the Bank of Japan (BOJ). In addition, the interns are given an introduction to Nomura Group's CSR activities. In 2007, the branch accepted three students who were taken to Tokyo on their last day (August 24) to visit the BOJ and the TSE.
This internship program is useful both from the aspect of educating the participants about securities investment as well as for their career planning, giving them a chance to talk to people in a real workplace about working life after graduation. At the end of their internship the students prepare reports on topics such as "the connection between securities companies and society," "coordinating operations between the head office and the branches," and "the significance of Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. in direct financing," which they then present at public forums at the University. We feel strongly that this internship program has a big impact not just on the students who participate but also for Niigata University and the local community, and we would like to continue our commitment to this program.

Between November 10 and 13, 2007, the National Health and Welfare Festival for Seniors, more commonly known as the "Nenlympic Games," was held in Ibaraki Prefecture. The Mito Branch and Tsuchiura Branch of Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. supported and took part in the Festival, which aims to promote better health, involvement in community activities, and building greater zest for life.
Large numbers of visitors braved the stormy weather to visit the Mito Branch's outdoor tent. By the end of the festival visitors had cleaned out almost all the souvenirs and over 1,000 copies of finance education books that the branch gave away. Finance quizzes held inside the booth also proved to be lively affairs.
At Tsuchiura Branch's booth, visitors were able to experience Nomura Home Trade and economic quizzes were held where the winners received financial education books. Around 2,000 visitors of all ages visited the booth over the four-day period, exceeding the number expected. It was exciting to see the quiz winners break into smiles as they overcame their initial anxiety and took home bags of prizes.
The branches also sponsored a seminar for the festival. The seniors who attended listened to talks by Professor Atsushi Seike of Keio University and Minoru Nakamura, an Executive Fellow at Nomura Research Institute Ltd.

The Fujisawa Branch belongs to Beautification Net Fujisawa (BNF), a community group created out of a desire "to beautify Fujisawa, the town where we live," and "to make Fujisawa a nice place to be." Since 2003, as a BNF activity, on the last Wednesday morning of each month, staff from the branch have cleaned up the streets around the branch and the local train station. As a result of their efforts, there has been a reduction in the amount of garbage collected from the area.
Fujisawa City lies right in the middle of Kanagawa Prefecture, and with good transport links to Tokyo, Yokohama, Atsugi and Odawara, its population has been growing each year. In summer the beaches at Enoshima nearby are packed with large numbers of sunbathers and swimmers. The Fujisawa Branch will continue its efforts towards making Fujisawa a community that can be enjoyed by its residents and visitors alike.

The 19th "National Lifelong Learning Festival (Manabipia)" was held between November 2 and 6, 2007. Manabipia aims to spur the desire for lifelong learning and to encourage participation in learning activities. Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. has been actively involved in Manabipia since 2002.
Including the principal venue at the Okayama Prefectural Multipurpose Grounds (OPMG), "Manabipia Okayama 2007" was staged in all cities and towns throughout Okayama Prefecture. Nomura Securities Co., Ltd., with other companies, universities and groups nationwide joined in organizing exhibitions and presentations on lifelong learning at the OPMG. More than 170,000 visitors enjoyed these and other new ideas for developing their communities over the five days of the event.
Over 5,000 people of all ages took advantage of the features and events presented by the Okayama Branch at its booth. These included "Money True or False Quizzes", a "Nomura Home Trade Demo Corner", as well as a "Kid's Corner." As a preceding event to the Festival the branch organized a lecture on October 31 by Professor Satoshi Morimoto of Takushoku University and another lecture during Manabipia itself by Keio University Professor Atsushi Seike.

Nomura Securities Co., Ltd's. Kochi Branch joined in the "Exciting Work Shopping Street" event on November 4, 2007, a work experience event sponsored by the local shopping district.
150 higher-grade elementary school children were selected by lottery from across Kochi City to take part in this event. The children could choose hands-on work experience from 24 different kinds of professions, including preparing bonito carpaccio, nail art, pickle making, package delivery, manning the police box and firefighting.
At Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. the children played an investing simulation game called "Help Me Grow My Money." Some children played the role of clients who wanted to invest their salaries, while other children played the role of Nomura employees. The "investor" children learned about the process of investing in stocks, and the "advisor" children learned how to give advice to clients, to handle and settle orders, and deliver share certificates.
Many children visited the booth at the street fair to participate in the game and to learn about investing. Many of them already understood how stocks work and about managing risk, with some of them expressing concern that they might lose money on the shares that they were "buying." The children's mood rose and fell with the ups and downs in the prices of the stocks they had picked.
"Exciting Work Shopping Street" proved to be a good opportunity for younger children to learn about work and to think about future careers, as well as deepening their understanding about the importance of money, and at the same time provided a boost to the local shopping district.

JOINVEST Securities Co., Ltd. is an official sponsor of the J-League soccer team Jubilo Iwata. Jubilo Iwata's guiding philosophy is "Dreams and Emotions." Those ideals, along with Jubilo Iwata's determination to play for victory every game, are inspirations it shares with JOINVEST Securities Co., Ltd. In order to allow local children to see this determination by the players, JOINVEST Securities Co., Ltd. treated a large number of children from Shizuoka Prefecture to watch Jubilo Iwata play a match at its home stadium. Some of the children receiving free tickets attended the Omaezaki Branch School of the Fukuroi School for the Disabled, and others came from Pasture House, a children's home run by the Denmark Pastures Social Welfare Community.
We hope that the children could experience fever-pitch emotions while keenly tracking the players as they vied for control of the ball. Sports are truly a source of "dreams and emotions" for children, and they also deepen ties within communities. It is our wish to see this initiative assist in deepening exchanges between children in the region and the local Jubilo Iwata soccer team.

The high job attrition rate among young workers has become a problem in recent years. Toyama Branch Office held an internship under a program sponsored by the Toyama Internship Promotion Council, a program aiming to eliminate mismatching between students and companies. For five days during 7-11 August 2006, Toyama Branch welcomed four local university students, and the branch staff (approximately 30 staff) took turns giving the students an introduction to the history of the company, the role of securities companies, and the nature of the business. The students were also given a curriculum of practical training which included an online trading tutorial, a chance to see what working on the retail floor is like, and the opportunity to join branch employees on their rounds of meetings with clients. The students' eagerness and desire to learn provided a spark to their mentors, who came away from training with renewed vigor towards their own work. Toyama Branch plans to hold this internship program again in the future.

The Seijo area where the Seijo Branch is located is famous for its cherry blossoms, and is considered one of the most scenic areas in suburban Tokyo. With the arrival of winter each year, the Seijo Branch takes part in the "Clean Up The Leaves" campaign organized by the Seijo Residents' Association. The rows of cherry trees in Seijo are located in private residential areas, and given the large size of the residents' blocks of land as well as the area's aging population, the whole community pitches in with the cleanup. To show their appreciation to the local residents for their business, all of the branch's employees participate, and the branch has been taking part in this event on an annual basis. It was quite chilly at the start of the event, but as the employees continued to work alongside the participants from the community they began to warm up. Some of the residents offered words of thanks, and the employees felt a tremendous sense of satisfaction at the end of the event.

In a fortunate matching of objectives, the Kishiwada Branch wanted to deepen its ties with the community, and universities in the area wanted to become more "open". So, since the fall of 2006, the Kishiwada Branch has held a "University Lecture Relay," with the participation of ten universities mainly from the local area. Each month the branch invites a speaker from one of the universities to give a lecture to its customers. From this, the branch sensed a need for collaboration between academia and industry, so it held an "Industry-University Collaboration Forum" to bring together leading companies and universities from the region. Twelve representatives from four universities and ten representatives from nine companies took part in the two-day event. The discussions were quite lively, and the participants were very happy with the event. The Kishiwada Branch has high hopes that future collaborations between academia and industry will lead to positive results.

The Asahi River flows through the heart of Okayama City, and forms a natural moat around Okayama Castle; and Koraku-en, one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, is located on one of its midstream islands. The river is therefore a very important part of the community. Led by the Association to Make the Asahi River the Most Beautiful in Japan, a non-profit organization, four times a year mass cleanups involving local governments and residents are conducted as a beautification initiative for the Asahi River, and some occasions more than 2,000 people take part. The Okayama Branch took part in all four mass cleanups of the River in fiscal 2006, and a total of seventy-nine of its employees and their family members got up early on their day off to put in a hard day's work. The branch also plans to take part in the mass cleanups in the future. Depending on the season, the type and volume of the garbage pulled from the riverside varies. Given the increase in community awareness towards beautifying the environment as evidenced by the number of people who take part, the quantity of rubbish is thought to have declined. If you visit Okayama, please take a look at how clean the Asahi River is.

Okinawa was the only territory of Japan that experienced land fighting in World War II, when literally the entire island became a field of fire. Shuri Castle's Shurei Gate, which was restored after the war, is recognized by the residents of Okinawa as a monument to peace, in stark contrast to war and fighting. Given this history, the depiction of Shurei Gate on Japan's 2,000 yen notes as a high-minded message for peace makes the notes more than just a currency.
The Naha Branch endorses this message, and since 2005 it has embarked on a consistent campaign to popularize the notes, from the ground up, including within the company. All 34 Naha Branch employees have become "2,000 yen Note Ambassadors," promoting the use of the note which was introduced in 2000, and the branch manager uses the notes whenever he can, for example by exchanging almost all his entire salary into 2,000 yen notes, and having a supply in his wallet when he travels on business outside Okinawa. When the branch members use a 2,000 yen note, it becomes a starting point for talking about the message of peace. It's a small gesture, but they regard it as very important. The same message is conveyed when Nomura Group employees come to Okinawa from outside the prefecture, and the idea is spreading to other prefectures and gradually gaining momentum. Although local banks in the prefecture can also be credited with playing their part in popularizing the note, the spread of this initiative from the branch of an organization like Nomura Group conveys the powerful message of "from Okinawa to Japan", and the branch is proud of the difference and significance of its contribution to the community. Every person who sees the Shurei Gate on a 2,000 yen note will think about peace, and the Naha Branch works every day for that to happen.

We participate in neighborhood clean-up campaigns as a way of improving the local environment and maintaining good relations with local communities. Nihonbashi, the area in Tokyo where our headquarters is located, is a site of historic significance and each year since 1972 roughly 30 of our employees have volunteered in a local clean-up campaign. Employees are encouraged to volunteer in this and other clean-up events.

Foreign currency notes and coins have been collected from Nomura Group companies since 2002 for donation to the UNICEF foreign currency collection campaign.