Community contribution initiatives | Japan

Around 200 Nomura Group employees participated in the FIT (Financial Industry in Tokyo) for charity run 2008 at the National Kasumigaoka Stadium in November 2008. The inaugural run was in 2005 and the event has grown every year since. The 4,700 people taking part in 2008 raised ¥58 million for 10 charities in Tokyo that serve important needs but lack sufficient funding.

In July 2008 138 Nomura Group employees and families participated in the 38th annual cleanup of Tokyo's Nihonbashi district. The Nihonbashi Bridge Preservation Society, the neighborhood association, local businesses, and government bodies collaborated in this event temporarily closing part of Chuo Dori Avenue to traffic to ensure safety. The cleanup attracts more volunteers every year, and in 2008 around 1,550 volunteers braved the 30C heat to help out. After the cleanup, participants threw micro-organism balls into the river that are known to be effective at dissolving sludge and purifying the water.

Since 1998, we have volunteered in the nationally-televised Hakone Road Race that takes place each January. The race, in which college teams complete a grueling long distance relay race from Tokyo to Hakone, is a major event in Japan. Approximately 20 Nomura employees volunteer nearby Nomura's head office to keep the roads safe for runners during the race.

Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. Mito branch was an official partner at the National Cultural Festival Ibaraki 2008 in November 2008. The branch set up a booth that proved very popular for its free textbooks, notably "The Economics Classroom", "An introduction to the economy; The T-Shirt Shop"; and "The Secret of Money: The Business of a Securities Company".
This annual festival began in 1986. It has grown to become Japan's foremost event for arts and culture, attracting enthusiasts from all over the nation for key announcements in various fields, competitions, and opportunities to exchange ideas with likeminded people.

The Chofu branch of Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. took part in the Chofu charity walk 2008 in October 2008. Local businesses organize and run this event every year. The walk began at the Daiichi Elementary School with participants going through checkpoints on their way to the destination.
As part of the event the branch held an entertaining class about foreign exchange for more than 100 children and their parents donating the class fees to the Engawa Fund which provides operating funds to citizens' groups in Chofu.

In August 2008, 31 volunteers from the Gifu branch of Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. again participated in a cleanup by the Nagara River Beautification Society.
This initiative is always held on the morning after the Nagara River Fireworks Festival which starts on the last Saturday of July and ends on the first Saturday of August. It is one of Japan's biggest events of this kind with more than 300,000 people coming to see a total of 30,000 fireworks light the skies.
The cleanup covered roughly four kilometers of the river from Ukai Bridge to Chusetsu Bridge. Branch volunteers welcomed the opportunity to give back to the community and show their appreciation for a river prized for its clear waters and cormorant fishing.

In February 2009, the Kishiwada branch of Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. set up the Nomura Senshu gallery on its second floor. The goals were to disseminate information about the Senshu area and deepen community understanding of its roots. The gallery featured a grand map of the Senshu region, a booth presenting local industries, a section highlighting local history and tourist attractions, and another section profiling famous families from the area.

As part of celebrations of its 60th anniversary, the Nagasaki branch of Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. set up a booth at a garage sale at a municipal government-organized recycling bazaar in October 2008.
The families of all branch employees donated a total of around 300 items to the booth. Huge crowds of bargain-seekers amassed before opening time on a day blessed with perfect weather. The booth's sales for the day exceeded ¥90,000.
The branch later gave the booth proceeds and ¥70,000 in donations from employees to a campaign that aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Nagasaki. In April 2009 the campaign used this money to help fund the production of an eco calendar distributed to sixth-graders in Nagasaki.

The Kagoshima branch of Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. participated in the Nenlympic Games Kagoshima 2008 in October 2008. People of all ages engaged with each other, reflecting the event's theme of drawing on the experience of older people.
More than 2,000 people visited the branch's booth which highlighted the message that life gets even more interesting after 60.
The branch organized a seminar from Professor Atsushi Seike, then Dean of the faculty of business and commerce at Keio University. He spoke about living in an age-free society. Professor Satoshi Morimoto of Takushoku University followed up with a speech on the world today and Japanese diplomacy. The two answered many questions from the audience of around 300 people. The branch valued the experience, and plans to continue such community involvement in the years ahead.

The annual National Lifelong Learning Festival (Manabipia) spurs interest in lifelong learning. The 20th festival was held in Fukushima prefecture in 2008. The booths of municipalities and companies highlighted information on the wonders of learning and applying knowledge to daily living. Many people visited the booth of the Fukushima branch of Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. which featured money quizzes and a section for children.

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.

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.

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.

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 17-21 August 2009, 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.

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.

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.

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