Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Rakuten's Approach

In our multinational world, every person sees the world differently. Corporations are finally paying attention to the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging to their products and services.
Innovation must not be exclusive but open to all. Since our inception, we have been an equal-opportunity employer, and our mission has been to empower people and society by creating value through innovation and entrepreneurship.
We have fostered a culture that provides opportunities to anyone who shares this founding philosophy, regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, or gender identity.
We respect the individuality and values of every one of our employees worldwide and strive to create an environment where everyone can realize their full potential. Our fundamental commitment to promoting diversity and non-discrimination is stipulated in our Human Rights Policy, a part of Rakuten Group Regulations.

Diversity at a Glance

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Strategy

• 

  Grow and advance a diverse workforce

  We believe that our differences make us stronger.
  We strive to make our company reflect the diversity in our customer base and our communities.
  We ensure that everyone has access to excellent development opportunities, fair pay, and equal opportunity to grow in their career and thrive.

• 

  Foster a culture of belonging

  We believe that our differences are not enough to help us thrive.
  We must leverage and value the gifts we all bring to Rakuten via this inclusive culture.
  That starts with ensuring all voices are heard and valued across our community.

• 

  Build an inclusive brand

  We leverage our diverse workforce to discover new ways to reach and satisfy our customers.
  We embrace diverse voices in our decision-making processes, infuse our internal and external brand with inclusive principles and ensure our external partnerships represent our values.

• 

  Empower our communities

  Through our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) ctivities and relationships within our communities, we empower the world to advance social innovation, societal sustainability and humanitarian efforts in our local communities across the world.

Management System

Diversity-related challenges and opportunities raised by our internal and external stakeholders are discussed by our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee, which directly reports to the Sustainability Committee in charge of societal matters that require long-term, cross-organizational discussion.
The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee consists of C-suite executives and other high-level managers. Based on analysis of the situation on the ground, the Subcommittee proposes and implements necessary action plans.
The Sustainability Committee reports regularly to the Board of Directors on proposals and decisions made by each Subcommittee, progress towards targets, implementation into business strategy and compliance with international guidelines, laws, and regulations.

Growing and Advancing a Diverse Workforce

We provide an inclusive workplace where each employee can feel safe, enabling us to thrive together as one global team. Below are some of the initiatives that we have implemented.

Shared Language and Mindset

• A Common Language for All

• A Shared Value Together

A Common Language for All

In 2012, we adopted English as our official corporate language amid our global expansion. What we call Englishnization was viewed as a bold action when most Japanese companies conducted business in Japanese. Englishnization has opened doors to a diverse range of people, expanding our pool of potential hires on a scale never seen before. It has enabled us to recruit and promote talented people, setting the stage for a multinational business.
Today, Englishnization allows us to quickly capture the latest global trends in the world of technology and build a long-lasting, resilient infrastructure. While our employees think independently, we are united by a common language and mission.

Accelerating Innovation: Rakuten Mobile

At the end of 2017, Rakuten announced its entrance into the Mobile Network Operator market. Rakuten's roadmap of a two-year preparation period before the service launch was regarded as a reckless move.
However, we delivered our promise and launched the full-scale commercial 4G service in April 2020 by building a state-of-the-art, fully virtualized cloud-native mobile network, and quickly installing base stations across Japan.
Unlike other Japanese network operators, our Englishnization policy has given us an advantage in hiring diverse employees with talented skill sets.
Rakuten Mobile now embraces employees from over fifty countries, all taking on unprecedented challenges and working towards a shared goal.

A shared value together

To truly leverage Rakuten's diversity, having a shared set of values and promoting mutual understanding are also essential. Here are some activities offered to develop what we call a One Team Spirit.
The Rakuten Shugi Workshops are one of our efforts to help all employees fully understand Shugi, the founding principles of our corporate culture ingrained in every aspect of Rakuten's business operation.
Our cross-cultural management training delivers a practical framework to help future leaders in everything from cross-cultural team management to developing a leadership mindset.
Our weekly review sessions of Business-Do: The Way to Successful Leadership written by CEO Hiroshi Mikitani, further encourage our employees to openly share their opinion and engage in discussions with colleagues to support and understand each other's views.

Fostering a Culture of Mutual Respect

As we embrace each employee's unique background, we recognize the importance of cultivating a culture of mutual respect. At Rakuten, we specialize in education, providing training on topics such as unconscious bias or working with employees with different lifestyles.
We also provide manager-targeted diversity training for better team management.
Managers who are newly promoted join a Newly Promoted Evaluator Program where they learn how to better manage a diverse group of people as they familiarize themselves with potential diversity and inclusion issues that may arise within their team.
The culture of mutual respect is not just limited to internal employee development. For example, every year, we celebrate International Women's Day to raise awareness of gender biases, aiming to create equitable environments for all genders. Cross-cultural events, employee education about Ramadan and workshops about Japanese traditional culture make up a small portion of our eventful calendar.
The Rules of Employment at Rakuten explicitly mention the zero-tolerance policies against harassment. A workplace environment free of harassment should be a given for all employees and not a privilege earned.

Fostering a Culture of Belonging

We create an environment where individuals feel accepted, valued and a part of a group.
This helps employees feel connected, secure and fulfilled.

Employee Networks and Communities for all Rakuten Employees

Employee Networks are networking communities of employees based on common interests. Various employee networks host workshops with external guests and speakers, study sessions, and networking events to provide learning opportunities on communication, work-life balance and other relevant day-to-day issues.

Family Empowerment Network

LGBTQ+ Network

Cross-Cultural Network

Rakuten Official Clubs

Rakuten Smile Project

Employees' Stories

Employee Voice

I joined Rakuten fourteen years ago, and now work as an application engineer. I am visually impaired, so I use screen reader software and braille displays. For me, inclusion means each of us can feel a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment every day, in an environment where one can demonstrate their strengths according to their background.

I am involved in a project to improve the web accessibility of Rakuten websites and I share my ideas from the perspective of using a screen reader. This initiative directly leads to the creation of user-friendly services for many people.

Takeshi Shiigamoto

Application Engineer, Sub-leader,
Rakuten Socio Business, Japan