About Dialogue for Change with Rakuten

Biodiversity​

About the Program

Through the Dialogue for Change with Rakuten program, we join hands with a diverse range of stakeholders, leveraging the power of dialogue to spark social change and positive impact going forward. We are turning this dialogue into action, promoting a new vision for the future.

Dialogue to Build our Best Future

Why do we need a dialogue? In this era of complex social challenges, building a better society requires the cooperation of a diverse range of stakeholders, combining strengths to take action. We believe that ideas come not only from seeking a single solution through debate but from seeking to understand one another's opinions through dialogue. Through this program, we aim to leverage dialogue and work towards this vision together.

The program consists of three main stages.

  1. Dialogue between diverse stakeholders
  2. Actions based on dialogue outcomes
  3. Sharing new visions and messages gleaned through actions.

Through these activities, we aim to promote a vision for a better future.

A Guide to Dialogue

As part of our activities in 2022, we developed a guidebook to aid understanding of our approach to dialogue.
The guidebook can be used freely by anyone.

A Guide to Dialogue

2022 Dialogue Topic: Women's Leadership and Empowerment

At Rakuten, we embrace diversity as a driving force of innovation and strive to eliminate gender inequality. Today, Rakuten promotes a number of initiatives to promote women in the workforce, including boosting representation in executive and management roles and building an inclusive work environment. Beyond the realm of internal initiatives, however, there remain numerous challenges and opportunities to improve women's standing in many aspects of society. We believe in the importance of broadening our scope to include these challenges.

フィールドワーク@気仙沼
フィールドワーク@気仙沼
分科会@気仙沼
対話ワークショップ
対話ワークショップ
グラフィックレコーディング
気仙沼に集まった皆様と
アクションを通じた問いの探求
アクションを通じた問いの探求
アクションを通じた問いの探求
報告会Insights2022 @楽天クリムゾンハウス
報告会Insights2022 @楽天クリムゾンハウス
対話ワークショップ Insights2022 @楽天クリムゾンハウス
Wrap-up対話 Insights2022 @楽天クリムゾンハウス
報告会 Insights2022
振り返りセッション
振り返りセッション

Outline of 2022 Activities

Item Content
2022 dialogue topic Women's Leadership and Empowerment
Participants Rakuten employees: 29
Dialogue partners: 74+
Schedule
  • Project briefing: May - June
  • Kickoff session (online): July 8
  • Dialogue workshop in Kesennuma: July 30-31
  • Implement actions: August - October
  • Insights 2022 (final report presentation) at Rakuten Group HQ: January 21, 2023
Outcomes
  • Fostering a culture of dialogue
  • Creation of guidebook "A Guide to Dialogue" to promote understanding of dialogue methods
  • Improved awareness of the importance of dialogue

Do you consider dialogue to be important in building a better future?

For more details, please refer to the Activity Report.

Activity Report

Voices from our Dialogue Partners

Transforming Challenges to Fun

I was impressed by the presentations from the different teams. One presentation that left a big impression on me was the "Boosting children's confidence through marine sports" project. The idea of adults in the community getting involved to cheer on children's efforts really resonated with me. I think that if we can transform these challenges into fun experiences, children will learn to stay positive even when they run into obstacles in the future. I'm looking forward to seeing the positive impact of this initiative!

Ms. Akemi Kimura

Ms. Akemi Kimura

Store manager at Aijo Tarako no Minato,
Minato Suisan, Inc.

Spreading Hope from Kesennuma with Dialogue

As someone who is engaged in community development in Kesennuma, this initiative gave me a great feeling of hope. I have a new appreciation for how we take our ability to engage in dialogue for granted.
I think Rakuten's ideals are similar to rural Japan's in that we're both striving for change. Rakuten's involvement in this initiative has given us many ideas for our activities. I can't wait to see how this dialogue movement spreads across the country as we take concrete action in the future.

Mr. Takuma Kato

Mr. Takuma Kato

Representative Director, Maru Office General
Incorporated Association

Private and Public Sectors Together

It was just so much fun to engage in dialogue with everyone. With government work, I feel the importance of interacting with citizens and engaging in dialogue every day. I was surprised that a private firm like Rakuten would take on an initiative like this and I felt a strong potential for public-private collaboration going forward. I think this project will serve as a great opportunity to facilitate relationships between regional areas across Japan, and I have high hopes for future activities!

Ms. Chieko Sugawara

Ms. Chieko Sugawara

Office for Measures against Depopulation,
Kesennuma City Hall