Respect for Human Rights

The “K” LINE Group stipulates Respect for Human Rights at the start of its Charter of Conduct. The Group is a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact and has expressed its support for the principles related to human rights and labor. The “K” LINE Group Basic Policy on Human Rights was drawn up based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Management is committed to conducting human rights due diligence.

Based on the policy above, under the supervision of the Sustainability Management Council, chaired by the Senior Managing Representative Executive Officer, CFO and under the direction of the executive officer in charge of corporate sustainability, the Corporate Sustainability, Environment Management, IR and Communication Group is responsible of promoting respect for human rights across the “K” LINE Group. 
The Corporate Sustainability, Environment Management, IR and Communication Group carries out human rights due diligence, including the drawing up of measures as well as analysis and assessment of human rights risks related to the “K” LINE Group’s business activities. The Corporate Sustainability, Environment Management, IR and Communication Group also leads the implementation of measures, such as strengthening the company’s structure to respect human rights, enhancing employees’ understanding of human rights, and engaging in dialogues with rights holders and stakeholders. This Group liaises with other departments, particularly those in direct contact with the rights holders, such as Sales Department, Marine Sector, and Administrative Division, as well as Group Companies, to embed the necessity of respecting human rights in the “K” LINE Group’s business practices and to involve these departments in the “K” LINE  Group’s human rights due diligence process.

The “K” LINE Group has been accelerating its human rights due diligence efforts since fiscal 2022, conducting a human rights impact assessment on employees of the Company and its Group companies in the first fiscal year, and identifying priority issues while considering countermeasures.

In fiscal 2025, we conducted a survey of “K” LINE Group companies, 18 in Japan and 24 in other countries, regarding their measures to respect human rights, including issues related to health and safety, discrimination, harassment, forced and child labor, and excessive long working hours. Based on the survey results, in fiscal 2026, we plan to identify areas with relatively higher human rights risks, assess effective measures to prevent and mitigate those risks, and support the Group companies to further strengthen those measures. 
Additionally, starting in fiscal 2025, we have been conducting supplier surveys to better understand their sustainability initiatives, including human rights, in accordance with the Sustainable Procurement Policy and Supplier Sustainability Guidelines, which were revised in August 2025. The number of major suppliers covered in the survey in fiscal 2025 was 30. We plan to hold dialogues and conduct regular assessments to promote and strengthen “K” LINE Group’s sustainable procurement throughout the supply chain.
“K” LINE aims to engage regularly with the rights holders, stakeholders, and human rights experts to ensure the effectiveness of the Group’s efforts in respecting and promoting human rights.

The Company aims to maintain and improve working environments and to build good relationships between workers and management. We engage in constructive dialogue combining reciprocal perspectives to generate ideas, which we incorporate into our systems to support work–life balance and other aspects of workers’ lives.

The “K” LINE Group has been increasing its diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and so on, corresponding to the globalization of its business activities, with the expectation that improved diversity may contribute to the creation of new ideas that result in future business growth and the sustainable growth of the Company. It will continue to improve HR systems and work environments so that it can support and promote diversity further.
In addition, seafarers working on board vessels come from different parts of the world, including the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, China, and elsewhere in Asia, as well as Bulgaria, Croatia, and other European nations. United as one, they work day and night to ensure the safety in navigation and cargo operations of our fleet.

The “K” LINE explicitly prohibits harassment in “K” LINE Implementation Guidelines for the Charter of Conduct, the ethical standards which all executives and employees must observe. Its Internal Regulation on Harassment Prevention stipulates the following:

■All employees are obliged to recognize each other as equal partners in the performance of their duties and to maintain a healthy order and cooperative relationship in the workplace.
■All employees must be mindful of their words and actions and shall not engage in the following behaviors in the workplace. Similar conducts towards non-our employees are also prohibited.

• Sexual harassment
• Harassment related to pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, or family care leave
• Power harassment
• A manager's act of condoning harassment in the workplace, despite acknowledging that his/her subordinate is experiencing it.

In addition, “K” LINE has established a dedicated consultation service to address issues of sexual harassment, power harassment, and mental health. Information on how to use these services is provided on the corporate portal site, along with contact details for the consultation service. The Company has set up a system that allows it to solve problems quickly while giving maximum consideration to the privacy of persons who wish to have a consultation, for example, by offering access to both male and female consultants and industrial physicians and so on. Furthermore, we hold seminars for executives and employees on the subject of preventing harassment.

※ In fiscal 2021, the seminars did not target all employees, but limited participation to specific managerial positions. 

In July 2025, “K” LINE became a regular member of the Japan Center for Engagement and Remedy on Business and Human Rights (JaCER), which aims to provide effective grievance mechanisms based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Through the “Engagement and Remedy Platform” provided by JaCER, “K” LINE has established a contact window, accessible to external stakeholders, including the Group’s business partners for reporting and consultations for human rights-related concerns in Japanese, English, and other 32 languages, even anonymously. “K” LINE strives to ensure the development and implementation of a fair and transparent grievance mechanism through the platform.
In addition, “K” LINE and its domestic Group companies established harassment consultation service for executives and employees working in the companies. The number of incidents reported in fiscal 2025 through JaCER was zero.

In accordance with the United Kingdom’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 legislation, Group companies in the U.K. have published the Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement.

●“K” Line Holding (Europe) Limited

Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement