Dialogue with local communities

At each mill, we hold mill tours primarily for business partners and members of the local community. In FY2024, we welcomed 1,962 visitors.

At each mill, we offer classroom outreach sessions on papermaking, the environment, and careers, as well as workplace experience programs, in-company practical training, and internships, primarily for schools in the surrounding area.
(Case study)
At the Niigata Mill, we hold an annual kanji seminar, "Exploring the Japanese Language! Fun with Kanji," at the Morohashi Tetsuji Memorial Museum (Sanjo City, Niigata Prefecture). The event combines an instructor-led seminar for enjoyable learning of kanji along with a tour of the museum. More than 100 participants attend each year, including elementary school students with their parents and residents of neighboring communities.

At the Kanto Mill (Katsuta), we operate a private aid station each January at the Katsuta National Marathon (Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki Prefecture), providing food and beverages to runners.

As part of our arts and culture activities, the Company sponsors the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra Special Concert in Nagaoka through the Nagaoka City Foundation for Art and Culture Promotion (a public interest incorporated foundation). To further develop arts and culture, we will continue our cultural patronage activities in support of local communities.

Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc. (Al-Pac), a Group company, has established a scholarship program as part of its efforts to coexist with local communities. Scholarships are awarded annually to Indigenous and local students. (FY2024: approx. JPY 4,287 thousand)

Through donations to the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research (a public interest incorporated foundation), we support cancer research and the advancement of cutting-edge medical care. We also provide financial assistance to the Japanese Red Cross Society for emergency relief and reconstruction efforts in response to conflicts and natural disasters occurring around the world.

Al-Pac, a Group company, supports the "Road to Hope Community Support Foundation" as part of its efforts to coexist with local communities. The foundation is a non-profit organization that assists cancer patients in accessing treatment outside their local area. Al-Pac employees and retirees also support the initiative and cooperate in Road to Hope activities, including by helping to transport cancer patients.

At each mill, we regularly carry out cleaning and beautification activities in the surrounding area. In FY2024, 1,747 employees took part.

At each mill, we participate in and sponsor various events organized by the communities adjacent to our facilities.
(Case study 1)
At the Niigata Mill, employees participate as dancers in the Grand Folk Dance Parade held every August as part of the Niigata Festival. In FY2025, approximately 60 participants took part, including employees from Group companies. The Niigata Festival is a traditional event that has continued since 1955, with participants danced the 'Niigata Jinku' and 'Sado Okesa' dances for about one and a half hours.
(Case study 2)
Each year, the Niigata Mill partners with neighboring elementary schools for a sketching contest for students in grades 3 and 4. Over 100 sketches of the mill are submitted each time, and prizes are awarded for Best Work, Excellence, and the Hokuetsu Prize. Winning works are featured on the covers of our memo pads.

Each August, the Niigata Mill hosts a Bon-odori Dance Festival, inviting residents of the local community. The event features Niigata Jinku dancing, as well as booths offering shaved ice, shooting galleries, ring toss, yo-yo fishing, and super ball scooping, along with the distribution of our copy paper. Families and people of all ages, from children to adults, enjoy the festivities.

Hokuetsu Pallet Co., Ltd., a Group company, cooperates annually with the Kumano Old Trail Running Race (Kumano City, Mie Prefecture) held each December by allowing the use of a section of its privately owned forest as part of the race course. Many runners from both Japan and abroad participate in the event, which takes place amid the natural landscapes that include the Kumano Kodo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Using our wood chip carrier vessel Hokuetsu Ushaka, we transport "Kyu-can-cho" (canned bread as disaster relief supplies) entrusted to us by Pan Akimoto Co., Ltd. from Niigata East Port to the Kingdom of Eswatini (a small country in the northen part South Africa) by sea. Upon arrival in South Africa, the supplies are distributed to children in the Kingdom of Eswatini by the Eswatini Red Cross Society and local chip suppliers.