Sustainability for the MEDIA DO GroupSUSTAINABILITY FOR THE MEDIA DO GROUP
Basic Policy
The MEDIA DO Group’s mission is “unleashing a virtuous cycle of literary creation” and its vision is “More Content for More People!” These principles exemplify our commitment to building a social ecosystem founded on co-creation among the creators and publishers who produce written works, the users of these works, the eBook stores that serve as points of contacts between these two, and the Group, which functions as an intermediary between these parties.
Accordingly, sustainability for the MEDIA DO Group entails a concerted effort by all officers and employees to carry out their business activities based on a sense of responsibility and pride toward the contributions made by the Group’s businesses and services. These contributions support the development of a healthy economy and the cultural advances stimulated by written works. Based on this belief, we seek to address social and environmental issues, such as those identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), through management practices and strategies founded on our mission and vision. In addition, we view business opportunities and risks through the lens of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues as we pursue increased corporate value by helping to resolve social issues while achieving steady growth.
MEDIA DO Group Basic Sustainability Policy
Based on the principles of growth and potential espoused by its corporate creed,
the MEDIA DO Group (comprised of MEDIA DO Co., Ltd., and its consolidated
subsidiaries) aspires to have a positive impact on society as a facilitator for
maximizing the value provided to all stakeholders involved in the process of
exercising its corporate philosophy. We thereby aim to become an organization
that will thrive over the next century.
At the MEDIA DO Group, we are firm believers in the potential of content
as well as in the endless possibilities of all people. By connecting the unlimited
potential of content and people, we seek to always function as an intermediary
that unites the world and helps shape a better future for society.
Our ESG initiatives and policies

Sustainability Promotion System
MEDIA DO realizes that environmental and social issues have the potential to impact its business and corporate value creation activities, and these issues are being addressed through internal action. Such action is guided by the Sustainability Committee, which was established in June 2022. The Sustainability Committee is chaired by the director who serves as CSO and CFO and who is responsible for corporate divisions, with executive officers responsible for the Human Resources Department and the Accounting Department serving as vice chairs. Other members include officers designated by the chairperson and by representatives from other divisions. In principle, meetings of the Sustainability Committee will be held four times a year (once every quarter).
The committee also submits reports to the Board of Directors at the appropriate times after meetings in order to facilitate the identification and investigation of climate change and other risks and opportunities with the potential to affect the sustainability of the Company, the assessment of sustainability strategies and measures, and the enhancement of oversight and monitoring functions.
Moreover, the committee will coordinate with the Corporate Planning Department and the General Affairs Department, which will function as its secretariat, to maintain an understanding of social trends and shareholder expectations to be reflected in the medium- to long-term mission, vision, and strategies of the Company. This information will also be utilized when identifying and revising material issues. Based on the opportunities and risks identified in the process of defining material issues, concrete sustainability strategies, risk items to be managed, and response policies will be set for divisions and Group companies, and relevant measures will be monitored regularly.

Process for Selecting Material Issues
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➊ Identification of Issues
- Identification of social issues based on SASB, GRI, IIRC, and other international reporting frameworks and criteria of ESG evaluation firms, and tracking and compilation of hypotheses regarding desires of specific stakeholder groups
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➋ Analysis of Issues
- Comparison and analysis of identi-fied social issues and opportunities and risks with the potential to impact fulfillment of MEDIA DO’s purpose and implementation of business strategies
- Examination of analysis results and business risks to compile long list
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➌ Reporting to and Evaluation and
Examination by Management- Prioritization of issues on long list through evaluation of potential impacts on stakeholders, strategy implementation, the environment, society, econo-mies, etc., by the Sustainability Committee to compile short list
- Analysis of and deliberation on short list issues by the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors
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➍ Selection of Material Issues
- Selection of material issues with significant potential to impact management through deliberation and resolution by the Board of Directors
Material Issues Map

Monitoring and Disclosure
The Sustainability Committee will play a central role in the regular monitoring of initiatives for addressing material issues. From the perspective of stakeholder engagement, the material issues will be periodically reassessed, and information on related initiatives will be disclosed on MEDIA DO’s corporate website as appropriate.
Stakeholder Engagement
Stakeholder | Principal Engagement Venues | Area of Influence on Management/Strategies |
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Customers | Contact venues |
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Websites, social media | ||
Email magazines | ||
Business partner |
Sales activities, everyday communication |
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Briefings for business partners | ||
Business partner questionnaires | ||
Shareholders and other investors | General Meeting of Shareholders |
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Briefings for institutional investors | ||
Integrated reports | ||
Investor relations website | ||
Meetings with investors | ||
Employees | Management policy briefings |
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Employee surveys (Employee Net Promoter Score® surveys, stress checks, etc.) | ||
Internal communications (newsletters, owned media, etc.) | ||
Hotlines | ||
Employee training (for new graduates, mid-career hires, and managers) | ||
Health consultations with industrial physicians and public health nurses | ||
Conduct guidelines | ||
Natural environment | Reduction of environmental impact from business activities |
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Information disclosure based on TCFD recommendations | ||
Communities and industries | Donations, sponsorship, and other forms of support |
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Development of businesses based outside of urban centers | ||
Participation in and leadership of industry organizations (W3C, ABJ, JEPA, etc.) | ||
Press | Press releases |
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Interviews | ||
Everyday communication |
The MEDIA DO Group’s Material Issues
Theme | Details | Opportunities | Risks |
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Preservation and optimal use | The MEDIA DO Group aims to continue to be a viable conglomerate even a century from now. The preservation and optimal use of natural capital is an important responsibility for the purpose of accomplishing this goal, as well as for reducing environmental impacts and preserving a pristine natural environment for future generations. The Group’s efforts do not stop at measuring and optimizing use of natural capital in its business activities; we also aspire to support the sustainability of our industry and operating environment through active involvement in the optimization of product mixes and resource use practices across the industry |
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Development of literary | Sustainability for the MEDIA DO Group entails a concerted effort by all officers and employees to carry out their business activities based on a sense of responsibility and pride toward the contributions made by the Group’s businesses and services to the development of a healthy economy and the cultural advances stimulated by written works. We carry out our business activities based on the understanding that this approach is congruent with our mission and our vision while also being a driver of corporate value creation. |
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Creation of comfortable | MEDIA DO’s corporate creed states that “MEDIA DO will continue to grow so long as its people grow.” As indicated by this statement, we view human resources as indispensable to the ongoing growth of the Company. We therefore seek to create a workplace environment that draws out the growth and potential of our employees and that allows all employees to achieve independence and demonstrate their growth and potential as they take the initiative in tackling new challenges. |
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Cultivation of innovative | As described in its corporate creed, the MEDIA DO Group believes in the potential of its employees and aspires to create mutually beneficial win–win relationships with employees in which the growth and ambitions of employees drive the growth of the Group. To this end, training and evaluation systems are being improved and expanded to cultivate people who are adept at transforming change into opportunities with their innovativeness and at tying these opportunities to the creation of new ideas or solutions to issues via entrepreneurship. |
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Empowerment of | We are keenly attuned to the relationship between society and the MEDIA DO Group as we seek to link the sustainability of society to the value created by the Group and to achieve improvements thereof. At the same time, we adopt a collective impact approach, reaching beyond the boundaries of the organization to partner with various stakeholders in order to generate a positive impact on society by addressing the issues faced by communities and society as a whole. |
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Utilization of advanced | The MEDIA DO Group takes a technology-first approach toward developing and supplying solutions to the issues faced by the industry and society as a whole. By embracing internal digital transformation, we seek to deliver products and services that are matched to the needs of our diverse stakeholders and their equally diverse values to become an entity that supports the digital transformation of the content industry. |
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Strengthening of information | The MEDIA DO Group’s mission is to provide the social infrastructure necessary for robust cultural development and thereby support sound digital distribution and a creation cycle for written works. The development of frameworks and systems that are deemed secure and reliable by creators, publishers, stores, users (readers), and other stakeholders is imperative to accomplishing this mission. We have therefore identified information security as an important management priority and are implementing measures to strengthen security on a Groupwide basis. |
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Strategic investment and | The MEDIA DO Group is committed to the maximization of its business value through efficient business operation and disciplined investment based on a consideration of cost of capital and profitability of used capital. In tandem with these investments, we are optimizing our business portfolio while diversifying our management and businesses in order to accomplish our goal of becoming a Publishing Platformer. |
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Enhancement of corporate | The MEDIA DO Group recognizes the following as important management issues to be addressed as its management grows increasingly more global: The improvement of management health and transparency through enhanced corporate governance to facilitate the further broadening of its business and the heightening of corporate value. To ensure impartial and highly effective management, the Group will continue to strengthen its corporate governance systems through such means as more effectively allocating resources and expediting decisions under the guidance of the Board of Directors. |
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Commitment to | Entrenching corporate ethics and awareness of these principles throughout the Group will be imperative to improving the health and transparency of management. By fostering such awareness, the MEDIA DO Group aims to develop a corporate culture in which all internal institutions, officers, and employees make fair and accurate decisions. At the same time, we pledge to remain mindful of our social responsibility as a good corporate citizen in all of our business activities in order to maintain the trust of our various stakeholders. |
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ESG Highlights
FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | |||
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Environmental | Total CO2 emissions (Scope 1 + Scope 2, t-CO2)*1 | 171.1 | 126.0 | 130.9 | 170.2 | |
Scope 1 CO2 emissions (kg- CO2) | 9.4 | 10.7 | 5.8 | 5.0 | ||
Scope 2 CO2 emissions (kg- CO2) | 171,070.4 | 125,985.8 | 130,908.2 | 170,206.5 | ||
Electricity consumption (kWh) | 365,535 | 283,688 | 296,844 | 376,563 | ||
Water use (m3) | 15.9 | 11.1 | 7.4 | 14.8 | ||
Paper use (t) | 2.85 | 1.11 | 1.11 | 1.43 | ||
Social | Numbers of employees and ratio of female employees [figures in parentheses represent part-time and temporary employees] |
Total | 294 [78] | 295 [70] | 328 [72] | 345 [79] |
Men | 167 [15] | 153 [13] | 162 [16] | 172 [25] | ||
Women | 127 [63] | 142 [57] | 166 [56] | 173 [54] | ||
Ratio of female employees (%) | 51.08 | 54.52 | 55.50 | 50.14 | ||
Number of managers*2 | Total | 89 | 87 | 104 | 97 | |
Men | 70 | 68 | 80 | 75 | ||
Women | 19 | 19 | 24 | 22 | ||
Ratio of female managers (%)*3 | 21.35 | 21.84 | 23.08 | 22.68 | ||
Number of newly appointed female managers / Ratio of women among newly appointed managers [%]*2 |
0 [0] | 2 [18.18] | 8 [24.24] | 2 [18.18] | ||
Breakdown of female managers and ratios of total managers (%) | Directors / Audit & Supervisory Board members | 0 [0] | 0 [0] | 1 [11.11] | 1 [11.11] | |
General manager or above | 6 [14.6] | 3 [10.3] | 4 [9.09] | 7 [13.73] | ||
Other managers | 15 [31.91] | 16 [30.77] | 20 [33.33] | 14 [30.43] | ||
Number of newly hired employees in Japan [figures in parentheses represent part-time and temporary employees] |
Total | 207 [58] | 216 [36] | 62 [17] | 64 [32] | |
Men | 117 [4] | 113 [4] | 31 [7] | 35 [14] | ||
Women | 90 [54] | 103 [32] | 31 [10] | 29 [18] | ||
Number of non-Japanese employees*2 | Total (% of total) | 13 [3.49] | 5 [1.37] | 8 [2.01] | 9 [2.75] | |
Men | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||
Women | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | ||
Number of domestic employees stationed outside of major urban centers [figures in parentheses represent part-time and temporary employees]*4 |
28 [66] | 27 [57] | 28 [55] | 31 [64] | ||
Number of employees with disabilities | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
Average age of employees*2 | Total | 34.89 | 35.39 | 35.35 | 34.11 | |
Men | 36.16 | 37.21 | 36.84 | 34.56 | ||
Women | 33.20 | 33.38 | 33.88 | 33.57 | ||
Number of engineers*2 | Total | 58 | 59 | 48 | 46 | |
Men | 49 | 50 | 42 | 39 | ||
Women | 9 | 9 | 6 | 7 | ||
Number of employees that used the childcare leave system*2 | Men | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
Women | 5 | 7 | 9 | 8 | ||
Ratio of leave takers returning to work (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 83.35 | ||
Total average monthly per person workhours*5 | 169.5 | 168.5 | 176.0 | 174.2 | ||
Average yearly per person overtime hours*2 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 12.6 | ||
Occupational accident frequency rate (%)*6 | 1.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Ratio of employees undergoing stress checks (%) | 95.0 | 95.7 | 97.0 | 96.8 | ||
Ratio of employees undergoing regular health checkups (%) | 92.3 | 99.7 | 99.7 | 100.0 | ||
Average amount of training expenses per employee (yen) | 40,000 | 40,293 | 51,031 | 194,293 | ||
Number of security incidents | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
Number of data leaks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Number of services with ABJ mark certification*7 | 700 | 777 | 830 | 881 | ||
Number of requests to disclose user information from law enforcement agencies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Number of users applicable to requests to disclose user information | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Social contribution activity-related expenses (millions of yen)*8 | 3.0 | 39.2 | 59.5 | 70.0 | ||
Governance | Number of directors | Total | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Women | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
Outside | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
Independent | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
Number of Audit & Supervisory Board members | Total | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
Women | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Outside | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
Independent | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
Ratio of independent directors | 33.3 | 33.3 | 33.3 | 33.3 | ||
Ratio of independent auditors | 66.6 | 66.6 | 66.6 | 66.6 | ||
Total compensation paid to directors (millions of yen) | 84 | 98 | 107 | 107 | ||
Total compensation paid to Audit & Supervisory Board members (millions of yen) | 14 | 13 | 15 | 16 | ||
Number of reports received through whistleblowing systems | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
Scope: Former MEDIA DO HOLDINGS Co., Ltd.; former MEDIA DO Co., Ltd.; Digital Publishing Initiatives Japan Co., Ltd.; and MEDIA DO TECH TOKUSHIMA Co., Ltd., for the fiscal year ended February 29, 2020; current MEDIA DO Co., Ltd., and MEDIA DO TECH TOKUSHIMA Co., Ltd., for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2021, forward
*1 CO2 emissions volumes were calculated with reference to Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting and Reporting Manual (Ver. 4.6), which was published by the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and is based on the Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures.
*2 Figures include full-time, part-time, and temporary employees.
*3 Figures represent the number of individuals that were first promoted to a management position in the relevant fiscal year.
*4 Figures represent the number of employees recruited and employed by MEDIA DO TECH TOKUSHIMA Co., Ltd.
*5 Figures include full-time, part-time, and temporary employees (including managers).
*6 Occupational accident frequency rate = (Number of occupational accident casualties ÷ Aggregate workhours) × 1,000,000
*7 The ABJ certification mark indicates that the certified eBook store or eBook distribution service is distributing authorized copies of content based on usage agreements with the copyright holder.
*8 Figures include donations, sponsorships, and investments.