Social and Community Engagement Activities

Taiho Pharmaceutical, together with the other Otsuka group companies Otsuka Pharmaceutical and Otsuka Chemical, has continued to support environmental education initiatives since fiscal 2008 by entering into agreements with local elementary, junior high, and high schools in Tokushima Prefecture, under the coordination of the Tokushima Prefectural Government. This initiative, called “Environmental Capital Adopt Eco-School,” involves the three group companies acting as “foster parents” and the local schools as “adoptees,” and supports environmental learning activities. The term “adopt” reflects the idea of group companies nurturing local schools through these activities. Since fiscal 2023, we have also supported activities such as outreach programs at Tokushima Commercial High School, focusing on “environmentally conscious, sustainable product development” in line with the SDGs and ethical consumption.

We hope that the Adopt Eco-School initiative will inspire students to take notice of the environmental issues close to their everyday lives.

Volunteer employees from Taiho Pharmaceutical participated in the “Beads of Courage with Messages” program operated by Shine On! Kids, a certified non-profit organization. Shine On! Kids is dedicated to its mission of “bringing smiles to children in the hospital” by supporting hospitalized and recuperating children and their families with evidence-based psychosocial support programs designed to help them maintain hope and joy during difficult times. “Beads of Courage” is an art-based therapy program in which hospitalized children string together beads as symbols of their treatment journey and acts of courage. Especially large beads are awarded to children as “milestones” when they overcome particularly challenging times during their treatment. Participants in the program wrote heartfelt messages on cards to accompany these special beads, expressing their support and encouragement to the children.

Since 2021, Taiho Pharmaceutical has participated as a corporate partner in the “READYFOR × borasapo Disaster Relief Fund.” When a disaster occurs (such as when Japan’s Disaster Relief Act is invoked), the fund is promptly launched and utilizes crowdfunding to quickly raise financial support. Our participation in this initiative enables us to make swift donations to NPOs and other organizations supporting disaster recovery efforts.

Through this fund, we participated in an emergency grant program in response to the heavy rain that hit Western Japan in August 2021. Donations were made by combining contributions from employees, proceeds from charity sales held at our Kitajima and Tokushima Plants, and matching gifts from the company.

Since fiscal 2010, Tokushima Plant has entered into a partnership agreement each year with Tokushima Prefecture and the Tokushima Forestry Promotion Organization for the Tokushima Forest-Building Collaborative, seeking to contribute to forest development initiatives within the prefecture. Based on this agreement, activities such as thinning and planting are conducted to maintain and preserve these forests. This helps increase the amount of CO₂ absorbed by the forests, helping to address global warming. Every year, employees and their families also participate in thinning and planting experiences. Starting in 2019, together with nine other companies of the Otsuka group operating in Tokushima Prefecture, we signed a partnership agreement for the Tokushima Forest-Building Collaborative, expanding the initiative and forming the FAB* Tokushima Forest-Building Project.
As a member of the host company group, Taiho Pharmaceutical will continue supporting forest development initiatives in the western region of Tokushima Prefecture until fiscal 2028.
In 2023, under the guidance of experts, we engaged in sapling planting, woodworking crafts, and shiitake mushroom cultivation using logs.

*FAB stands for Forest Activity Base. It is a large-scale base for forest activities, focusing on systematic forest maintenance and the promotion of forest creation activities, led by host companies.

Taiho Pharmaceutical participates in the Eye City Eco Project, promoted by the Eye Care Division of HOYA Corporation. The Eye City Eco Project is an activity in which Eye City, a contact lens specialty store operated by HOYA Corporation, collects and recycles used disposable contact lens cases. By recycling these cases, CO₂ emissions can be reduced, and the funds obtained from the recycled materials are donated to the Japan Eye Bank Association. Since 2018, all employees have been encouraged to participate in this collection initiative.

Taiho Pharma Asia Pacific, our subsidiary in Asia, has supported the establishment of a neonatal intensive care unit in Khammouane, Laos, to help address unmet needs in local healthcare and medical services. Named “Taiho NICU,” it began operations in May 2021.