Fridae

Work With Pride, a private organization with the support of IBM Japan and Human Rights Watch, has released a Pride Index of LGBT-friendly workplaces in Japan.

Of the 82 companies which applied, 53 were ranked as the highest level of LGBT equality, gold.

Companies were rated based on five categories which spell out the word Pride: Policy, Representation, Inspiration, Development, and Engagement.

Those awarded gold include Japan Airlines,Sony Group, Panasonic, Fujitsu, Microsoft Japan, Unilever Japan Holdings, and Rakuten.

Under the slogan “Let your colours shine”, Unilever Japan launched a new programme in September called “Unilever Pride Japan”, which has extended marriage and bereavement leave to same-sex couples, as well as special payment for marriage and condolences for same-sex partners.

The Japanese online retailer Rakuten recently implemented spousal benefits for same-sex partners. Previously, these had been enjoyed solely by heterosexual married couples.

Full list of companies awarded Gold:

Transportation: NTT Logisco / All Nippon Airways / Japan Airlines / Japan Transocean Air

Energy: Kansai Electric Power Company

Finance: Goldman Sachs / J.P Morgan / Deutsche Bank / AIG / Nomura Securities / Bank of America Merrill Lynch/ Mizuho Financial Group / Morgan Stanley / UBS Group

Service: Out Japan / Accenture / Ernst & Young Tax Co. / Exeo Japan/ NTT Claruty / NTT Learning Systems Corporation / F-ness & Associates / Diverse / Dentsu / 3 Couleurs / Niji Recruiting / Palm Royal / PRAP Japan / Pencil / Recruit Staffing

Telecommunications: NTT Communications / NTT Docomo / NTT Facilities / Gaiax / KDDI / IBM Japan / NTT / Microsoft Japan / Rakuten

Manufacturing: Kubota / Stripe International / Sony Group / Japan Tobacco / Panasonic / Fujitsu / Unilever Japan Holdings

Judicial Affairs: Anderson Mori & Tomotsune / Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu / Linklaters Tokyo

Insurance: AXA Life Insurance / Sumitomo Life / The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company / Lifenet Insurance Company