The Asahi Shimbun launched its Compliance Initiative program in April 2006 with the aim of ensuring compliance and achieving the philosophy The Asahi Shimbun has espoused in response to requests from society.

“The Asahi Shimbun Credo,” the “Guidance for Customer Satisfaction,” and “The Asahi Shimbun Charter on the Environment,” all of which have been observed at The Asahi Shimbun, are now integrated into “The Asahi Shimbun Code of Conduct,” which provides clear guidelines on what all company employees and members of the board “should do” and “must not do.”

The Compliance Committee, which is led by President Kotaro Akiyama and includes five board members and one outside expert from each of the business and legal sectors, deliberates on issues of importance such as the code of conduct and other compliance concerns.

The Asahi Shimbun Public Interest Reporting Program is a system that underlies the company’s code of conduct. Any act that may violate regulatory compliance will be prevented at an early stage through the program. Should any such situation arise, investigations will be conducted immediately to uncover the whole truth, with appropriate measures being taken to correct the situation and prevent further occurrences. In addition to an in-house point of contact, an external non-company contact center has started operating through a law firm under contract to the company. The Asahi Shimbun works together with group companies and affiliated organizations to promote this program.