S: Crisis management (responding resiliently to natural disasters, infections and other crises)

Challenge

  • Crisis management (responding resiliently to natural disasters, infections and other crises)

Relevant stakeholders

Direct: Employees, suppliers, local communities
Indirect: Shareholders and investors, creditors, NGOs, industry groups

Our policy

To strengthen the Group’s ability to respond to crises, we will continuously improve our efforts to reduce our risks and, in the event of an emergency, minimize damage and loss and restore operations promptly.

Responsible executive (as of April 2023)

Corporate Officer and Vice President of Corporate Headquarters

Action promotion system (as of April 2023)

The Crisis Management Committee has been specially established under the Executive Committee. In accordance with crisis management regulations, we have formed a crisis management system supervised by the head of crisis management (the Vice President of Corporate Headquarters). For each major type of potential crisis that may seriously impact the Group, crisis management leaders have been appointed to create individual management manuals and establish measures for both normal times and in case of emergency.
Under this system, in the event of an emergency, the crisis management leader in charge convenes an emergency meeting and decides the most appropriate response to resolve the problem based on the impact the crisis will have on the Group and stakeholders. The Crisis Management Committee is chaired by the head of crisis management, and meets quarterly in principle to improve this system and manage progress. Reports are made twice a year to the Executive Committee under the supervision of the Board of Directors.

  •  * Crises covered: Disasters and accidents, quality, supply chain, legal violations, information management, labor, human rights

Crisis management leader duties

Leaders carry out the following duties for the type of crisis they are assigned to.

  1. 1. Develop and maintain crisis management systems, measures, rules and structures, and create and manage individual management manuals.
  2. 2. Report to the Crisis Management Committee at least once per year on (i) their progress in creating a crisis management structure, (ii) evaluation of it and plans for improvement, and (iii) the implementation of these improvement plans.
  3. 3. Immediately report to the head of crisis management if they hear concerns of an emergency from a business site or division manager.

Activities

Business continuity plan development and business continuity management drills

The Group has been developing business continuity plans (BCP) based on impact assessments and damage estimates for large-scale natural disasters and infectious diseases. We have also been working to improve our BCPs through regular BCP drills.
In 2019, our US subsidiaries established an emergency response plan and BCP in the event of a disaster. These include emergency communication protocols in the event of a pandemic or natural disaster, emergency medical procedures (such as securing resuscitation equipment and training on its use), and measures to ensure business continuity.
In Japan, we have been conducting drills, which also include ongoing issues, at the Toyo Tire Corporation headquarters and Tire Technical Center since 2021, in order to check whether the Emergency Countermeasures Headquarters properly performs its function under an emergency based on information received from each department. Additionally, we are reviewing action plans in each department as a step toward reviewing our master plan.