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On September 4, 2018, Japan Exchange Group, Inc. and Arabesque Asset Management hosted a symposium at Tokyo Stock Exchange entitled "Responsible Business Conduct and ESG Investment through the Lens of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights by Professor John G. Ruggie" on the occasion of his visit to Japan.
Professor Ruggie is the Berthold Beitz Professor in Human Rights and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School and Affiliated Professor in International Legal Studies at Harvard Law School. In 2005, then United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed him as his Special Representative for Business and Human Rights, a post he held until 2011. Professor Ruggie developed the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, also known as the Ruggie Framework, which has had significant impact on Japanese companies. Since September 2017, Professor Ruggie has served as a non-executive director on the Board of Directors at Arabesque Asset Management, which assesses companies' ESG scores using a unique technique and provides it in the form of a service to other companies.
The symposium's keynote speaker was Professor Ruggie and also featured a diverse range of presenters from financial institutions, administrative agencies, and companies making cutting-edge efforts in the field of sustainability. Over 400 persons, mainly from Japanese listed companies were in attendance.
| Program | Speakers |
|---|---|
| Opening Remarks | Akira Kiyota, Group CEO, Japan Exchange Group, Inc. |
| Keynote Address: Money, Millennials and Human Rights: Sustaining ‘Sustainable Investment’ | John G. Ruggie, Professor in Human Rights and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School |
| Session 1: Responsible Business Conduct Companies introduce how they embed respect for human rights into corporate responsibility. | Yuri Itoh, Senior Manager, CSR Department, Sustainability Promotion Division, Hitachi, Ltd. Toshiyuki Muro, Associate General Manager, Direct Communication Group, CSR Team Leader, Public Communications Dept. Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Nami Matsuko, General Manager, Engagement Department, Sustainability Office, OMRON Corporation Koichi Yanagita, Vice President, ESG, Kao Corporation Commentator: Professor John G. Ruggie Moderator: Miwa Yamada, Director, Law and Institution Studies Group, Inter-disciplinary Studies Center, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization |
| Presentation 1: SDGs, ESG: The Growing Importance of a Human Rights-based Approach and Ideas for Corporate Strategy | Yoshimitsu Kaji, Chief Marketing Innovator, Accenture Japan Ltd Commentator: Professor John G. Ruggie |
| Presentation 2: Company-Investor Dialogues for Enhancing Corporate Value: "Guidance for Collaborative Value Creation" and Future Development | Takuya Fukumoto, Director, Industrial Finance Division, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Commentator: Professor John G. Ruggie |
| Session 2: Responsible Investor Conduct Institutional investor and administrative | Yoshiyuki Arima, Lead Financial Officer & Representative of Japan, World Bank Treasury Miyuki Zeniya, General Manager, Responsible Investment Center, The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Limited Satoshi Ikeda, Director, International Affairs Office, Financial Services Agency Omar Selim, CEO, Arabesque Asset Management Commentator: Professor John G. Ruggie Moderator: Masaru Arai, Chair, Japan Sustainable Investment Forum; Senior Consultant to Hermes EOS |
| Closing Remarks | Omar Selim, CEO, Arabesque Asset Management |
In his keynote address, Professor Ruggie touched on the history of ESG investment, how the notion of human rights is positioned in ESG investment, and the idea behind the "Ruggie Framework". Click the video below to view the keynote address.
Contact
Japan Exchange Group, Inc. Sustainability Committee
TEL:+81-3-3661-1361 (Switchboard)
E-mail:sustainability@jpx.co.jp