We seek to create an environment in which each and every artist and employee, the source of value creation, can display their talent and individuality and demonstrate their abilities with ease. We also foster a culture of compliance to underpin their success.
Our aim is to create an environment where everyone can enjoy entertainment in peace. We foster understanding and consideration to support diversity through our own guidelines and in-house training.
To discover new talent, we plan and conduct auditions from a variety of perspectives. On the assumption that candidates will be developed in the long-term, we select them considering not only their appearance, but also performance techniques and personality. They must also be able to transition between genres, such as acting, music and voice acting. Through auditions, we will continue to create opportunities to allow everyone to show their individuality. We hope to discover diverse talents so that we can generate and deliver exciting entertainment.
We operate four lesson studios, which are utilized mainly by young artists. These in-house studios play a major role in ensuring the quality of artist development. In addition to enabling flexible and efficient schedule management, they also function as a creative hub where artists can hone their individuality and expressive abilities by exploring new ways to express themselves. These studios are an important foundation for supporting and developing the talent of artists.
We introduced an in-house company system for the Artist Management Department in 2024, to strengthen our organizational structure, optimized for the individuality and talent of our artists, and agility. We have also introduced a system where staff are in charge of particular fan communities and merchandise production to develop the services best suited to each individual artist. We have a support system for assisting in legal, tax and healthcare matters to create an environment in which artists can concentrate on their creative activities.
Every year, we send young employees and artists to the One Young World, one of the world's largest global summits which has the goal of developing the next generation of leaders, engaging them in international exchange, and we support the participation of motivated young people chosen from among the public as well. The summit is also known as the Junior Davos Forum. We provide them with opportunities to have a sense of ownership for addressing the world's social issues, and to develop into global leaders who can think outside the box and take action.
One Young World Japan Official website
To accommodate diverse lifestyles and encourage flexible and autonomous work styles, we have introduced a full flextime system in 2024. By enabling employees to work in a manner that is not bound by time, we aim to improve their creativity and productivity, maintain their motivation, and promote the success of diverse human resources while also revitalizing the organization as a whole. We will continue to create an environment in which each and every employee can pursue a more fulfilling work style.
AMUSE subsidizes a day-care center, babysitter and nursing care service affiliated with the company. Two-thirds of the expenses are paid for by AMUSE. The aim is to create an environment that allows employees to further commit to their work by supporting them as they balance their daily duties with childcare/nursing care. We will review and improve our systems periodically to ensure that employees entering different life stages can continue to work with peace of mind.
Artists and employees are able to stay at accommodations in New York and Hawaii at a discounted rate. We also introduced the Ten-Year Service Relaxation Program for employees who have worked for ten years. This program helps employees with those two recreational facilities and airfare to there. The purpose is to allow staff to invigorate themselves away from their daily work and to improve their creativity, productivity, and motivation.
In addition to regular medical exams, we have a health counseling system with occupational doctors to provide employees and artists with a wide range of consultations. By collaborating with medical institutions on a regular basis, we ensure that we are able to respond promptly to any sudden health problems or health concerns. We strive to enhance our system so that artists and employees can work to the fullest of their abilities in a healthy and comfortable environment, both physically and mentally.
We have established a communication team with members from various departments to plan and organize events designed to deepen relationships among employees. Examples include bowling tournaments, BBQs, and e-sports tournaments. In FY2024, four events were held with a total of approximately 160 participants. These events encourage cross-departmental and cross-company communication, leading to closer relationships, revitalization of operations, and more effective teamwork.
We have introduced an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) for employees in manager-level positions. We aim to offer incentives to increase our corporate value even further and to help employees feel more involved in management.
We have taken necessary action in cooperation with police and other specialized agencies in response to actions that infringe upon the rights of our artists. This has included harmful rumors, invasive reporting into artists' private lives, and impersonation. As there has been an increase in digital rights infringements, including smear campaigns and the spread of misinformation on social media, our Legal Department set up an official Twitter (now X) account in 2020. The department issues warnings and alerts, and takes legal action against malicious cases.
Official X Account for the Legal DepartmentWe have established the AMUSE Clean Line, a whistleblower hotline which members include outside lawyers. Matters reported will be investigated, and remedial or corrective measures will be taken, while also ensuring that the privacy of the informant is protected. For our artists, a dedicated consultation hotline answered by an internal lawyer is available to discuss concerns and problems related to harassment and legal compliance.
Compliance training covering a wide range of topics, including harassment and information leaks, is provided primarily to newly hired employees. For newly contracted artists, the Legal Department provides compliance training to reduce risk and support long-term success. We also provide training in respectful communication for all cast and staff involved in stage productions we host, ensuring everyone learns basic knowledge and shares a common awareness of harassment.
We established an Accessibility Edition and an LGBTQ+ Edition of our AMUSE Diversity Guidelines, featuring information to allow our diverse range of customers, including those with disabilities and LGBTQ+ people, to enjoy our events and services with peace of mind. These guidelines were established under the supervision of outside experts and have been put into practice. We also offer departmental and company-wide training sessions based on both these guidelines to deepen understanding and ensure its practical application on-site.
To ensure that as many people as possible -- regardless of whether or not they have disabilities--can participate in our events and stage productions with peace of mind, we have established a dedicated consultation desk for customers who require support at performances that we host or plan. We work with external specialists and production crew to respond to customer concerns and problems, and provide support tailored to individual circumstances, such as arranging sign language interpreters.
For customers who need assistance in attending Amuse-sponsored performancesStarting with the FY2018 Annual Shareholders Meeting, we have implemented information accessibility for shareholders with hearing impairments. In FY2018, we began offering text from meetings produced using an automatic sound conversion system, and since FY2019, when the meetings had started to be held hybrid of online and on-site sessions, we have started incorporating a sign language interpreter and subtitles for all content of meetings to improve information accessibility. We will continue to make every effort to operate the Shareholders Meeting in a manner that allows a diverse range of shareholders to participate with confidence.