Top banker tells Japan to keep diversity policies as Trump’s crackdown deepens
Daiwa CEO Akihiko Ogino told the Tokyo Pride parade that it is ‘important to recognise that there are people with different viewpoints’
Few Japanese corporate executives have taken a clear position on US efforts to roll back the diversity, equity and inclusion policies that had become common at global corporations, though many firms appear to have quietly maintained their initiatives.
“Even if the US has adopted an anti-DEI policy, Japan should press ahead and make up for lost time rather than following suit,” said Akihiko Ogino, president and chief executive officer of Daiwa Securities Group Inc., before the start of the Tokyo Pride parade near the bustling Shibuya area.
He was speaking on Sunday at his first visit to the Tokyo iteration of the global event that organisers describe as “advocating LGBTQ rights and dignity”.
Faced with a rapidly ageing and shrinking population, some Japanese firms have sought to bolster the pool of available workers by becoming more inclusive of different gender and sexual minorities, as well as women.
Major financial firms including Nomura Holdings Inc., Goldman Sachs Inc. and Deutsche Bank AG are also among the sponsors of the event, according to its website.
Companies around the world that do business in the US have faced a dilemma in dealing with the abrupt about-face on the issue.