Exchanges with Local Communities
As a member of the community, Daikin values its contacts with local residents.
In 1973, Daikin became one of the first companies to contribute to greater community interaction by creating a Local Community Section within its organization. As a good corporate citizen, we intend to interact and grow with the community to promote closer human contact and personal enrichment.
Annual Summer Bon Dance Event
The Daikin-sponsored Noryosai Bon dancing event is a poetic summer highlight that takes place along the Yodogawa River. It attracts large numbers of visitors who enjoy the food stalls, circle dances, fireworks illuminating the night sky, and the traditional hand-carried festival mikoshi shrines.
In 1971, an event initially planned as a social event for young employees of our Yodogawa Plant expanded into a program open to the community. It eventually grew to encompass the entire area. Initially attracting about 6,000 participants, it was run entirely by our employees and was intended to foster good relations with people of the region. Today, the event attracts 25,000 participants and has evolved into one of Japan's largest corporate-sponsored Bon dancing events. It is now established as a much-anticipated major summer event in the region.
Our Sakai Plant, Kanaoka Factory, Shiga Plant, and Soka Station hold similar Bon dancing events during their summer festivals. These festivals are also helping to strengthen community ties.
As well, the Decatur Plant of Daikin America in Alabama holds a festival intended to introduce more people to Japanese culture. For this event, the plant distributes specially designed traditional Japanese happi coats (anglicized as "happy coats"). Participants also enjoy the food stalls selling delicacies such as yakisoba and takoyaki. Now a major event attracting 10,000 visitors, the festival gains in popularity every year thanks to its friendly, welcoming atmosphere.
Rugby School
“All for one, and one for all.” This indomitable spirit, typical of rugby players, carries lessons that Daikin seeks to impart to children. With this in mind, Daikin, the City of Sakai, the Sakai Higashi Police Department, Seikeikai Hospital, and Nippon Steel collaborated in 1987 to launch Sakai Rugby School. Daikin is in charge of the playing field and secretariat.
At the three monthly practices, the children's cheering reflects discipline combined with fun. The Sakai Rugby School is among the toughest competitors in its games against other schools.
Kendo Training Hall for Children
The Kendo Training Hall for Children opened in 1975 for elementary school children living near the Yodogawa Plant. The goal of the school is to promote health through the martial art of kendo. Daikin employees who hold kendo rankings (dan) provide the instruction. When the school opened, expectations were exceeded when 108 children applied. Clearly, the school has been well received by local residents. In 1983, a new school--more than double the size of the original -- was completed. Named "Yushinkan" by then-president Minoru Yamada, the school has since helped many young local kendo enthusiasts gain skills in this outstanding sport. Excited young voices can often be heard within its walls.
Report on Relations between Daikin Bases and Local Communities |
Tokyo Office (Soka base)
Daikin, Soka City, and the association of five neighboring towns signed an agreement on community support measures in the case of a major earthquake. The agreement details direct emergency support measures to be implemented in neighboring areas. The Central Disaster Management Council of the Cabinet Office had high praise for this agreement as a private enterprise-local community initiative that will lessen damage from a natural disaster. It was also given as an outstanding example in Japan for the United Nation World Conference on Disaster Reduction.
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Yodogawa Plant
The Bon dance festival, which welcomed the 35th occasion of its observance in August 2006, is an event organized and run entirely by Daikin employees for the enjoyment of the local community.
On this day, bonds between the local community and Daikin are strengthened as Daikin employees have a good time attending to and entertaining members from the surrounding communities.
This event has become a regular fixture of the summer in Setsunan City and is a model for similar festivals at bases around Japan and even overseas. |
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Sakai Plant
Daikin supports the Sakai Rugby school, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2006, by opening its Kanaoka Plant playing field to the school for practice three times a month. The approximately 130 elementary and middle school rugby players make the most of these opportunities by putting all their energy into practice.
The Sakai Plant also hosts plant tours for local elementary school students, who learn about the environmental protection measures of the air-conditioner manufacturing process. In FY2006, 775 children from seven schools visited the plant. |
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Kashima Plant
Every August at the summer evening festival, local residents and government officials are invited to enjoy the festivities and tour the plant to learn about Daikin's business.
The plant is planning to send employees to lead science lessons at local schools as part of continuing efforts to get closer to the local community. |
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Shiga Plant
We strive to make the plant blend into the surrounding natural environment with the selection of building colors, inclusion of a pond, and the planting of cherry trees around the plant.
Moreover, plant employees strive to keep the local environment beautiful by taking part in Lake Biwa cleanups, regularly cutting the grass around the plant, and joining litter cleanups four times a year. |
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Bon Dancing Festivals Around the World
Bon dancing festivals held by Daikin bases around Japan have become regular fixtures of the summer for many residents who come to dance the night away. The Japanese festival spirit has spread to Daikin bases overseas, including Daikin America and Shanghai Daikin Air-Conditioning. The latest to join the festivities is Daikin Europe, whose employees planned and held their first such event in FY2006.
The Daikin Europe event included a Japanese drum performance by the local employees' drum team that both deepened ties with traditional Japanese culture and thrilled the 2,000 locals who came to enjoy the event.
Bon dancing festivals are a great way to spread Japanese culture to overseas bases while helping local communities understand Daikin's corporate culture and philosophy. |
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A Safe Plant Open to the Community
The Daikin Group does all it can to make its plants safe so that nearby residents can live in peace of mind. In particular, we make safety a top priority at the Yodogawa Plant, a chemical production facility located in a residential area. Through risk assessment in environmental protection, security and disaster prevention, and logistics safety, we work to eliminate the potential causes of accidents that may affect the local community.
We are also in constant and close contact with local residents associations. Disaster prevention drills are held three times a year in cooperation with local authorities, and we report the results of our emergency response to the related parties as well as the head of the local residents association. We also have regular tours for local residents to gain their understanding and trust. Afterward, we hold discussions to get their opinions and ideas on our plant.
We also take every opportunity possible to deepen relations with the local people and make ourselves known in the community: we join in local sports and culture festivals, conduct safety patrol along routes that children take to school, and perform volunteer cleanups.
In China, Custom-Made Environmental Seminars for Children
Environmental seminar for children at Daikin's Beijing base
The Daikin Group participates in environmental education and awareness activities aimed at teaching future generations how to solve today's environmental problems by living an eco-friendly life today.
In China as well, Daikin (China) Investment has been conducting its own children's environmental seminars aimed at local elementary school students (the Beijing Office since FY2005 and the Shanghai office since FY2006). Employees create custom-made teaching materials that they use to play games and teach children the importance of the environment and how they can live an eco-friendly life.
Daikin will continue education activities that communicate its environmentally related philosophy and conservation efforts and that help children become more environmentally aware.
DCI in Thailand Plants Mangroves
DCI plants mangroves
In March 2007, Daikin Compressor Industries Ltd. (DCI; head office: Thailand) planted mangroves on 800m2 of land at the Resources and Environment Office Of Chonburi State in Thailand.
