Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (President and CEO: Yasuhiro Sato) and five other entities*within the Mizuho group received "Platinum Kurumin" certification from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare. The certification is awarded under the revised Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next–Generation Children to Kurumin–certified companies that improve on already high standards of support for employees with children.

*Mizuho Financial Group, Mizuho Bank, Mizuho Trust & Banking, Mizuho Securities, Mizuho Information & Research Institute, and Trust & Custody Services Bank.

Kurumin certification recognizes corporations that support child–care based on an evaluatory system instituted by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare in connection with the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next–Generation Children. Platinum Kurumin status is awarded to previously–certified Kurumin companies that make significant efforts in implementing and maintaining systems that assist workers in balancing work with child–care responsibilities.

Six Mizuho group companies have received Kurumin certification three times previously, in 2007, 2010, and 2013. Their Platinum certification coincides with their fourth recognition under the Kurumin system.

Mizuho is dedicated to maintaining a work environment in which employees can achieve work–life balance. As part of this, the group is actively pursuing the improvement of company systems that support employees who are raising young children or caring for aged or infirm relatives.

Some of our initiatives in the area of child–care support include making work support systems more flexible by increasing the number of half–days that employees can take off, as well as enhancing current systems by establishing more nurseries in the workplace and providing child–care allowances to support employees who want to return to work soon after having children. This year, with the goal of increasing the percentage of employees who take paternity leave, Mizuho is concentrating on spreading information about the leave system and having managers encourage their staff to make use of it.

Mizuho will continue to proactively work towards maintaining an environment where employees can fully utilize their skills and ensuring their lives are enriched through their work.