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measures to address unmet medical needs as a strategic social contribution activity. From now on, it will be crucial to strategi- cally implement social contribution activities based on clearly defined goals. 

Ms. kuroda:  When actually addressing the needs of developing countries, there are many achievements that cannot be mea- sured solely by economic performance indicators. It may be helpful, for instance, to establish social performance indica- tors, such as the number of lives saved by a CSR activity. 

astellas:  This reminds us that when making decisions to implement or continue R&D projects targeting unmet medical needs, we need to be aware that we must make a compre- hensive decision that encompasses not only economic value but also social value, as well as consider partnerships with other organizations. 

## ENSuriNG rESpONSiBlE BuSiNESS dEvElOpMENT 

I believe that companies should be strongly aware of their social responsibilities in business processes. What specific points should companies pay attention to? 

Mr. Goto:  The important point to consider when looking at social responsibilities in business processes is to think about how to address the so-called “soft law*,” while addressing “hard law” as a matter of course. Recently, stronger demands have been placed on companies to recognize that the scope of their social responsibilities extends across the entire value chain, from upstream to downstream, including suppliers, and not just the company itself. 

Ms. kuroda:  When implementing CSR activities in the supply chain and the rest of the value chain, it is important to clearly think about how to approach the key partners in the value chain, rather than try to cover all partners comprehensively. It is essential to examine CSR activities in a clear-cut manner by, for example, prioritizing those partners involved with key 

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products and those partners in regions where there is a higher risk of human rights infringements and so forth. 

dr. aikawa:  Considering the characteristics of the pharmaceu- tical business, society is strongly interested in how pharma- ceutical companies and medical professionals establish and maintain sound relationships. First and foremost, I believe that it is important to develop and maintain these relationships in a transparent manner. 

astellas:  Besides fulfilling our legal responsibilities, we need to raise our awareness of the demands placed on the Company, namely the need to carefully address “soft law,” to be aware that the scope of a company’s responsibility extends beyond the confines of the organization to include all partners from upstream to downstream, and to develop relationships with transparency. 

* Soft law: Refers to non-legally binding international guidelines and principles, as well as standards and other rules (e.g., ISO 26000 and OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises) 

## huMaN rESOurCES MaNaGEMENT frOM a lONG-TErM pErSpECTivE 

How should Astellas implement CSR activities utilizing the human resources underpinning business operations? 

dr. aikawa:  Overseas, it is no longer unusual for women to serve as leaders of corporations or heads of state. Therefore, Astellas must recognize that non-Japanese investors see Astellas from a different perspective. 

Mr. Goto:  Astellas is a global enterprise. From the viewpoint of diversity, it should regard the appointment of women and non-Japanese human resources in management positions as an important issue. Going forward, I believe that Astellas must steadily implement a human resources portfolio strategy from a long-term point of view. 

Ms. kuroda:  It is no easy feat to promote diversity in Japan, because this requires changing social values and customs. Even so, companies can gradually change the awareness of their employees by taking the initiative to establish diversity policies and targets. In doing so, the thinking and awareness of families and society at large will gradually change. For this reason, I believe that companies must steadfastly work to promote diversity from a long-term perspective. 

astellas:  Until now, we have formulated and implemented medium-term human resources management policies. As for long-term growth strategies, we have so far considered mainly research and development and business areas. Based on what the experts have talked about today, we are strongly aware that we must now consider our human resources portfolio strategy from a more long-term perspective. 

