Compliance at Astellas

Astellas pledges to remain an organization that both embraces and practices the beliefs of its business philosophy to always carry out its business with the highest sense of ethics. It is with this unwavering commitment that Astellas has positioned compliance as both strict observance of law and the maintenance of high ethical standards. Astellas has always placed compliance at the heart of its business activities.

Astellas has also formulated the "Astellas Charter of Corporate Conduct" as a representation of the management philosophy and expectations regarding corporate behavior and has shared this globally. In addition, we have established the "Astellas Group Code of Conduct" as a global common code of conduct for all officers and employees belonging to the Astellas group with the requirement that they conform to the laws and high ethical standards.

Below are Astellas ethical principles which are described in the "Astellas Group Code of Conduct". We must embrace and practice them in every aspect of our business:

  1. Integrity
    We will consistently do what is right.
  2. Respect
    We will value each other as individuals, recognizing our diverse viewpoints and unique contributions.
  3. Responsibility
    We will be accountable for our actions toward each other and the environment, reporting workplace concerns without fear of retribution, and seeking clarification when in doubt.
  4. Fairness
    We will conduct our business in an equitable manner and will make business decisions without bias.
  5. Transparency
    We will conduct our business in an open and truthful manner with appropriate respect for confidentiality.

Astellas promotes compliance and acts in accordance with the highest ethical standards through the development, implementation and continuous enhancement of policy, processes and our global compliance structures and thereby maintain the trust of society and enhance enterprise value.

Promoting Compliance Globally

Astellas has a robust global compliance structure in place that includes a Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) and Global Compliance Committee. There is a global Head of Ethics & Compliance, who reports to the CCO, with regional Heads of Ethics & Compliance reporting to the global Head of Ethics & Compliance and chairing regional Compliance Committees in their respective regions: the Americas, EMEA, Japan, and Asia/Oceania.

Promoting Compliance in Japan

Astellas Group companies in Japan are within the scope of responsibility of the Head of Ethics & Compliance, Japan, as well as the regional Compliance Committee chaired by the Head of Ethics & Compliance, Japan. This Committee deliberates on various compliance-enhancement measures and other issues relevant to the Astellas Group in Japan.

Officers responsible for promoting compliance as well as compliance promotion leaders are appointed within each department, which appointment makes it clear who is responsible for compliance within the department. These officers implement specific measures in collaboration with Ethics & Compliance in order to ensure that acting in accordance with the highest ethical standards and integrity is firmly entrenched within their respective departments.

Astellas has also established a helpline and a sexual harassment counseling office to field wide-ranging inquiries. These initiatives are to ensure that individuals are not saddled with an undue burden when uncovering instances of questionable behavior or if directed to engage in activities that infringe upon compliance considerations. Complementing these measures, Astellas places considerable emphasis on educational activities. Astellas is continuously providing a variety of training programs for compliance, whether online or in person, on the basis of an individual's job, position, division, etc.