Aiming to promote legal and regulatory compliance, OMRON set up a Corporate Ethics & Business Conduct Committee within the Group CSR Committee as an issue-specific promotion organization. The committee consists of corporate ethics promotion officers from each business company and the head office, who met three times during fiscal 2008 to deliberate and support activities designed to maintain compliance.

Group companies in Japan also appointed corporate ethics promotion officers in charge of offering compliance education selected from among manager- and higher-rank employees. A corporate ethics officer meeting is held once a year with all these members participating, to exchange information regarding the implementation status of a PDCA cycle in accordance with an action plan as well as for compliance training.

Overseas as well, corporate ethics officers were assigned for the Asia Pacific area in 2008 following China. With the ongoing appointment of compliance officers in the Americas, OMRON is actively working to strengthen its compliance system.

In Japan and North America, a whistle blower hotline is in place inside and outside of the company for OMRON Group executives, full-time employees and temporary staff as well as their families. In fiscal 2008, a direct access newly became available through the electronic bulletin board on intranets in Japan, in addition to conventional telephone and email accesses.

In fiscal 2008, a total of 24 hotline contacts were made in Japan and 8 in North America. The greatest number of contacts in Japan sought advice regarding labor standards compliance and respect for individuality and diversity, which numbered 10. OMRON will continue disseminating the hotline and implement various measures to improve response to whistle-blowing.