Toyota 2005 Annual Report Download - page 131

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SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION ACTIVITIES
Aiming to be one of international society’s trusted, upstanding corporate citizens, Toyota undertakes
social contribution initiatives centered on North America, Europe, Asia, and other regions where
it does business. Our contributions encompass a wide range of fields, including science and
technology promotion, road safety campaigns, patronage of the arts, environmental conservation,
volunteer activities, and local community activities. To coordinate and advance such initiatives,
Toyota has established the Corporate Philanthropy Committee, which is chaired by Toyota’s
president and comprises directors. And in Japan, since 1990, Toyota has been a member of
Nippon Keidanren’s 1% Club, allocating approximately one percent of its nonconsolidated
ordinary income to social contributions every year.
Initiatives in Japan: Our activities can be categorized into three main areas: advancing science
and technology, popularizing the arts, and preserving the environment. In efforts to promote
science and technology, we give children the chance to experience the mysteries of science and
the pleasure of making things by sending employees as volunteer instructors to science museums
and fairs. Also, we are taking steps to popularize the arts by developing specialists in arts and
culture, increasing the pool of professional artists, and invigorating regional culture. For
example, we support amateur orchestras through Toyota community concerts, discover talented
new choreographers through the Toyota Choreography Award, and broaden the outlooks and
stimulate the sensibilities of children by dispatching artists to schools and nurseries to conduct
classes as part of our project to bring artists and children together. Also, the Company
implements various environmental educational programs and sponsors afforestation projects to
help mitigate global warming.
One of the ultimate aspirations of a mobility-based society is to eradicate traffic accident
injuries and fatalities. To contribute to efforts toward realizing that goal, we established the
TOYOTA safety education center Mobilitas inside the newly renovated Fuji Speedway in April
2005. The center provides a permanent venue for the Toyota Driver Communication driving-
safety courses that we have been conducting regularly since 1987 as part of efforts to raise traffic
safety awareness.
Initiatives Overseas: Mainly focusing on North America, Europe, and Asia, our overseas social
contribution activities center on the environment and education. In the United States, we have
been supporting the parent-and-child educational programs run by the National Center for
Family Literacy since 1991. Further, we have established the Toyota Family Literacy Program,
mostly targeting immigrants from the Spanish-speaking countries of Central and South America.
In Europe, we sponsor the Red Cross Society’s traffic safety, lifesaving, and first-aid educational
campaigns for children in 26 European countries. Also, we collaborate with local NGOs in the
United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, and Poland in the development of environmental
education programs. In Asia, Toyota backs tree planting projects to prevent desertification in
China, implements environmental improvement programs for secondary schools in Malaysia,
and supports an NPO involved in the removal of landmines as part of humanitarian projects in
Thailand and Cambodia.
In addition to the above-mentioned initiatives, Toyota seeks to coexist with and benefit
societies around the world through the implementation of diverse programs in alliance with local
communities, governments, and NPOs.
Mobilitas driving-safety course
Parent-and-child education program in
North America