Feature

• Social Responsibility
• CSR Report
• Feature

Joint Research with Scientific Institutions Outside the Company

The UN's IPCC has confirmed the high probability of a causal relationship existing between global warming and unusual weather,although such a relationship has not yet been fully substantiated scientifically. The Tokio Marine Group believes an understanding of the latest knowledge such as this is important to its efforts to prevent global warming.

Since November 2005, the Tokio Marine Group has participated in an industry-academy partnership with the Center for Climate System Research at the University of Tokyo, which has one of the world's leading climate-simulation models, which can be used to forecast global warming, and a number of private-sector firms. This project conducts research into the future effects of climate change induced by global warming on the occurrence of natural disasters. In addition, in March 2007 the Tokio Marine Group began joint research with Nagoya University intended to study in detail the effects of global warming on typhoons.

Furthermore, the Group has been promoting research into global warming overseas as well, centered on hurricanes in the United States, through efforts such as Tokio Millennium Re and Tokio Marine Technologies holding summits on global-warming by inviting well-known researchers from outside the companies as lecturers. The Tokio Marine Group will make efforts to be able to make broadranging contributions to society through efforts such as providing products and services and communicating information to society at large that could help prevent or deter global warming, utilizing the results obtained in research into global warming.

A wind-speed distribution obtained from a typhoon-simulation model developed in-house

A global-warming summit

Protection of the Global Environment and Contributing to Local Communities through Mangrove Afforestation

Overview of the mangrove afforestation project

Since fiscal 1999 Tokio Marine & Nichido has been planting mangrove trees in Southeast Asia. Through fiscal 2006, it had planted 3,444 hectares of forests – sufficient to absorb the carbon dioxide emitted in the company's business activities. Today, the second phase of this project is under way in 6 countries: 5 nations of Southeast Asia, plus Fiji. (See illustration below.)

This project has been implemented in partnership with an NGOs, Action for Mangrove Reforestation (ACTMANG), and OISCA.

Significance of this project

Mangrove trees can help prevent global warming by absorbing a large volume of carbon dioxide and can serve as bulwarks to protect people from tsunamis and other hazards. In addition, by providing fishery and forestry resources essential to local residents' lifestyles, they contribute to achieving sustainable development in the areas in which they are planted in addition to stabilizing and improving peoples' living environments. For example, a project to cultivate crabs in Indonesia without felling mangrove trees was given an award by the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries as a sustainable fisheries activity in 2005. Furthermore, "Mangrove Afforestation Volunteer Tour" also provide opportunities for international exchange between employees of the Group member companies and local residents.

"Green Lessons: The Mangrove Story" held nationwide

Tokio Marine & Nichido has prepared an environmental education program targeted at elementary-school children, based on the theme of "preventing global warming," and has been sending its employees and agents to those schools as instructors.
This program began in October 2005 to commemorate the first anniversary of the merger that formed Tokio Marine & Nichido. Through March 2007, approximately 4,000 students and other children had taken part in the course, held at approximately 60 elementary schools and schools for handicapped children across Japan.
The course covers the "mangrove afforestation project" – a global environmental-protection activity – and a familiar program to "recycle uniforms of female employees." By showing them beautiful, vivid videos and photographs of mangroves and other vegetation and letting them touch mangrove seeds and other items and listen to stories told by employees and agents who volunteered to participate in planting mangrove trees, this course has created opportunities for the children to think about environmental protection on their own and take action to protect the environment.
In addition, students were presented with "planters that degrade naturally into soil." Those planters were made from recycled uniforms of female employees. The children also had the opportunity to think together with instructors on the ecological cycle and the effective use of resources. A decision has already been made to continue this program through the 2008 fiscal year.

Afforestation targets and performance (in hectares) in phase two of this project

A course session at Hosen Elementary School in the city of Okayama.