ONE PRIDE: Toward a Company That Cares for Those Who Care – Report on Events Related to Tokyo Pride 2026
As a member of the Hakuhodo DY Group, Hakuhodo DY ONE Inc. participated in Pride Festival, a LGBTQ+ event held in Yoyogi Park on Saturday, 6 – Sunday, 7 June, 2026. This article reports on our participation in Pride Festival and LGBTQ+ initiatives undertaken by Hakuhodo DY ONE.
Tokyo Pride 2026: the event
Launched in 2012, Tokyo Pride is an iconic LGBTQ+ event and one of the largest in Asia.
(Tokyo Pride 2026: https://pride.tokyo/)
Hakuhodo DY Holdings Inc. is a sponsor of Tokyo Pride. The second year of having a booth at the Pride Festival, Hakuhodo DY ONE also participated in the event as one of its group companies. On both days, many visitors gathered around the booth despite the occasional rain.
Under the Group slogan on LGBTQ+: “See the differences. Share the similarities,” we organized an event called “So, what’cha talking about today? Wacha! Wacha!” to highlight the importance of “schmoozing” about the differences and similarities between people. We posted a panel suggesting 10 Talk Themes to spark animated conversations with someone you care about. Visitors who completed a short survey could turn the crank on a capsule toy machine to receive tea bags with cards featuring specific Talk Themes.
Messages from Hakuhodo DY ONE executives
Executives of Hakuhodo DY ONE also visited the booth during the event, and openly spoke about their views on diversity at Hakuhodo DY ONE after choosing one of the 10 Talk Themes that they wanted to discuss with someone they care about, and explaining the reason for their choice.
After choosing the Talk Theme: “Find three things that are in common, and three things that are different, between you and someone you care about.”
(Hiroaki Kitazume, Representative Director, President & CCO, Hakuhodo DY ONE)
I chose this topic because you can only care for each other when you know each other well. It might be easy to find something in common, but in fact it is more difficult, and more important, to recognize differences in the right way.
The company name of Hakuhodo DY ONE highlights the fact that we were established as a union of multiple entities. In the name of “ONE,” people of different origins are working together to create something new while recognizing their differences. I hope to build diversity into our organization as a culture that is cherished by everyone, in addition to developing enabling systems and rules.
After choosing the Talk Theme: “Have you ever lied to protect your peace of mind?”
(Hirotatsu Sadaoka, Member of the Board & Managing Director, Hakuhodo DY ONE)
We tell lies for various reasons, including to protect ourselves or to avoid hurting someone. This is a very good question that makes me think hard.
The workforce of Hakuhodo DY ONE is relatively young, which made it possible to embrace diverse gender identities and values in a natural way, but may have delayed action for institutionalization. Our recent move to extend the definition of “spouse” to include partners in same-sex or common-law marriage was supported by employees in general, not only those who benefited from the scheme. We are now reviewing our existing schemes one by one, taking everyone’s opinion into account. I hope that each of us can always be true to ourselves as a matter of course.
Internal campaign related to Tokyo Pride 2026
In conjunction with participating in Tokyo Pride 2026, we launched an internal campaign in July 2026, the month after the event.
We first produced a key visual entitled “ONE PRIDE” in cooperation with a creative team. Leveraging this key visual, we then produced an original flyer highlighting Hakuhodo DY ONE’s LGBTQ+ initiatives for distribution to employees.
In addition, we prepared 12 panels depicting the slogan, statement and 10 Talk Themes posted in our Pride Festival booth for exhibition in the Akasaka, Ebisu, Kansai, Kochi and Niigata offices.
At Hakuhodo DY ONE, merely creating schemes and mechanisms for diversity is not the end goal. It is far more important to create an environment where each employee can correctly understand and act on the group-wide and company-specific initiatives. Participation in Tokyo Pride 2026 and the internal campaign are both part of our effort to raise awareness and deepen understanding.
LGBTQ+ initiatives at Hakuhodo DY ONE
Aiming for a workplace where each employee can make the best of their talent and potential, Hakuhodo DY ONE established a unit specialized in promoting DE&I initiatives in April 2025. The following are some of our signature initiatives related to LGBTQ+.
Extended definition of spouse for human resource-related rules
Effective from April 2026, the definition of “spouse” for human resource-related rules was extended from partners in statutory marriage to include partners in same-sex or common-law marriage. In line with this reform, the scope of our internal schemes applicable to employees’ spouse and children was also expanded to partners in same-sex or common-law marriage and their children.
Schemes covered: Monetary gift for wedding, marriage leave, baby gift, childcare leave/reduced schedule for childcare, leave for child nursing care, etc.
Consultation service on SOGI and LGBTQ+ matters
We offer a consultation service on sexual orientation, gender identity and sexual minorities (SOGI/LGBTQ+) to enable employees to talk about their concerns in private. We have established internal and external consultation desks to ensure that employees can remain anonymous.
Internal training on LGBTQ+
We are providing learning opportunities and conducting awareness-raising activities targeting all employees, including the publication and permanent posting of LGBTQ+ training videos on our DE&I portal.
As a member of the Hakuhodo DY Group, Hakuhodo DY ONE is determined to build an organization that respects each other’s differences. We remain committed to creating a society where everyone can work and live like themselves with pride.
