The Kikkoman Group Business Partner Hotline
▶The Kikkoman Group Business Partner Hotline
Opening hours: Reports may be submitted 24 hours a day. Responses are issued from 09:00 to 17:00 on weekdays (excluding the year-end and New Year holidays, as well as other non-business days in Japan).
Languages: Japanese and English (as of April 2026)
- Who can use the hotline?
The hotline is available to suppliers and other business partners based in Japan who are directly or indirectly involved in any aspect of the Group’s products, including research and development, ingredient sourcing and processing, production and distribution, as well as sales and marketing.
- *For product inquiries, please contact the Kikkoman Consumer Center.
- *Group employees in Japan should contact the Group Corporate Ethics Hotline or the Harassment Hotline at their workplace.
- What should be reported?
You may report any behavior that may deviate from the Kikkoman Group Human Rights Policy, the Kikkoman Group Business Transaction Policy, or the Kikkoman Group Sustainable Sourcing Policy, as well as any actual or potential violations of these policies. Reports may be submitted anonymously.
- Human rights violations, such as child labor, forced labor, abuse, harassment, and discrimination;
- Working conditions, such as working hours, wages, benefits, and the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining;
- Work environment, such as workplace health and safety;
- Excessive environmental impact; and
- Violations of applicable laws, regulations, or rules.
- *Please refrain from providing false information or submitting reports intended to defame, slander, or threaten individuals, or to interfere with their business operations.
Process for reporting and responding to reported concerns
- (1)You may raise a concern through the contact form provided by the AWV Secretariat,* a third-party organization.
- (2)The details of your report will be shared with Kikkoman Corporation. If necessary, we may contact you to verify the facts, conduct an on-site investigation, and request a discussion and/or corrective action.
- (3)Your department or company is generally expected to play a key role in resolving the matter. However, depending on the nature of the matter, Kikkoman Corporation, the AWV Secretariat, or an appropriate public authority may take the lead in ensuring your protection.
- *The AWV Secretariat is operated by the Global Alliance for Sustainable Supply Chain (ASSC), an organization that works with businesses to address issues associated with human rights or labor standards that may arise in the context of supply chains.
Confidentiality and protection of whistle-blowers
- We guarantee that neither you, your company, nor anyone who cooperated in the investigation will be mistreated or subjected to retaliation, except in cases where involvement in misconduct or violation is confirmed.
- The Kikkoman Group is responsible for managing the personal information you provide and will use it solely to respond to your inquiry. We will not disclose or share your personal information with any third party, other than our group companies or outsourced service providers, without your consent (unless required by law).
- Depending on the nature of the matter, we may share your personal information with our group companies. In such cases, you may be contacted directly by the appropriate company.
- We may disclose information about the matter on our corporate website. However, your anonymity will be protected.
- For more details on how the Kikkoman Group handles personal information, please refer to our Privacy Policy.