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NEC Corp.
Annual Report 2017

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FY2017 Annual Report · NEC Corp.
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Ann u al Re port  2017
Year ended March 31, 2017

People around the world today face a host of global challenges: terrorism and 

cybercrime that threaten their everyday security; environmental issuees such as 

intensification of natural disasters due to climate change; scarcity of energy,  

food and water resources; population growth in developing countries,  

aging populations in developed countries, burgeoning urban populations and  

widening interregional disparities.

NEC is committed to resolving these challenges with its ICT assets, especially AI  

and IoT technologies, and new business models developed collaboratively with 

customers and partners.

Through these activities, NEC will create social value in the form of safety, security, 

efficiency and equality, all of which are prerequisites for an abundant society for all 

people, in the aim of realizing a bright, hope-filled future in concert with people  

and countries across the globe.

This mission is embodied in NEC’s Brand Statement: Orchestrating a brighter world.

01

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Contents

Profile

01 Orchestrating a brighter world

02 Contents

03 Performance Highlights

05 At a Glance

Commentary on  
Management Strategy

07 Message from the President

12 Mid-term Management Plan 2018 
Progress and Formulation of  
Next Mid-term Management Plan

15 Message from the CFO

Business Model

17 Our History

19 The NEC Group’s Vision of  
Social Value Creation

21 Social Value Creation Process

23 Innovation Management

25 Social Value Creation Initiatives

Business Activities for  
Social Value Creation

29 Review of Operations

39 International Business Structure

Initiatives Supporting  
Sustainable Management

41 Initiatives Supporting  

Sustainable Management

42 Corporate Governance

45 Ensuring Compliance

46 Messages from an Outside Director 
and an Audit & Supervisory Board 
Member

47 Directors and Audit &  

Supervisory Board Members

49 Cross-company Corporate Strategy 

Promotion Framework

51 Human Rights and Diversity

53 Further Promotion of Environmental 
Management Contributing to the 
Realization of a “Sustainable Earth”

Corporate Data

56 Financial Section

63 Non-Financial Section

64 Corporate Overview

Editorial Policy
NEC has published integrated annual reports containing both 
financial and non-financial information since 2013.

Annual Report 2017 comprises six chapters respectively entitled 

Profile, Commentary on Management Strategy, Business Model, 
Business Activities for Social Value Creation, Initiatives Supporting 
Sustainable Management, and Corporate Data.

Chapter I profiles NEC. Chapter II provides commentary from the 
President and CFO concerning our approach to enhancing corporate 
value over the medium/long term and revision of Mid-term 
Management Plan 2018. Chapter III highlights our strengths, the 
value we offer and examples of our social value creation initiatives. 
Chapter IV provides an overview of each of our segments and 
information on our overseas operations. Chapter V discusses 
corporate governance and other ESG initiatives that support 
sustainable management, including environmentally.

NEC will keep endeavoring to provide increasingly transparent and 

useful information in response to guidance from the International 
Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) and feedback from institutional 
investors and various other stakeholders.

Reporting Period
April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017 (hereinafter referred to as “Fiscal 
2017.” Any other fiscal years would be referred to similarly) 
This report also includes information obtained after this reporting period.

Scope of Report 
NEC Corporation and its Consolidated Subsidiaries 

Reference Guidelines
•	ISO	26000
•	Global	Reporting	Initiative	(GRI)	
  “Sustainability Reporting Guidelines 4.0” 
•	United	Nations	Global	Compact

NEC	is	a	signatory	to	the	United	Nations	Global	Compact.

Other Related Information 
•	Earnings	Releases/Annual	Securities	Report	
•	Corporate	Governance	Report	
•	Corporate	Social	Responsibility	(CSR)	
•	Annual	Environmental	Report	
•	Information	Security	Report	
•	Social	Contribution	Activities

Evaluation by External Parties (As of July 2017)

RobecoSAM Sustainability Award

FTSE4Good Index Series

Euronext Vigeo  
World 120

ETHIBEL PIONEER  
& EXCELLENCE

STOXX Global ESG  
Leaders Index

Morningstar Socially Responsible 
Investment Index

EcoVadis

MSCI ESG Leaders Indexes

THE	INCLUSION	OF	NEC	Corporation	IN	ANY	MSCI	
INDEX,	AND	THE	USE	OF	MSCI	LOGOS,	TRADEMARKS,	
SERVICE	MARKS	OR	INDEX	NAMES	HEREIN,	DO	NOT	
CONSTITUTE	A	SPONSORSHIP,	ENDORSEMENT	OR	
PROMOTION	OF	NEC	Corporation	BY	MSCI	OR	ANY	OF	
ITS	AFFILIATES.	THE	MSCI	INDEXES	ARE	THE	EXCLUSIVE	
PROPERTY	OF	MSCI.
MSCI AND THE MSCI INDEX NAMES AND LOGOS ARE 
TRADEMARKS	OR	SERVICE	MARKS	OF	MSCI	OR	ITS	
AFFILIATES.

02

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Performance Highlights
NEC Corporation and Consolidated Subsidiaries 
For the fiscal years ended or year-end as of March 31

NEC Electronics 
Corporation became an 
equity-method affiliate

Revenue

3,583.1

The consumer PC 
business became an 
equity-method affiliate

Divested NEC 
Mobiling, Ltd.

Stopped the  
development of new 
smartphones

Revenues of the current businesses

Operating profit

Revenue   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
International revenue   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
International revenue ratio (%)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Operating profit  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Net profit (loss) attributable to  

owners of the parent  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Cash flows from operating activities   . . . . . . . . . . 
Cash flows from investing activities  . . . . . . . . . . . 
Free cash flows  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

R&D expenses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Capital expenditures  

(property, plant and equipment) . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Depreciation  

11,428

134,816
(41,241)
93,575

275,970

83,098

(property, plant and equipment) . . . . . . . . . . . . 

111,167

Per share data (in yen):

Net profit (loss) attributable to  

owners of the parent  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Cash dividends   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Total assets   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Owner’s equity  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Return on equity (%)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Owner’s equity ratio (%)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Interest-bearing debt  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Debt-equity ratio (times)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Number of consolidated subsidiaries  . . . . . . . . . 
Number of employees  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

CO2 emissions reduction by providing IT  

solutions (thousand tons) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Improvement in energy efficiency  

of products (%)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

5.04
4.00

2,937,644
790,904
1.6
26.9
729,548
0.92

310
142,358

1,900

44

03

3,115.4

3,036.8

3,071.6

3,043.1

2,600.0

2,550.0

50.9

57.8

2,630.0

73.7

2,730.0

114.6

2,890.0

106.2

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2016

¥3,583,148
712,886
19.9
50,905

¥3,115,424
479,349
15.4
57,820

¥3,036,836
481,492
15.9
73,742

JGAAP

¥3,071,609
483,118
15.7
114,647

¥3,043,114
569,172
18.7
106,193

(12,518)

(110,267)

33,660
(146,244)
(112,584)

176,514

52,850

62,097

(4.82)
0.00

2,628,931
757,054
–
28.8
675,798
0.89

283
115,840

2,120

53

83,857
(49,706)
34,151

161,968

41,980

53,306

(42.44)
0.00

2,557,570
656,956
–
25.7
692,734
1.05

265
109,102

2,310

66

30,434

143,748
(101,742)
42,006

151,676

45,614

51,167

11.71
4.00

2,580,966
710,666
4.5
27.5
603,451
0.85

270
102,375

2,980

64

33,742

94,124
(38,893)
55,231

142,723

98,708

45,167

12.99
4.00

2,505,329
695,949
4.8
27.8
575,151
0.83

258
100,914

2,290

75

¥2,935,517 

¥2,821,181 

¥2,824,833 

¥2,665,035 

Millions of yen

2017

Percent change 

2017/2016

IFRS

–5.7%

–5.3

–54.2

–64.0

–5.4

—

50.8

–11.6

–13.4

–1.3

–64.0

6.1

11.0

134,205

123,995

123,602

109,319

603,169 

21.4 

107,306 

68,749 

97,829 

(32,202)

65,627 

36,347

44,879

8.5

31.8

0.61

217

2,620

97

603,135 

21.4 

91,418 

75,923 

97,829 

(32,202)

65,627 

36,347

50,493

9.5

30.4

0.62

217

2,620

97

570,967 

21.4 

41,838 

27,310 

92,525 

6,425 

98,950 

31,472

49,853

3.4

31.8

0.55

238

2,630

17

22.05

4.00

2,620,652 

823,650 

26.45

6.00

2,493,441 

792,092 

29.22

6.00

2,528,904 

769,827 

10.51

6.00

2,683,996 

854,264 

520,778 

480,987 

479,523 

466,946 

–2.6

98,882 

98,726 

98,726 

107,729

586,844 

20.0 

128,084 

57,302 

87,917 

(47,510)

40,407 

37,425

48,518

7.5

31.4

0.63

232

2,540

91

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Divested NEC 
BIGLOBE, Ltd.

Consolidated Japan 
Aviation Electronics 
Industry, Limited

2,935.5

128.1

2,821.2

2,824.8

107.3

91.4

(Billions of yen)

2,665.0

41.8

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2016

Millions of yen
2017

Percent change 
2017/2016

IFRS

R&D expenses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

275,970

176,514

161,968

134,205

123,995

123,602

109,319

¥2,935,517 
586,844 
20.0 
128,084 

57,302 

87,917 
(47,510)
40,407 

¥2,821,181 
603,169 
21.4 
107,306 

68,749 

97,829 
(32,202)
65,627 

¥2,824,833 
603,135 
21.4 
91,418 

75,923 

97,829 
(32,202)
65,627 

¥2,665,035 
570,967 
21.4 
41,838 

27,310 

92,525 
6,425 
98,950 

37,425

48,518

36,347

44,879

36,347

50,493

31,472

49,853

22.05
4.00

2,620,652 
823,650 
7.5
31.4
520,778 
0.63

232
98,882 

2,540

91

26.45
6.00

2,493,441 
792,092 
8.5
31.8
480,987 
0.61

217
98,726 

2,620

97

29.22
6.00

2,528,904 
769,827 
9.5
30.4
479,523 
0.62

217
98,726 

2,620

97

10.51
6.00

2,683,996 
854,264 
3.4
31.8
466,946 
0.55

238
107,729

2,630

17

–5.7%
–5.3

–54.2

–64.0

–5.4
—
50.8

–11.6

–13.4

–1.3

–64.0

6.1
11.0

–2.6

Revenue   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

¥3,583,148

¥3,115,424

¥3,036,836

¥3,071,609

¥3,043,114

owners of the parent  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

11,428

(12,518)

(110,267)

International revenue   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

International revenue ratio (%)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Operating profit  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Net profit (loss) attributable to  

Cash flows from operating activities   . . . . . . . . . . 

Cash flows from investing activities  . . . . . . . . . . . 

Free cash flows  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

712,886

19.9

50,905

134,816

(41,241)

93,575

(property, plant and equipment) . . . . . . . . . . . . 

83,098

(property, plant and equipment) . . . . . . . . . . . . 

111,167

Capital expenditures  

Depreciation  

Per share data (in yen):

Net profit (loss) attributable to  

owners of the parent  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Cash dividends   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Total assets   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Owner’s equity  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

2,937,644

790,904

Return on equity (%)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Owner’s equity ratio (%)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Debt-equity ratio (times)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Number of consolidated subsidiaries  . . . . . . . . . 

CO2 emissions reduction by providing IT  

solutions (thousand tons) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Improvement in energy efficiency  

of products (%)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

5.04

4.00

1.6

26.9

0.92

310

1,900

44

479,349

15.4

57,820

33,660

(146,244)

(112,584)

52,850

62,097

–

28.8

0.89

283

2,120

53

481,492

15.9

73,742

83,857

(49,706)

34,151

41,980

53,306

–

25.7

1.05

265

2,310

66

JGAAP

483,118

15.7

114,647

30,434

143,748

(101,742)

42,006

151,676

45,614

51,167

4.5

27.5

0.85

270

2,980

64

569,172

18.7

106,193

33,742

94,124

(38,893)

55,231

142,723

98,708

45,167

4.8

27.8

0.83

258

2,290

75

Interest-bearing debt  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

729,548

675,798

692,734

603,451

575,151

Number of employees  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

142,358

115,840

109,102

102,375

100,914

(4.82)

0.00

2,628,931

757,054

(42.44)

0.00

2,557,570

656,956

11.71

4.00

2,580,966

710,666

12.99

4.00

2,505,329

695,949

Performance Highlights

Key Management Measures

l  Measures to optimize business portfolio
n  Measures to grow business and strengthen financial foundation

Fiscal year ended March 31, 2011

l Made NEC Electronics Corporation, a semiconductor 
business currently Renesas Electronics Corporation, 
into an equity-method affiliate

Fiscal year ended March 31, 2012

l Made the consumer PC business into  

an equity-method affiliate

n  Acquired Global View S.A., a video surveillance 

services business in Argentina

Fiscal year ended March 31, 2013

n  Acquired the business support system business of 

U.S.-based	Convergys	Corporation
n  Acquired the IT service business of  

Australia-based CSG Limited

Fiscal year ended March 31, 2014

l Divested all of NEC’s stakes in NEC Mobiling, Ltd., 
currently MX Mobiling Co., Ltd., a mobile phone 
sales business

l Stopped the development of new smartphones

Fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 

l Divested all of NEC’s stakes in NEC BIGLOBE, Ltd., 

currently BIGLOBE Inc., an internet service provider 
in March, 2014

n  Made NEC Fielding, Ltd., providing operation and 
maintenance service for IT systems, into a wholly 
owned subsidiary

n  Established NEC Solution Innovators, Ltd.  

in a reorganization of seven software development 
subsidiaries

n  Established NEC Platforms, Ltd.  

in a reorganization of four hardware development 
and manufacturing subsidiaries

n  Established NEC Management Partner, Ltd.  

in a reorganization of four back office operation 
subsidiaries

n  Completed acquisition of an energy storage system 

business for electric power companies and established 
NEC Energy Solutions, Inc. in North America

Fiscal year ended March 31, 2016

n  Transferred administrative staff functions and shared 
IT assets from NEC to NEC Management Partner, Ltd. 
(Business Process Optimization Project)

Fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 
(fiscal year under review)

n  Acquired Brazilian IT security company Arcon 

Informatica S.A.

n  Consolidated Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, 

Limited

Notes: 1.  Net profit (loss) attributable to owners of the parent per 

share is calculated based on the weighted-average 
number of shares outstanding during each period.
2.  Owner’s equity = equity attributable to owners of the 

parent

3.  The debt-equity ratio is calculated by dividing interest-

bearing debt by owner’s equity.

4.  Improvement in energy efficiency of products is based on 
a comparison with the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006.

04

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Profile 
 
 
At a Glance
NEC Corporation and Consolidated Subsidiaries 
Revenue, operating profit (loss), and composition of revenue are financial results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 (IFRS).

Public Business

Revenue 

Operating profit 

766.2 billion yen
33.2 billion yen

Composition of revenue

29%

Public Solutions

Main customers

Key Initiatives

Public, healthcare and  
regional industries

  Expansion of applicable fields for My Number 
system utilization
  Business creation for regional revitalization through 
industry, government and academic partnerships

Public Infrastructure

Main customers

Key Initiatives

Government and media

  Infrastructure preparation towards year 2020
  Expansion of cyber-security business

Enterprise Business

Revenue 

Operating profit 

408.6 billion yen
39.7 billion yen

Main customers
Manufacturing, retail and services, and finance

Telecom Carrier Business

Revenue 

600.4 billion yen
18.1 billion yen

Operating profit 

Main customers

System Platform Business

Telecom carriers

Revenue 

Operating profit 

719.8 billion yen
29.6 billion yen

Others

Revenue 

Operating loss 

170.0 billion yen
–20.0 billion yen

Composition of revenue

15%

Key Initiatives

  Acceleration of overseas development of IT services 
business for retail and public transportation sectors
  Promotion of manufacturing co-creation program 
  Promotion of FinTech service creation

Key Initiatives

  Business expansion based on TOMS*1,  
SDN *2/NFV*3 
   Acceleration of development and service proposal 
ahead of full-scale 5G adoption

*1  TOMS:  Telecom Operations and Management Solutions
*2  SDN:  Software-Defined Networking
*3  NFV:  Network Functions Virtualization

Key Initiatives

  Maximizing the profit of existing businesses 
  Acceleration of establishing an IoT*4 platform
  Strengthening key business areas

Composition of revenue

23%

Composition of revenue

27%

*4  IoT:  Internet of Things

Key Initiatives

Composition of revenue

   Sales expansion in international safety business

6%

05

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017(Note)   Figures for revenue, operating profit (loss), and composition of revenue for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 are restated to conform with the new segments, 

which have not been audited by the accounting auditors. 

At a Glance

Major Products and Services

  Systems Integration (Systems Implementation, Consulting), 
Maintenance and Support, Outsourcing/Cloud Services,  
System Equipment

Examples of Solutions by Business Sector/Industry

  Public: Firefighting Command,  
Firefighting Emergency Radio Systems,  
Disaster Prevention, Traffic Control,  
Railroad Communication, Local Government 

  Healthcare: Electric Medical Record,  
Regional Healthcare Information Network
  Regional industries: Backbone service

Major Consolidated Subsidiaries
NEC Nexsolutions, Ltd.

Examples of Solutions by Business Sector/Industry

  Government: Social Security and Tax,  
Fingerprint Identification, Air Traffic Control,  
Satellite Communications/Earth Observation,  
Outdoor Communication, School/Education, Postal Tracking, 
Infrastructure Surveillance/Energy Management 

  Media: TV Program Production/News Production/Transmission, 
Digital TV Transmitters

Major Products and Services

Examples of Solutions by Business Sector/Industry

  Systems Integration (Systems Implementation, 
Consulting), Maintenance and Support, Outsourcing/
Cloud Services

  Manufacturing: Global SCM, Product Lifecycle Management,  
Production Management, Sales Management
  Retail and Services: Retail Systems for Stores and Head Offices, 
Logistics Management
  Finance: Banking, Business Branch Systems, Insurance and 
Securities Infrastructure, Insurance and Securities Channel

Major Consolidated Subsidiaries
NEC Facilities, Ltd.
NEC Network and Sensor Systems, Ltd.
NEC Space Technologies, Ltd.
Nippon Avionics Co., Ltd.
Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited

Major Consolidated Subsidiaries
ABeam Consulting Ltd.

  Services & Management  
Telecom Operations and Management Solutions (TOMS),  
Services/Solutions

Major Consolidated Subsidiaries
OCC Corporation
NEC Networks & System Integration 
Corporation
Netcracker Technology Corporation

Major Products and Services

  Network Infrastructure 
Core Network, Mobile Phone Base Stations,  
Submarine Systems (Submarine Cable Systems,  
Ocean Observation Systems),  
Optical Transmission Systems,  
Routers/Switches,	Mobile	Backhaul	(“PASOLINK”)

Major Products and Services

  Hardware 
Servers, Mainframes, Supercomputers, Storage,  
Business PCs, Tablet Devices, POS, ATMs,  
Control Equipment, Wireless LAN Routers,  
Displays, Projectors 

Major Products and Services

  Safety 
Biometric Solutions (such as Face Recognition, Fingerprint Identification), 
Surveillance
  Smart Energy 
Electrodes / Energy Storage
  Lighting Equipment

  Software 
Integrated Operation Management, Application Servers,  
Security and Database Software
  Enterprise Network Solutions 
IP Telephony Systems, WAN/Wireless Access Equipment,  
LAN Products
  Services 
Data Center Infrastructure, Maintenance and Support

Major Consolidated Subsidiaries
NEC Platforms, Ltd.
NEC Fielding, Ltd.
NEC Display Solutions, Ltd.
NEC Embedded Products, Ltd.

Major Consolidated Subsidiaries
NEC Energy Devices, Ltd.
NEC Energy Solutions, Inc.
NEC Lighting, Ltd.
NEC Management Partner, Ltd.

06

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017ProfileMessage from the President

To remain an essential company in the eyes of society in  

5 years, 10 years and beyond, NEC will create new value 

by always keeping abreast of what constitutes value for 

its customers and society.

Takashi Niino
President and CEO

 September   1954   Born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

March		 1977		 Graduated	from	the	Faculty	of	Engineering	of	Kyoto	University

April   1977   Joined NEC Corporation

April   2008   Senior Vice President

April   2010   Executive Vice President

June   2011   Executive Vice President and Member of the Board

April   2012   Senior Executive Vice President and Member of the Board

April   2016   President and CEO (Representative Director) (to present)

07

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017	
 
 
 
 
 
 
Message from the President

Aiming to Remain an Essential Company in Society’s Eyes

Since its inception in 1899, NEC has been ethically 

with people around the world. Guided by the NEC Way, 

creating products and services of value to customers 

we have chosen the path of creating social value in the 

under the motto “Better Products, Better Services.” We are 

form of safety, security, efficiency and equality, all of 

committed to remaining a company of choice and trusted 

which are prerequisites for all people, and an abundant 

by customers and all other stakeholders. This commitment 

society, in the aim of orchestrating a brighter world. To 

has been captured in the NEC Way, which encapsulates 

achieve this aim, we have identified the seven themes for 

the NEC Group’s management philosophy, vision and 

social value creation, in which we can help resolve social 

business framework. The NEC Way guides all of us at NEC.

issues by leveraging our strengths. Continuously 

Meanwhile, the value that customers and society seek 

providing value as a social value innovator is our 

and expect from NEC is constantly changing. Whereas by 

approach to sustainability.

itself our technologies and products were once a 

Interest is growing globally in building sustainable 

sufficient source of value, customers and society are now 

societies has led to the emergence of international 

tapping into increasingly diverse sources of value. To 

societal	frameworks	such	as	the	United	Nations	Global	

remain an essential company in the eyes of society in 5 

Compact	(UNGC),	a	set	of	sustainability	guidelines	for	

years, 10 years and beyond, we must create new value by 

companies.	The	UNGC	encompasses	10	principles	

constantly keeping our finger on the pulse of what it 

pertaining to human rights, labor, the environment and 

constitutes. Such an approach is absolutely imperative.

anti-corruption.	As	a	UNGC	signatory	since	2005,	NEC	

To express this mindset both internally and externally, 

conducts its business activities in compliance with these 

we adopted “Orchestrating a brighter world” as our Brand 

10 principles.

Statement in 2014. This Brand Statement reflects NEC’s 

In	2015,	the	UN	adopted	Sustainable	Development	

determination to realize bright, hope-filled societies and 

Goals (SDGs) that coincidentally have much in common 

ways of life as a leading integrator that possesses both 

with NEC’s seven social value-creation themes. We 

computing and network technologies and combines 

believe that by continuing to create social value, NEC will 

them with diverse knowledge and ideas in collaboration 

also contribute to the achievement of the SDGs.

NEC Group Corporate Philosophy:
NEC strives through ‘C&C’ to help advance societies worldwide 
toward deepened mutual understanding and the fulfillment of 
human potential

NEC Group Vision: 
To be a leading global company leveraging the power of 
innovation to realize an information society friendly to humans 
and the earth

NEC Group Core Values: 
“Passion for Innovation,” “Self-help,” “Collaboration,” “Better 
Products, Better Services”

08

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Commentary on Management StrategyRenewed Focus on Compliance

Over the course of conducting business activities, NEC 

Compliance is one of the NEC Group’s top 

was notified by the Japan Fair Trade Commission of a 

management priorities. The NEC Group has a long history 

violation of the Act on Prohibition of Private 

of diligently implementing and continuously operating 

Monopolization and Maintenance of Fair Trade 

internal control systems. We sincerely regret and have 

(“Antimonopoly Act”) with respect to transactions with 

self-reflected deeply on the repeated violations of the 

Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. (currently Tokyo Electric 

Antimonopoly Act. In response, we are endeavoring to 

Power Company Holdings, Inc.) on telecommunications 

reinforce our entire Group workforce’s compliance 

equipment for electric power systems, in July 2016. In 

mindset by repeatedly reminding all personnel about 

February 2017, NEC also received Cease and Desist 

compliance-related matters, revising our fair trading 

Orders and Surcharge Payment Orders from the Japan 

education curriculum and methods, and stepping up 

Fair Trade Commission for activities in violation of the 

internal reviews and monitoring of fair-trade compliance. 

Antimonopoly Act with respect to transactions for wireless 

These measures are not merely a one-off response. Going 

digital emergency firefighting equipment, and with 

forward, we will endeavor to prevent recurrences of 

respect to transactions for hybrid optical communication 

violations of the Antimonopoly Act by continuously 

equipment and equipment for transmission lines for 

improving our compliance regime in the aim of 

Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.

regaining trust.

NEC’s Challenge

We have long been expanding our operations by 

combinations. This is the biggest change in NEC’s history. 

developing and supplying products and services of value 

Building the pillars that will drive NEC’s next growth 

to our customers. In the past, our business units’ 

phase in response to this change is the greatest 

technologies and products were so valued by customers 

challenge currently facing NEC.

that we were able to grow simply by upgrading our 

To surmount this challenge, we have designated key 

technologies and products. The more we did so, the more 

business areas in our mid-term management plans and 

our operations grew. Today, however, customers and 

have been allocating resources in pursuit of business 

society’s needs and wants have evolved and are 

expansion. While our efforts are starting to bear fruit in 

diversifying so much that we can no longer grow our 

certain areas, we have yet to achieve full-fledged 

operations merely by virtue of the technologies or 

expansion in any of the key business areas. We have so far 

products alone.

been unable to build the pillars of globally competitive 

To adapt to such change, NEC must mount company-

businesses that will drive our next phase of growth.

wide efforts that transcends internal organizational 

How do we successfully navigate this challenge?  

boundaries and identify how and where to provide value 

I believe the key to this is management speed.

by innovatively deploying its diverse assets in synergistic 

09

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Message from the President

High-speed Management and the CEO’s Role

Society and customers have been changing at a dizzying 

changing and evolving themselves. I hope that such a 

pace in recent years. If asked how well NEC’s businesses 

transformational spirit is ultimately instilled in each and 

are adapting to such change, I cannot deny that we 

every front-line employee and pervasively embedded 

lagged in certain areas. To avoid falling behind, and to 

into NEC’s culture. I believe that fostering a culture of 

keep abreast of societal changes and regain leadership 

thinking for oneself and proactively taking action will 

stature, NEC must visibly step up its management speed.

revitalize our organization and resulting in faster 

To do so with a sense of urgency, we have delegated 

management speed.

authority to eight C-suite officers tasked with addressing 

For NEC to survive in an era of digital transformation, it 

nine issues that require action across internal 

must swiftly change not only its business models but also 

organizational boundaries. As CEO, I of course assume 

everything from its employees’ individual mindsets to its 

responsibility for the final outcomes, but a CEO cannot 

corporate culture.

realistically make every decision. The other C-suite officers 

Given such a reality, I believe my most important roles 

must make decisions to the extent possible within the 

as CEO is to determine the direction of NEC’s evolution 

range of their respective responsibilities and authority.

and advancement, and foster a culture in which NEC 

This initiative is not confined solely to C-suite officers. 

thrives, organizationally and in terms of human resources 

Our C-suite officers were appointed in the hope they 

and its business processes.

would serve as in-house exemplars of transformation by 

CGO 

:  Chief Global Officer

CHRO :  Chief Human Resources Officer

CSO 

:  Chief Strategy Officer

CFO 

:  Chief Financial Officer

CIO 

:  Chief Information Officer

CMO 

:  Chief Marketing Officer

CTO 

:  Chief Technology Officer

CISO 

:  Chief Information Security Officer

CCO 

:  Chief Compliance Officer

In Pursuit of Improved Profitability

NEC aspires to be a leading global company leveraging 

mature, we assume that our domestic revenue will 

the power of innovation to realize an information society 

remain largely unchanged. Customers, by contrast, are 

friendly to humans and the earth. Current profits, 

constantly changing. Domestic business models likewise 

however, are still insufficient for NEC to be globally 

are changing dramatically. Amid such an environment, 

competitive. We must improve our profitability. I believe 

the key issue for NEC is how to transition existing 

there are three keys to doing so.

businesses to sufficiently profitable business models.

The first is to redouble internal efforts. We must 

The third is our mindset vis-à-vis global operations. 

thoroughly reduce and eliminate waste arising from 

Future revenue growth is contingent on expansion of our 

unprofitable projects and other inefficiencies.

global operations. Such expansion has been a key priority 

The second is to ensure adequate profits from domestic 

of our mid-term management plans to date. We must 

operations. With domestic markets already highly 

bear in mind, however, that we cannot inflexibly cling to 

10

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Commentary on Management Strategyon to the success of our domestic business models when 

Given NEC’s current situation, we cannot afford to 

expanding operations globally. In running a global 

prioritize any of these three keys over the others. We must 

business, we must first forget the values and sense of 

simultaneously forge ahead on all three fronts. NEC has 

time we have cultivated in our domestic operations and 

long been pursuing a 5% operating margin as one of its 

then develop a business model that will generate 

targets. This target is now imbued with a sense of critical 

sufficient sales and profits globally. After deciding which 

urgency: if we do not achieve it soon, NEC may not have a 

aspects of our key business areas (for example, Safety, 

future. I am determined to first expeditiously achieve our 

SDN/NFV) to target, we aim to expeditiously move forward 

5% operating margin target and then further boost our 

by pursuing alliances and/or where feasible M&As.

operating margin to a globally competitive level.

Maximizing Corporate Value Through Co-creation

Digital transformation is driving society toward a major 

other stakeholders to maximize the value NEC provides 

turning point. We see this development as not a mere 

will become increasingly important. NEC will engage in 

trend but a watershed event consequential enough to 

an ethical manner such co-creation more proactively than 

change economies’ industrial structure. As digital 

in the past, not only in Japan but also globally.

transformation continues to progress, new business 

Lastly, I want to reiterate that all NEC personnel must 

models and arrangements will emerge. As they do, what 

act fairly and ethically with a bona fide compliance-first 

NEC is capable of accomplishing on an individual basis 

mindset. By doing so consistently we will enhance our 

will progressively shrink in scope. Going forward, the 

corporate value as a sound company while regaining the 

issue of how to collaborate with customers and various 

trust of all stakeholders.

July 2017

Takashi Niino  
President and CEO

11

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Mid-term Management Plan 2018 Progress and Formulation of  
Next Mid-term Management Plan

Review of Mid-term Management Plan 2018

In fiscal 2017, we reluctantly lowered our revenue and profit 
forecasts in response to multiple factors, including delivery 
delays that pushed back substantial revenue beyond the fiscal 
year-end, failure to land expected orders, sluggish growth in 
overseas operations and a falloff in hardware sales. Revenue 
and profits ended up falling short of our initial forecasts.

Below I review our challenges and accomplishments in 
fiscal 2017 in terms of our Mid-term Management Plan 2018 
and explain our intentions in terms of formulating our next 
mid-term management plan.

Challenges

Fiscal 2017 proved to be a challenging year that exposed 
NEC’s shortcomings in bold relief. Our fiscal 2017 operating 
performance fell far short of our initial forecasts, which we 
revised downward in January 2017. In my assessment, the 
biggest factor behind the shortfall were deficiencies in 
management execution capabilities in terms of responding 
to changes in market environments and customer trends.
Our Mid-term Management Plan 2018 was initially 
predicated on predominately overseas revenue growth in 
the aforementioned three key businesses and flat revenue in 
our predominantly domestic existing businesses. However, 
the existing businesses missed their targets and we 

encountered delays, mostly overseas, in ramping up the 
three key businesses. Consequently we had failed to achieve 
revenue growth.

Operating profit fell sharply from the previous fiscal year, 
largely as a result of earnings deterioration in the Telecom 
Carrier and Smart Energy businesses, and unprofitable social 
infrastructure projects.

Additionally, we provisioned reserves for contingent losses 

after being found in violation of the Antimonopoly Act, as 
well as ordered to cease and desist and fined by the Japan 
Fair Trade Commission in fiscal 2017 in connection with three 
matters for which we had been under JFTC investigation.

Looking Back at the 1st Year of the Mid-term Plan - Challenges

Lack of execution by management team responding to changes  
in market environments and customer movements

Financial targets for existing businesses not achieved, while results for new businesses delayed

  Could not execute growth strategy well enough in 3 focus business areas, mainly in the international market

Profitability deteriorated in certain business areas

  Dip in Telecom Carrier business 

:  Need to flexibly allocate resources to focus business areas for optimization, 

accelerate development of 5G technology targeting the shipment of commercial 
prototypes	in	FY19/3

  Slow recovery in the energy business :  Loss from operations (excluding one-time costs) decreased. Expect sales growth 
and profitability improvements, mainly in the large ESS and electrode business
:  Accelerate deployment of project management know-how from system integration/

  Booked new unprofitable projects 

services	throughout	the	company	during	FY18/3

Governance, Compliance
Received the cease and desist orders and the orders for payment of surcharge

	Booked	provision	for	contingent	loss	(FY17/3),	Anticipate	an	influence	from	the	nomination	suspension	(FY18/3)

12

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Commentary on Management StrategyAccomplishments

While fiscal 2017 left us with much to reflect upon, we also 
started to make progress on certain fronts. Fiscal 2017 being 
our Mid-term Management Plan 2018’s initial year, we 
focused on implementing the plan’s two management 
policies: reorganization of profit structure and getting back 
on the track to growth.

First, reorganization of profit structure, we (1) took 
remedial action toward underperforming businesses and 
unprofitable projects, (2) implemented the business process 
optimization project and (3) worked on optimizing 
development and manufacturing functions in the aim of 
realizing a 5% operating margin. Of these three initiatives, 
the business process optimization project has progressed as 
planned. In fiscal 2017, it yielded some ¥14 billion in year-
over-year cost savings, largely from improvement in 
operational and IT-cost efficiency. Meanwhile, we made 
steady progress toward realizing ¥10 billion of fiscal 2019 
cost savings from optimization of our development and 
manufacturing functions by reorganizing and merging our 
domestic hardware development and production subsidiaries 
and also our domestic software development subsidiaries 
effective April 1, 2017.

To getting back on the track to growth, we focused on 

growing our safety, global carrier network and retail IT service 

businesses, all of which we have designated as key 
businesses, in the aim of globalizing our Solutions for Society.

In the safety business, our video face recognition 

technology was ranked first in a benchmark performance test 
conducted	by	the	U.S.	National	Institute	of	Standards	and	
Technology (NIST). Including previous benchmark tests of 
still-image face recognition, NEC has won four consecutive 
top rankings in NIST benchmark tests of face recognition 
technologies. We believe we have firmly established a 
competitive advantage in the face recognition field. The 
global carrier network business landed 10 contracts for 
commercial SDN/NFV projects from major telecom carriers in 
Europe, the Near/Middle East and North America. Our 
pipeline of network projects under negotiation also has been 
steadily growing. We intend to parlay telecom carriers’ 
growing push to upgrade their networks into expansion of 
our network business. In the retail IT service business, we 
were awarded an order and maintenance contract from 
7-Eleven, Inc., for a POS system for around 8,600 stores in the 
US	and	Canada.

Lastly, we proactively pursued alliances and collaborations 
with other companies and academic institutions in pursuit of 
future business expansion in the AI and IoT realms, both of 
which are crucial for diversifying our Solutions for Society.

Looking Back at the 1st Year of the Mid-term Plan – Achievements

Stable progress in the business process optimization project

Reorganization of Profit Structure

  Business process optimization project  :  Improved efficiency of back-office operations and reduced expenses/IT-related 

costs	by	approxmately.	¥14.0	billion	YoY	(in	line	with	expectations)

  Optimization of development and manufacturing functions  :  Integrated subsidiaries of hardware development and 

production as well as software development

Getting Back on the Track to Growth

  Safety 

:  Ranked as #1 at face in video evaluation  

(4th consecutive win including previous benchmark tests of still image face authentication technologies)

  SDN/NFV 

:  Acquired 10 commercial deployment orders from major operators in Europe, the Middle East, North 

America, etc. 
Pipeline	expanded	1.6x	in	half	a	year,	as	sales	to	grow	1.5x	YoY	in	FY18/3

  Retail IT Service :  Selected by 7-Eleven, Inc. to provide and maintain POS system
  AI & IoT 

:  Enhanced partnership with academic institutions and commercial partners

13

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Mid-term Management Plan 2018 Progress and Formulation of Next Mid-term Management Plan

Next Mid-term Management Plan

In 2013, we decided to focus on Solutions for Society with the 
aim of becoming a social value innovator that solves social 
issues through information and communication 
technologies. This goal remains unchanged today, 
underscoring the significance of NEC’s continued existence 
and growth within society.

To realize this goal, however, we ourselves must personally 
continue to change faster than the rapidly evolving markets. 
In preparing our next mid-term management plan, we intend 
to first revise our mid-term and annual planning processes 
with the aim of expediting the transition from strategy 
formulation to execution. Additionally, to upgrade corporate 
functions, we will accelerate decision-making by 
progressively delegating authority to C-suite officers and 
clearly delineating their roles, responsibilities and authority.

Our primary focus in terms of management policy is 
reforming underperforming domestic operations and 
otherwise improving domestic profitability while devising 
specific measures to accelerate overseas growth in our three 
key businesses. As our primary management objective, we 
will focus on establishing a profit structure that ensures a 5% 
operating margin through disciplined management of a 
well-diversified portfolio of businesses.

We are currently in the process of formulating specific 
quantitative targets for our next mid-term management plan. 
Suffice it to say for now that we intend to set responsibly 
attainable targets that are credible to various stakeholders.

Key Management Agenda

Discuss new mid-term management plan during 2017

Accelerate 
management speed

Change the process of mid-term and annual plan formulation
Enhance corporate functions

  Empower Chief Officers under clear definition of roles, authorities and responsibilities

Management  
policy

Improve profitability of business in Japan, including transformation of 
underperforming businesses
Pursue further opportunities in addition to the 3 focus areas, while 
fundamental policy of international growth unchanged

Set new financial 
target

Establish structure to generate 5% operating profit margin

  Portfolio management with discipline

14

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Commentary on Management StrategyMessage from the CFO

We aim to enhance corporate value by investing in growth 
businesses, further solidifying our financial foundation and 
keeping a commitment to shareholder returns at the center 
of our capital policies.

Executive Vice President, CFO (Chief Financial Officer) and Member of the Board 

Isamu Kawashima 

Fiscal 2017 Performance

The NEC Group recorded consolidated revenue of ¥2,665.0 
billion for fiscal 2017, a decrease of ¥159.8 billion yen 
(5.7%) year-on-year. This decrease was mainly due to 
decreased sales in the Telecom Carrier business and the 
Public business. Regarding profitability, operating profit 
worsened by ¥49.6 billion year-on-year, to an operating 
profit of ¥41.8 billion, mainly due to a decrease in gross 
profit caused by a decline in revenue, despite efforts to 
reduce selling, general and administrative expenses. Net 
profit attributable to owners of the parent was a profit of 

(Billion ¥)
Revenue

International Revenue

International Revenue Ratio

Operating Profit

  Operating Profit Ratio

Net profit attributable to owners of the parent

Return on equity (ROE)

Fiscal 2017 Financial State

Total assets were ¥2,684.0 billion as of March 31, 2017, an 
increase of ¥155.1 billion as compared with the end of the 
previous fiscal year. Current assets as of March 31, 2017 
increased by ¥55.4 billion compared with the end of the 
previous fiscal year to ¥1,508.7 billion, mainly due to an 
increase of cash and cash equivalents. Non-current assets as 
of March 31, 2017 increased by ¥99.7 billion compared with 
the end of the previous fiscal year to ¥1,175.3 billion, mainly 
due to increases in property, plant and equipment, net, as 
well as other non-current assets.

¥27.3 billion, worsening by ¥48.6 billion year-on–year. This 
was primary due to the worsening of income before income 
taxes and increased income taxes. As a result, return on 
equity (ROE) was 3.4%, a 6.1 percentage point worse than 
the previous fiscal year. Although the profit attributable to 
owners of the parent for fiscal 2017 was less than planned, 
NEC secured profit over the total amount of dividends. As a 
result, NEC declared an annual dividend of ¥6 per share of 
common stock, the same value as announced at the 
beginning of fiscal 2017.

FY2016/3
Results
2,824.8
603.1
21.4%
91.4
3.2%
75.9

9.5%

FY2017/3

Initial Forecasts
2,880.0

100.0
3.5%
50.0

Results
2,665.0
571.0
21.4%
41.8
1.6%
27.3

3.4%

Total liabilities as of March 31, 2017 decreased by ¥23.8 
billion compared with the end of the previous fiscal year, to 
¥1,667.9 billion. This was mainly due to a decrease in 
defined benefit liabilities. The balance of interest-bearing 
debt amounted to ¥466.9 billion, a decrease of ¥12.6 billion 
as compared with the end of the previous fiscal year. The 
debt-equity ratio as of March 31, 2017 was 0.55 (an 
improvement of 0.07 points as compared with the end of the 
previous fiscal year). The balance of net interest-bearing debt 
as of March 31, 2017, calculated by offsetting the balance of 
interest-bearing debt with the balance of cash and cash 

15

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017 
 
 
 
Message from the CFO

equivalents, amounted to ¥227.0 billion, a decrease of ¥60.2 
billion as compared with the end of the previous fiscal year. 
The net debt-equity ratio as of March 31, 2017 was 0.27 (an 
improvement of 0.10 points as compared with the end of the 
previous fiscal year).

Total equity was ¥1,016.1 billion as of March 31, 2017, an 

increase of ¥178.8 billion as compared with the end of the 
previous fiscal year, mainly due to an increase of non-
controlling interests and other components of equity.

As a result, total equity attributable to owners of the parent 

(total equity less non-controlling interests) as of March 31, 
2017 was ¥854.3 billion, and the ratio of equity attributable 
to owners of the parent was 31.8% (an improvement of 1.4 
percentage points as compared with the end of the previous 
fiscal year).

Net cash inflows from operating activities for fiscal 2017 
were ¥92.5 billion, a worsening of ¥5.3 billion as compared 
with the previous fiscal year.

Net cash inflows from investing activities for fiscal 2017 were 
¥6.4 billion, an increase of ¥38.6 billion as compared with the 
previous fiscal year. This was mainly due to an increase in 
proceeds from the sale of investments in affiliated companies 
and acquisition of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired.

As a result, free cash flows (the sum of cash flows from 
operating activities and investing activities) for fiscal 2017 
totaled a cash inflow of ¥99.0 billion, an improvement of 
¥33.3 billion year-on-year.

Although total equity’s growth and the improvement in 
cash flows were partly attributable to one-time factors such as 
the sale of equity holdings, we maintained a sound financial 
foundation in fiscal 2017.

Net Debt-Equity Ratio 

(times)

0.57

0.53

0.41

0.37

0.27

Equity attributable to owners of  
the parent, Ratio of equity attributable 
to owners of the parent
(Billion ¥)

Operating Cash Flows,  
Investment Cash Flows,  
Free Cash Flows
(Billion ¥)

 Equity attributable to owners of the parent
 Ratio of equity attributable to owners of the parent

 Operating Cash Flows 
 Free Cash Flows

 Investment Cash Flows 

823.7

769.8

854.3

143.7

710.7

695.9

94.1

87.9

97.8

92.5

27.5%

27.8%

31.4%

30.4% 31.8%

42.0

55.2

40.4

65.6

99.0

6.4

2013

2014

J-GAAP

2015

2016

2017

2013

IFRS
(At year-end)

2014

J-GAAP

2015

2016

2017

2013

IFRS
(At year-end)

–38.9

–47.5

–32.2

–101.7

2014

J-GAAP

2015

2016

2017

IFRS

(Years	Ended	March	31)

Revision of Mid-term Management Plan 2018 and Fiscal 2018 Initiatives

Our fiscal 2017 operating performance fell far short of our 
Mid-term Management Plan 2018’s targets for its initial fiscal 
year. Our fiscal 2017 performance was hurt by deficiencies in 
management speed and execution capabilities in terms of 
adapting to changes in the market environment and 
customer trends. In fiscal 2018, we will formulate our next 
mid-term management plan in pursuit of growth overseas 
and an improvement in domestic profitability, including 
reform of underperforming businesses. Fiscal 2018 is thus an 
important year for further solidifying our foundations 
heading into fiscal 2019, the first year of our next mid-term 
management plan.

For fiscal 2018, our revenue target is ¥2,800 billion. 

Although we face a top-line headwind in the form of 
suspension of our eligibility to bid on public contracts in 
conjunction with the Cease and Desist Orders and Surcharge 
Payment Orders from the Japan Fair Trade Commission, we 

aim to achieve our revenue target by expanding our three 
key businesses (Safety Business, Network Business for Global 
Carriers, IT Service Business for Retail) and adding new 
revenue from newly consolidated subsidiary Japan Aviation 
Electronics Industry, Limited. We set our fiscal 2018 targets 
for operating profit and net profit attributable to owners of 
the parent at ¥50 billion and ¥30 billion, respectively, 
factoring in strategic investments and restructuring costs.  
We plan to achieve these targets through a combination of 
offensive and defensive action. Offensively, we will execute 
restructuring and strategic investments in pursuit of growth 
as planned. Defensively, we will improve operating efficiency 
and unprofitable projects’ profitability. By doing so, and 
continuing to pay annual dividends of ¥6 per share*, we 
intend to regain your trust. 

*  Assuming the share consolidation is achieved on October 1, 2017, an annual 

dividend per share of common stock will be ¥60.

16

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Commentary on Management Strategy 
 
 
Our History

Guided by the motto, “Better Products, Better Service,” NEC has pursued and provided better products 
and services to customers since its founding in 1899. Through the years, NEC has successfully risen to 
the challenges of a wide range of innovation to create social value. These challenges have included 
everything from the electrograph, the basic technology behind fax machines, to terrestrial stations for 
satellite communication that support international television broadcasting. 
At the same time, the demands of both society and customers today are diversifying. In order to provide 
value to society and customers alike, NEC must combine the varied assets it possesses, demonstrate 
ingenuity, and think outside the box about the fields it should enter and the value it will provide. 
With that said, our desire to provide better value to customers and society is a universal one that 
bridges every era. With “Orchestrating a brighter world” as our brand statement, we at NEC, taking 
advantage of dialogue and co-creation with our many stakeholders, remain committed to creating value 
well into the future.  

1970
Produces Osumi experimental satellite

1971
The NS-100 fully automated postal 
sorting system is developed

1974
The ACOS Series 77 mainframe computer family is announced

1977
“C&C” or the integration of computer and 
communications technologies is first announced 
at INTELCOM ’77

1979
The PC-8001 personal computer is announced

1985
The SX-2 supercomputer demonstrates the world’s 
fastest performance

1991
A unique graphite crystal is discovered and named 
“carbon-nanotubes”

1899
Nippon Electric Company, Limited is established

1928
NE-Type phototelegraphic equipment transmits 
scenes of Imperial Accession Ceremony of 
Emperor	Hirohito	between	Kyoto	to	Tokyo

1954
Begins research into computers

1956
Produces first domestic-made XB switching system

1958
Develops fully transistorized NEAC-2201 
computer

1964
Trans-Pacific TV broadcasts of the 18th Olympiad in Tokyo 
are successfully implemented using NEC-supplied ground 
facilities for satellite communications

1968
Develops 144-bit high-speed N-channel MOS 
(Metal Oxide Semiconductor) IC memory

17

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 20172002
The Earth Simulator, the world’s fastest supercomputer system  
for resolving global environmental problems, is completed

2003
Constructs one of the world’s largest mission-critical systems,  
the	i-mode	gateway	system	“CiRCUS”

2007
Ultra-compact	microwave	communications	system	PASOLINK	secures	
top global market share

2010
Asteroid	explorer	“HAYABUSA”	successfully	returns	to	Earth

2012
Delivery of broadcasting equipment to Tokyo Skytree

2014
Formulation of brand message “Orchestrating a brighter world”

Our History

18

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Business ModelThe NEC Group’s Vision of Social Value Creation

In 2014, NEC devised seven themes for “social value creation” based on six “megatrends” that the company identified by 
taking a wide range of perspectives into consideration, including the environment, society, industry and daily lifestyles.
In relation to this, NEC aims to provide for a more fulfilled society and a brighter future through services that promote 
safety, security, efficiency and equality. This is in addition to creating innovative value together with customers and 
stakeholders, while maximizing the company’s real-time, dynamic, remote and secure capabilities backed by its 
information and communications technologies (ICT) and integration skill. 

Six Megatrends

The Seven Themes for Social Value Creation

19

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017The NEC Group’s Vision of Social Value Creation

The Seven Themes for Social Value Creation

Value for Society

Safety
Ensuring a broad range 
of safety for all, 
including individuals 
and organizations

Security
Serving society and  
the Earth

Efficiency
Realizing sustainable 
growth

Equality
Closing the social 
divide and eliminating 
inequality

Four Sources of Value

One to Many

Addressing fundamental 
issues for our customers  
and society

To contribute to the resolution of 

social issues across global markets, 

NEC must create society-wide value 

and embed a “One to Many” 

business model in its corporate 

culture. NEC is committed to 

expeditiously providing ever greater 

value to its customers and society 

by capitalizing on its ICT assets and 

wealth of experience to thoroughly 

fulfill customers’ wants and needs 

and meet society’s expectations.

20

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Business ModelSocial Value Creation Process

Resolving customers’ and society’s fundamental challenges and building relationships 
of trust are important elements of value-additive innovation.
NEC aims to create social value in the form of Safety, Security, Efficiency and Equality 
through dialogue and co-creation with its customers and various other stakeholders.

Senior	Vice	President,	in	charge	of	the	Business	Innovation	Unit  Osamu Fujikawa 

Social values achieved by co-creating 
with customers

NEC creates social value through the following three-stage process.

1  Awareness of fundamental issues of customers and society

2  Collaboration for generating value such as open innovation

3   Value creation that leverages leading-edge ICT including AI 

Safety

Security

Efficiency

Equality

and IoT 

Value 
creation  
by leveraging 
ICT

Awareness  
of social issues

Collaboration 
for value creation

As part of this process, NEC also uses NEC Social Value DesignTM,  
a design model for creating value for customers and society from societal, 
cultural, industrial and other perspectives.

Creating new social value requires a vision of how society should be or 
what the future should look like from both micro and macro standpoints. 
The former of which zooms in on factors such as people’s lifestyles and 
behavioral patterns while the latter zooms out to a city-wide, national or 
global scale.

This social value creation process involves dialogue and co-creation 

with a wide range of stakeholders.

Innovation

NEC Social Value DesignTM

User
Experience

Social
Experience

Human 
perspective

Providing 
solutions from 
two perspectives

Social 
perspective

NEC Social Value Design represents NEC’s original way of creating value 
through co-creation with customers. NEC Social Value Design leads to 
innovations for business and future society by focusing on two 
perspectives:	User	Experience—considering	how	to	improve	the	value	of	
human experience, and Social Experience—considering the way society 
should be.

21

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Social Value Creation process

Dialogue and Co-creation with Diverse Stakeholders

Aiming to Resolve Social Issues as a Member of International Society

During the 2014 Ebola outbreak in western Africa, scarcity of information on the supply of and 
demand for supplies and inadequate coordination between the public and private sectors resulted 
in duplication of aid and other inefficiencies in aid efforts. In response, the Global Pandemic Supply 
Chain (PSC) Network was formed at the 2015 World Economic Forum to coordinate various 
organizations’ emergency-response efforts during pandemics.

NEC hosted a PSC Network conference at its headquarters in October 2016. At the two-day event, 

representatives	of	the	UN	World	Food	Program	(WFP)	and	other	international	institutions,	
universities,	private-sector	corporations,	NPOs	and	US	and	Japanese	government	officials	discussed	
monitoring of corrective measures’ progress, simulation-based planning during communicable 
disease outbreaks and stockpiling of food and medicines.

Nobuhiro Endo, Chairman of the Board (right)  
with the WFP’s then-Executive Director Ertharin Cousins

The	conference	prompted	the	Japanese	government	to	seed	the	PSC	Network	with	a	US$1	million	donation.	In	response,	NEC	announced	plans	

to develop a supply-chain information management platform together with the WFP.

Dialogue with Shareholders and Investors is Conducive to  
Corporate Value Enhancement

NEC actively engages in investor relations (IR) activities, including meetings with shareholders, 
quarterly financial result briefings and business briefings conducted mainly by its CEO, CFO and 
Investor Relations Office, a department within the Corporate Strategy Division. Meanwhile, IR 
staff proactively relay shareholder and investor feedback to management, and periodically 
report to the Board of Directors. In fiscal 2017, NEC held its first environmentally themed IR 
meeting with institutional investors.

(For details, see Promoting Environmental Management to Realize a Sustainable Earth on p. 53)

Environmentally themed IR meeting

Practicing Corporate Responsibility Together with Suppliers

NEC has formulated an NEC Group Procurement Policy based on the ISO 26000 social responsibility 
guidance standard and works together with its suppliers to address six key supply-chain risk factors 
(human rights, labor and occupational safety, fair trade, the environment, information security, and 
product quality and safety). In addition to co-creating with suppliers through on-site CSR-PMR* 
assessments of occupational safety/health and human rights compliance, NEC has been engaged in 
ongoing dialogue with the nonprofit CSR Review Forum since 2011. NEC is applying what it has 
learned from such dialogue to deepen its understanding of socially responsible procurement and 
improve its PDCA cycle.

*PMR: Process Management Review

Conducting an assessment at a supplier’s plant

Rethinking Business Activities’ Economic, Social and Environmental Impacts 
from the Standpoint of the UN’s SDGs

Customers and society’s fundamental challenges come into clearer focus through efforts to 
identify and resolve them. NEC has hosted SDGs Workshops coordinated by Mr. Minoru 
Matsuzaki, a CSR advisor with Caux Round Table Japan, an NPO, to provide opportunities for its 
employees to learn about social issues and think about how to best address them.

The workshops allow participants to virtually experience the importance and difficulty of 
weighing both positive and negative impacts on every value chain in running a business. Some 
participants have reported gaining new insights into their jobs’ societal significance by thinking 
about how their jobs can add value to and contribute to a sustainable society.

SDGs Workshops

22

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Business ModelInnovation Management

NEC believes that innovation is the key to continually adding value to society, and 
continuously invests 4-5% of its revenue in R&D. NEC proactively embraces open 
innovation in addition to intensively investing in its technological strengths.
In fiscal 2017, NEC launched a new AI technology brand, NEC the WISE, and initiated 
four major research collaborations with universities and public research institutions 
as part of its intensive investment program.

Executive Vice President, CTO (Chief Technology Officer) and Member of the Board  Katsumi Emura 

Intensive Investment in Technological Strengths and Proactive Open Innovation

To gain competitive advantage, NEC invests intensively in its distinctive 
technological strengths, most notably data-analysis and real-world 
visualization technologies.

NEC has long been developing advanced AI technologies. In July 2016, 
NEC aggregated its AI technology portfolio under the NEC the WISE brand 
name to better solve customers’ issues by optimally combining technologies.
Additionally, NEC is enhancing its design capabilities with respect to 

ICT platforms that capitalize on its strengths in both computing and 
communication technologies to solve real-world issues subject to power 
supply and/or communication bandwidth constraints.

With in-licensing of external technologies essential to expansion of 

added value, NEC is an active practitioner of open innovation. NEC 
embraces open innovation in pursuit of diverse collaborations that 
extend beyond technology alone. One such example is the NEC/
University	of	Tokyo	Strategic	Partnership	Agreement	for	Future	AI	
Research and Education. NEC is forging ahead with comprehensive 
co-creation that runs the gamut from basic research to sharing of 
visions or themes regarding how research results can be applied within 
society, to social receptivity testing and human resource development.

Visualization

Analysis

Data Improvement

Sensory identification 
and recognition

Meaning and Intention 
Comprehension

Only 1

Only 1

Image Sharpening

Super-resolution for 
Instructional purposes

Multimodal Image  
integration

Face Recognition

No.1*3

No.1*1

No.1*2

Only 1

Fingerprint Identification

Object Fingerprint  
Recognition

Only 1

Only 1

Otoacoustic Recognition

Optical Vibration Sensing

Speech,  
Emotion Recognition

No.1*4

Only 1

Only 1

Only 1

Textual Entailment 
Recognition

Crowd Behavior Analysis

Profiling Across  
Spatio-Temporal Data

Customer Profile  
Estimation

Acoustic Conditions 
Recognition

Analysis with 
Commentary

Heterogeneous Mixture 
Learning

Invariant Analysis

Autonomous Learning 
System-based Anomaly Detection

Automated Security 
Intelligence

Only 1

Only 1

Only 1

Only 1

High-precision Analysis
RAPID Machine Learning

Only 1

Immune Function  
Forecasting

Prescription

Planning and 
Optimization

Autonomous and  
Adaptive Control

Only 1

Only 1

Predictive Robust  
Optimization Framework

*1	Ranked	1st	four	consecutive	times	in	task	assessment	sponsored	by	the	U.S.	National	Institute	of	Standards	and	Technology	(NIST).
*2	Ranked	1st	five	times	in	task	assessment	sponsored	by	the	U.S.	National	Institute	of	Standards	and	Technology	(NIST).
*3	Ranked	1st	in	task	assessment	sponsored	by	the	U.S.	National	Institute	of	Standards	and	Technology	(NIST)(2012).
*4 Ranked 1st at international acoustic detection contest DCASE2016 (2016)

Intellectual Property Strategy

NEC treats its intellectual property (IP) as an important management 
resource that contributes to its Group’s competitiveness and operational 
stability. NEC strengthens and protects not only its patents and know-how 
but also the trademarks and designs that underpin its global brands.
In the core Solutions for Society businesses, building an all-
encompassing IP portfolio inclusive of customers and partners’ 

businesses is an important priority. NEC is accordingly creating, 
building and utilizing an IP portfolio to not only erect IP-based barriers 
to entry and secure competitive advantage but also strengthen and 
protect collaborations with customers and partners.

NEC owns some 53,000 patents (including approximately 23,000 

Japanese patents) as of March 2017.

23

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Innovation Management

Major Business Achievements

Business track record

No.1/Only 1 technology

   Marketed “Landslide Prediction System”

Technology to estimate the landslide risks

   Marketed AI software that analyzes a video image from a surveillance camera  
and searches for a particular person quickly and with high-precision

High-speed

Profiling Across Spatio-Temporal Data

   Provided the Australian government with a biometric system
	 	Delivered	a	face	recognition	system	for	immigration	checks	at	a	major	airport	in	the	US

No.1*1

Face Recognition

   Delivered an automatic determination system for babies and real faces

Liveness Authentication

   Started jointly an operation support service for thermal electric power generation

Only 1

Invariant Analysis

   Started laying a Trans-South Atlantic undersea optical cable

World first

100-GB Optical Transmission

   Collaborated with the security company to provide a new security system
   Provided a cloud-type security camera service for the distribution company

No.1*1

Face Recognition

Light Encryption

   Renewed the contact center operations marketed “Auto Response Solution”

No.1*3

Textual Entailment Recognition

	 	More	than	1	billion	people	registered	with	the	Unique	ID	System	in	India

No.1*1,2

Fingerprint, Face Recognition

R&D Strategy

R&D drives technological development. Through R&D, NEC identifies solutions best-suited to resolve 
social issues and refines its “No. 1/Only 1” core technologies required to realize those solutions in 
light of technological trends. By so doing, NEC aims to provide value in the form of Safety, Security, 
Efficiency and Equality. NEC is proactively utilizing global open innovation throughout its R&D 
operations with the aim of timely commercialization of technologies under development.

NEC has been expanding its NEC the WISE face recognition, heterogeneous mixture learning and predictive robust 
optimization technologies’ scope of application by amassing technologies and building a track record of 
performance over decades.

For example, face recognition has its roots in image analysis technologies. In the early 1960s, the only available 
image analysis technology was optical character recognition (OCR) capable of recognizing standardized characters 
only. Subsequent refinements enabled recognition and comparison of large volumes of non-standardized still 
images, as exemplified by fingerprint recognition. Today’s technologies are capable of recognizing and comparing 
moving images. This technological advancement was driven by not only increasingly sophisticated recognition algorithms but also major 

Motoo Nishihara
Senior Vice President, in charge of 
the Central Research Laboratories

1960

OCR
Postal address sorter

Visualization

Fingerprint 
Identification 
Deployed by police worldwide
No.1  2004 to 2015

Face Recognition
Used in immigration control, etc. No.1
2009, 2010
2013, 2017

2000

SVM
(Support Vector 
Machine)

Analysis

Deep Learning
Applied in human resource matching,  
image analysis  
(RAPID Machine Learning)

Heterogeneous 
Mixture Learning
Applied in demand  
forecasting, etc.

2010

Prescription

Autonomous  
and Adaptive 
Control

Predictive 
Robust 
Optimization 
Framework

History of NEC’s Initiatives in AI

improvements in information 
processing power and communication 
throughput engineered by NEC. 

To continue improving “No. 1/Only 
1” core technologies into the future, 
NEC is hiring and training diverse 
personnel. While aggressively hiring 
top-caliber talent at its overseas 
research facilities in five locations 
around the world, NEC is also stepping 
up recruitment of doctorate-degree 
holders and graduates of globally 
top-ranked universities in Japan.

24

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Business ModelSocial Value Creation Initiatives

NEC is focusing on seven social value creation themes in light of six megatrends identified through 
analysis of global economic, societal and technological trends. Capitalizing on its long track record and 
unique strengths, NEC is endeavoring to resolve challenges facing its customers and society, focusing on 
the seven themes in particular.
NEC’s social value creation themes are similar to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by 
the UN in 2015 in that both involve goals rooted in social issues and otherwise have much in common 
with each other.
To quantitatively measure the extent to which it is providing value deemed necessary by society and its 
customers as a social value innovator, NEC is attempting to quantify the social impact of selected 
initiatives corresponding to its seven social value creation themes, using the SDGs as a model. Examples 
of the metrics NEC is using to do so include reduction in crime rates, improvement in operating efficiency 
and percentage reduction in food spoilage losses in distribution channels.
Sharing targets with customers and the general public is important to maximize the value that 
customers and society are seeking. NEC expects dialogue and co-creation with diverse stakeholders to 
become increasingly important as a means of sharing targets.
Examples of the fruits of such dialogue and co-creation are presented below.

Announced Nov. 2014
NEC Vision
6 Megatrends and  
The Seven Themes in 
Social Value Creation

Adopted Sept. 2015
SDGs
Sustainable 
Development Goals

25

Social Issues

Vision · Goal

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Social Value Creation Initiatives

Building and Developing Safe and Secure Urban and  
Administrative Foundations
As globalization and the concentration of populations in cities progress, new safety risks from cyber attacks 
are increasing. In addition to detecting potential crimes and disasters before they occur, NEC will contribute 
to the realization of a administrative platform that demonstrates regional appeal by making use of the power 
of local residents in addition to support from industry, government, and academia.

Trial of NEC’s Public Safety Solutions

Conducted during G7 summit in Japan
Cutting-Edge Security System Preventing Dangers

Working with Japan’s National Police Agency, NEC deployed public safety technologies 
to help prevent accidents and hazards in certain areas of Tokyo during the May 2016 G7 
Ise-Shima Summit. The technologies included real-time monitoring of crowd congestion 
with proprietary crowd behavior analysis technology* and automatic detection of 
suspicious stray objects using imagery from pre-existing surveillance cameras.

*  Crowd behavior analysis technology: proprietary NEC technology that detects crowd congestion and changes in crowd behavior

Pedestrian density

Supporting International Cultural Exchange and Community Events with ICT
Supporting Safe and Secure Event Management

At the Chichibunomiya Minato Rugby Festival 2017 held at Chichibunomiya Rugby 
Stadium, NEC provided secure identity authentication with facial recognition in 
addition to conventional ID cards. NEC also helped to ensure that the event ran 
smoothly and securely by optimally positioning volunteer staff. For example, by giving 
volunteers written instructions on their roles at the time of identity authentication, NEC 
enabled event sponsors to reduce the time required for volunteer check-in by 80% in 
comparison to manual check-in.

Unique Identification Authority System in India

Supporting a national project in India through advanced recognition technologies

India continues to exhibit rapid development spurred by its high economic growth. In 
order to equally provide education, healthcare, social welfare, and other social services 
to	all	residents,	a	Unique	Identification	Authority	System	for	identifying	each	and	every	
citizen has been launched in this country with a population of more than 1.2 billion.
Central to this initiative is an unprecedented, large-scale biometrics system for 

distinguishing 1.2 billion people, which is equivalent to approximately one-sixth of the 
world’s population.

The system collects biometric data, including fingerprint, face and iris data, and 
combines it to match and identify individuals. This enables issuing a unique ID to each 
and every citizen throughout India.

NEC built a highly reliable system by utilizing the latest technologies in the 

continuously evolving field of biometrics, such as Face Recognition and Fingerprint 
Identification. NEC strongly supports the building of societies where people around the 
world can receive equal treatment and live in prosperity.

26

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Business ModelBuilding and Developing Safe and High-Efficiency Lifelines
Global urbanization is accelerating the diversity and complexity of production and daily life infrastructures.
Using advanced and flexible ICT systems to reduce differences between regions and time zones and 
realize 24/7/365 uninterrupted infrastructures, NEC is continuing to provide important resources safely 
and efficiently.

Non-stop Development of Industrial Infrastructure

Aiming to Enhance Stability, Safety and Efficiency
Deploying Digital Data in Plant Operations

Oil refineries, natural gas plants and other such industrial facilities face the 
issue of how to operate safely and efficiently with aging infrastructure and 
workforces.

JGC Corporation and NEC are working together to resolve this challenge 

by synergistically combining JGC’s plant construction know-how with 
NEC’s “System Invariant Analysis Technology,” a form of AI.

System Invariant Analysis Technology detects signs of abnormalities in 

plant operations based on correlations among various sensors installed 
throughout the plant. Such abnormalities are treated as a sign of 
impending malfunction and promptly addressed. Early rectification of 
deviations from the norm prevents emergency plant stoppages and helps 
to alleviate environmental burdens.

Laying the Groundwork for IoT Ubiquity

Indonesia Global Gateway (IGG) Submarine Cable

NEC is engaged in the Indonesia Global Gateway (IGG) 
project, a large-capacity optical submarine cable 
connecting nine cities of Indonesia with Singapore. NEC 
signed a contract with PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia, the 
country’s largest telecommunications carrier, to lay 
cables totaling 5,300 km in length. The cable which is 
expected to be ready-for-service in the first half of 2018, 
features the latest 100Gb/s DWDM (Dense wavelength 
Division Multiplexing) technology and it has an initial 
design transmission capacity of 32Tb/s.

Once IGG is completed, this cable system will not only 

Leading to
the Middle East
and Europe

Leading to
the	U.S.

SingaPore

Dumai

Batam

tarakan

BalikPaPan

manaDo

Jakarta

maDura

makaSSar

Bali

enhance connectivity between the major cities of Indonesia but it will bridge two other International submarine cables being built 
by	NEC,	namely	the	SEA-US	submarine	cable	system	connecting	Indonesia	to	the	U.S.	and	SEA-ME-WE5	submarine	cable	system	
connecting Singapore to Europe through the Middle-East. The IGG will empower Indonesia’s domestic communication networks, 
while transforming Indonesia into an international communication hub.

27

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Social Value Creation Initiatives

Supporting a World Recreated with New Bonds of Industries and ICT
Organic integration of people, things and processes through IoT, the rapid digitalization of production and 
sales activities, the emergence of new business offerings in response to diversified consumer experiences 
and high-level needs, and many other factors are driving ongoing structural changes in our industries.
NEC is delivering next-generation eco-systems for industry through the creation of new digital platforms.

Co-creation with Customers in the FinTech Space

Creating New Value by a FinTech Joint Venture with SMBC

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and NEC have established 
a joint venture company “brees corporation” that will offer a new 
Convenience Store Payment service that allows customers to pay utility 
bills and online shopping purchases at convenience stores using their 
smartphones	rather	than	conventional	payment	slips.	Users	of	the	new	
service, available from 2017, will be able to upload barcodes on payment 
slips to their smartphones and make payments by scanning the screens at 
convenience stores. This not only contributes to improving the efficiency of 
payment processing for convenience stores, but also reduces the costs 
involved	in	printing	and	transporting	payment	slips	for	merchants.	Users	
of the service also enjoy the benefit of not having to carry around slips of 
paper, which, if forgotten, could lead to late payments. 

Going forward, brees aims to collaborate with major convenience stores 

and other retail companies, as well as venture startups, to continue 
creating new value.

Initiative to Improve Agricultural Productivity 
and Eradicate Poverty and Hunger

Facilitating FAO Farmer Assistance Project with e-Money Technology

In Mozambique, where 70% of the population lives in rural areas , 
improvement in agricultural productivity is a key issue for national 
development. One means of improving agricultural productivity is 
widespread distribution of high-quality seeds, seedlings and fertilizer to 
farmers.	The	UN’s	Food	and	Agriculture	Organization	(FAO)	has	been	
endeavoring to improve Mozambique’s agricultural productivity by 
distributing vouchers that partially subsidize farmers’ purchases of seeds, 
seedlings and fertilizer. Once the vouchers had been used by farmers at 
agricultural supply stores, the FAO previously collected them and 
©ADM
reimbursed the merchants for the vouchers’ value. However, given the 
vast expanse of Mozambique’s rural regions, collection of paper vouchers and reimbursement of merchants took a long time. Long 
delays between voucher redemption and reimbursement led to a problematic situation that tied up agricultural supplies 
merchants’ working capital, with no means to accurately assess by whom and for what purposes the vouchers were being used.

To resolve these issues, NEC partnered with local companies to build economic infrastructure that utilizes e-money technology. 
The infrastructure has facilitated smooth distribution of agricultural supplies while also enabling the FAO to provide more effective 
guidance on improving crop yields based on individual farmers’ purchase histories. Mozambique’s agricultural productivity has 
consequently improved. The improvement has been accompanied by growth in farmers’ incomes also.

NEC will continue to endeavor to resolve local social issues through global co-creation activities, thereby contributing to 

customers and society’s sustainable growth.

28

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Business ModelReview of Operations

Public Business

In the Public Business, we provide safe, secure and 
efficient social solutions for Japanese and foreign 
governments, governmental agencies, local governments, 
public institutions and other organizations by combining 
our distinctive technology assets, including network, 
sensor and analysis technologies, with a broad expertise in 
systems integration.

Revenue 
(Billion ¥)

786.5

766.2

2016

2017

IFRS

Despite an increase in revenue 
from Japan Aviation Electronics 
Industry, Limited, which was 
made a consolidated subsidiary 
from the 4th quarter, overall 
revenues fell 2.6% year-on-year 
to ¥766.2 billion. This was 
mainly due to decreased demand 
for the digitalization of fire and 
emergency radio in the public 
solution business. 

Operating Profit, Operating Profit Ratio 
(Billion ¥)

 Operating Profit 

 Operating Profit Ratio

53.4

6.8%

33.2

4.3%

2016

2017

IFRS

Operating profit dropped ¥20.3 
billion year-on-year to ¥33.2 
billion after reduced profitability 
in the space business, in addition 
to lower sales.

(Fiscal year ended on March 31)

Public Business Comprised of Two Areas

Public business consists of “Public Solutions,” which is 
responsible for business involving regional sales functions 
and local governments in Japan, the “Public Infrastructure,” 
which takes charge of business involving government 
organizations and enterprises supporting national and social 
infrastructure.

Based on the new organization established in April 2017, 
the “Public Solutions” considers both the local needs and the 
required policy seeds. This area works together with regional 

stakeholders, such as local governments, universities, and 
businesses, to accelerate the development of new regional 
businesses, such as smart cities and utilization of the Social 
Security and Tax Number System (“My Number”), and health 
care. Based on our many years of achievements gained in 
supporting government agencies, the “Public Infrastructure” 
further improves the social infrastructure we provide to 
support a safe and comfortable lifestyle for everyone. 

29

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Review of Operations  Public Business

Strengths

Weaknesses

  Strong track record in delivering products and systems that 
support social infrastructure – such as systems for domestic 
and foreign governmental organizations, broadcasting 
companies, and power companies, as well as cyber- security 
– gaining high credibility and advanced technologies 
during this process. High market share in Japan.
  System integration capabilities developed in the 
implementation of large-scale mission-critical IT systems 
for governmental agencies and public institutions.
	 Unique	products	and	solutions	born	from	our	strengths	in	
three technology areas: networks, sensors, and data 
analysis technologies. (Face recognition and fingerprint 
recognition technologies, Big Data analysis, etc.) 

  While there is a high proportion of large-scale projects, 
there are fewer projects with regular income streams,  
such as in services, leading to exposure to risk from 
demand volatility.
  Additional costs result from the complexity of project 
management for large-scale projects and the issues 
inherent in system development using cutting-edge 
technology. These costs have an impact on business 
results. It is necessary to minimize risks with appropriate 
project management.

Market Environment (Risks and Opportunities)

Risks

Opportunities

  Competition is intensifying, increasing the number of 
projects with difficult requirements in cost and delivery.  
As a result, constant improvement of quality and cost 
competitiveness is necessary.
  Due to the large-scale demand cycle for the 
implementation of fire and emergency radio and 
preparation of infrastructure for the “My Number” system, 
ICT investments by national and local governments are 
expected to remain relatively low. Moving forward, it will 
be necessary to develop new markets by uncovering new 
demand through improvement of our solutions.

  Looking toward the year 2020, we anticipate active 
investment for the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of 
major international events.
  Cyber attacks pose a threat recognized around the world, 
gathering attention and increasing demand for 
reinforcement of systems and monitoring services for 
cyber security.
  We expect increased investment toward utilization of ICT 
across a variety of fields, including application in fields 
such as health care.
  As part of efforts toward regional revitalization, local areas 
across Japan are beginning projects aimed at the creation 
of smart cities and city development that makes use of 
public and private data.

30

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Business Activities for  Social Value CreationPublic Solutions Business

We provide IT and network systems for local governments and medical 
institutions, domestically and overseas, and also oversee our local branches 
across Japan to develop business with close ties to each region.

Executive Vice President  Chikara Nakamata

Fiscal 2017 Main Accomplishments

With business this year related to the My Number system 
remaining steady, mainly through improvements to mission-
critical systems and reinforcement of security for local 
governments, the infrastructure development business has 
reached a turning point. With efforts such as the launch of 
sales for “My Number Card Solutions,” which support the 
creation of services and businesses that make use of the My 
Number card, we are further promoting business as we look 
towards the expanded use of the My Number system.

In the area of disaster prevention systems, we launched our 

Landslide Prediction System, which visualizes the risk of 
landslides by detecting the moisture content of earthen 
surfaces. In addition, we carried out joint testing of a landslide 
simulation system based on this technology along with 
Thailand’s National Disaster Warning Center, confirming the 
efficacy of the system in a forecasting Proof of Concept project 
conducted in a landslide-prone area in the northern province 
of Chiang Mai. Demand is growing for advanced disaster 
prevention systems, especially overseas, and we will continue 
to focus on expanding our business in the global market.

Cumulative sales 
related to My Number 

¥100 billion

 (From the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015  
to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017)

We have focused on infrastructure 
development for the My Number system for 
the government agencies and local 
governments, achieving cumulative sales of 
about ¥100 billion over the three years 
since the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015.

Initiatives in the Medium- to Long-Term

Over the past several years, NEC has led the market in 
infrastructure development for the My Number system, 
centered mainly on national and local governments. We have 
been engaged with several systems, starting with the 
“intermediate server platform” that serves as the foundation 
of the entire My Number system. 

As use of the My Number system increases, we believe 
there will be an expansion of infrastructure and use of the My 
Number card, along with promotion of public-private 
partnerships from expanded use of public and private data. 
We are working toward the creation of these new markets. In 
particular, in the area of health care, we expect the realization 
of effective and efficient health care services through 

connection with various types of health and medical 
information. We anticipate that this will become an area of 
focus for us in the future.

In the area of regional revitalization, we have begun efforts 

in a variety of regions toward co-creation of local 
communities by industry, government, and academia. For a 
new kind of city development using public and private data, 
we are working to create new business by providing data 
linkage and utilization services, as well as an IoT platform that 
serves as a mechanism to sense, gather, and use a variety of 
data within a city or town. We are realizing regional 
coordination through the use of ICT, and thereby contributing 
to regional revitalization and the resolution of social issues.

31

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017 
Review of Operations  Public Business

Public Infrastructure Business

We provide social infrastructure that allows for everyone to have a safe and 
comfortable lifestyle, in the form of large-scale mission critical systems and 
network systems for domestic and foreign governmental agencies, local 
governments, broadcasting stations, and power companies.

Executive Vice President  Kazuhiro Takada

Fiscal 2017 Main Accomplishments

In the area of cyber security, we are contributing to 
strengthening the security of government institutions through 
technologies that are unique to NEC, such as through support 
contracts for the “Cyber Defense Exercise with Recurrence” 
(CYDER)	put	on	for	local	governments	in	11	regions	around	
Japan by the National Institute of Information and 
Communications Technology (NICT). Outside of Japan, we have 
carried out cyber defense exercises in ASEAN countries and 
approved the acquisition of Brazilian security firm Arcon 
Informatica S.A., carrying on our efforts to strengthen our global 
position.

With the year 2020 in mind, we are steadily improving our 
solutions for realizing safe and secure city development. With 
improvements to the crowd behavior analysis technology within 
our state-of-the-art AI technology group, “NEC the WISE,” we 
have developed technology capable of predicting and 
estimating crowd sizes and flow with high accuracy and in real 
time using security cameras. Additionally, in conjunction with 
the G7 Ise-Shima Summit held in May 2016, we conducted a 
Proof of Concept project, in collaboration with the Tokyo 
Metropolitan Police Department, of an advanced security 
system that performs real-time detection of crowd size and 
automatically detects suspicious objects using security cameras.

Watching over society  
for safety and 
peace of mind
24 hours a day

In addition to the “Cyber Security Factory,” 
our main facility in Japan, we have 
established security monitoring facilities in 
Austria and North America, making use of 
the time difference to build a 24-hour 
monitoring system.

Initiatives in the Medium- to Long-Term

In order to realize safe and reliable city development in 
preparation for the year 2020, we expect safety 
improvements and development of infrastructure such as 
authentication systems to prevent suspicious persons from 
entering critical facilities, and surveillance systems to protect 
the	safety	of	pedestrians.	Using	NEC’s	facial	recognition	
technology, which has demonstrated the world’s top level of 
accuracy for both video and still images, and our proprietary 
AI technology, we will contribute to safe and reliable city 
development with our immigration control systems and a 
new means of security services. 

Cyber security is an important area in which we expect 

market growth over the medium to long term. We will 
continue to be proactive in expanding our business in this 
area. Specifically, we are focusing on our steadily expanding 
security monitoring service and cyber-defense training 
services for domestic and foreign government agencies. 
Furthermore, we are working to realize growth through NEC’s 
unique solutions development, which combines product 
technologies with systems integration capabilities.

32

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Business Activities for  Social Value CreationEnterprise Business

NEC provides IT solutions in manufacturing, retail and 
services, and finance in the private sector, helping 
customers to launch new services. We will resolve social 
issues and create value for customers through value chain 
innovation utilizing ICT assets such as IoT and AI.

Revenue 
(Billion ¥)

399.2 408.6

2016

2017

IFRS

Revenue increased 2.4% year-on-
year to ¥408.6 billion due to 
strong sales from manufacturing 
industries.

Operating Profit, Operating Profit Ratio 
(Billion ¥)

 Operating Profit 

 Operating Profit Ratio

39.7

9.7%

29.0

7.3%

2016

2017

IFRS

Improved by ¥10.7 billion year-
on-year, to an operating profit of 
¥39.7 billion, due to higher 
profitability in system 
construction services.

(Fiscal year ended on March 31)

Executive Vice President
Chikara Ishii

Strengths

Weaknesses

  Reliability and achievements cultivated over many years of 
providing IT services to domestic clients in the 
manufacturing, retail and service, and financial industries.
  The knowledge and expertise we have developed in 
manufacturing innovation at our own plants as a company 
in the manufacturing industry, as well as SCM 
transformation for global corporations.

  In order to achieve further growth, we will transform to a 
business model that makes use of knowledge and 
resources accumulated for each industry and client and 
consolidates them across the organization.

Market Environment (Risks and Opportunities)

Risks
The market in IT for domestic private firms has many 
competitors, and competition on price continues to be 
intense. The question of how to secure profits in this area is 
an issue. Furthermore, we expect a decrease in existing 
solutions businesses in the medium term due to rapid 
adoption of cloud computing in Japan.

Opportunities
A market that utilizes IoT has been created, and we expect the 
establishment of a new foundation for growth. The 
expectations for and role of ICT are expanding as a solution, 
both for global problems, such as food waste and energy 
consumption, as well as for social issues like changes in the 
human resources environment due to a shortage of labor.

33

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Review of Operations  Enterprise Business

Operating profit ratio 
improved to 
9.7%

Since the Enterprise segment was 
established in the fiscal year ended March 
31, 2014, we have continually worked toward 
improving profitability through efforts such 
as strengthening upstream processes, like 
consulting, and thorough control of risks. We 
have steadily accumulated results each year, 
and in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, 
the operating profit ratio in this segment 
reached 9.7%.

Fiscal 2017 Main Accomplishments

We have accelerated development, both in Japan and 
abroad, of value chain innovation for our total SCM that 
connects manufacturing, logistics, retail and quality of life. In 
the IT service business for retailers, we strengthened 
solutions that provide new value, such as an omni-channel 
environment, where goods can be purchased, regardless of 
sales and distribution channels. Furthermore, 7-Eleven, Inc. 
(the	United	States-based	company	of	7-Eleven)	selected	NEC	
as a vender to provide point-of-sale (POS) systems and 
maintenance services for approximately 8,600 stores 
throughout	the	US	and	Canada.

There is also a trend of increased provision of services that 

make use of advanced ICT, such as IoT and AI. For the 
manufacturing industry, we launched our “Visual 
Manufacturing Solution,” which realizes next-generation 
innovation in production using IoT. We also provided a 
“Warehouse Product Inspection System” for the logistics 
company	of	the	KADOKAWA	Group.

In addition, we are also moving forward with efforts to 
cooperate with our clients, such as our collaboration with 
DENSO Corporation, which began in the fiscal year ended 
March 31, 2017, in the fields of advanced driver assistance, 
automated driving, and manufacturing. We also established 
brees corporation, a joint venture with Sumitomo Mitsui 
Banking Corporation, to commercialize FinTech services that 
combine financial services with IT.

Initiatives in the Medium- to Long-Term

The three years starting from the fiscal year ended March 31, 
2017 have been positioned as a period of solidifying a base 
for growth in the Enterprise Business. Efforts are under way to 
transform the SI model, to establish a business foundation 
geared toward global expansion, and to create new value 
through IoT. As part of our work to build this system, we are 
promoting the creation of a business execution system based 
on horizontal development, encouraging the consolidation of 
technology assets and resources for each area by 
strengthening collaboration with other departments.

For areas of business, we are focusing on NEC’s strengths: 

the IT service business for retailers, manufacturing 
co-creation*, and the creation of new services for financial 
institutions. We are looking to expand our business with 
these areas at the core. In the IT service business for retailers, 
we are adding to the know-how we have accumulated from 
40 years of providing IT services to domestic retailers, 
strengthening new solutions to enable safe, secure and 

efficient store management for 24 hours a day, 365 days a 
year as well as to further improve consumers’ experience. We 
are looking ahead to apply these ideas to other industries as 
we aim for global expansion of our business. In manufacturing 
co-creation, we are combining cutting-edge technologies, like 
IoT and AI, together with our own manufacturing innovations 
and knowledge gathered from reforming SCM for global 
companies as part of efforts to increase the value provided by 
NEC and to expand into new areas of business. In addition, 
with the transfer of business for financial institutions to the 
Enterprise Business as of April 2017, we are aiming to 
enhance NEC’s lineup of financial settlement and other 
solutions by reinforcing collaboration with the retail and 
service industries in the area of FinTech.

*  Manufacturing co-creation:  

Collaboration program where NEC offers enhanced solutions based on its own 
production innovation expertise through facilitating information exchange between 
customers, executing joint research or conducting Proof of Concept projects, etc.

34

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Business Activities for  Social Value CreationTelecom Carrier Business

We provide network control platform systems and operating 
services for operations management, along with equipment 
for network implementation. NEC’s wealth of experience in 
large-scale network implementation and strong technical 
capabilities help us contribute to the resolution of social 
issues by providing safe, reliable, and efficient high-value-
added networks for the age of IoT through the creation of 
value with our clients and business partners.

Revenue 
(Billion ¥)

689.0

600.4

2016

2017

IFRS

Due to sluggish capital investment 
by telecom carriers, in Japan and 
overseas, and the influence of the 
strong yen, there was a 12.9% 
decrease year-on-year down to 
¥600.4 billion.

Operating Profit, Operating Profit Ratio 
(Billion ¥)

 Operating Profit 

 Operating Profit Ratio

45.6

6.6%

2016

18.1

3.0%
2017

IFRS

Due to a sales decline, as well as 
the influence of the strong yen, 
there was a decrease of ¥27.5 
billion year-on-year, down to  
¥18.1 billion.

(Fiscal year ended on March 31)

Executive Vice President
Atsuo Kawamura

Strengths

Weaknesses

  Track record of delivering for telecom carriers: fixed and 
mobile telecom products; IT system in Japan; and an 
accumulation of technology know how.
  Successful delivery to over 250 telecom carriers worldwide 
in the TOMS area.
  Industry-leading solutions in SDN/NFV, such as vEPC*1 and 
vCPE*2, which combine operations and services.

  Business model in the international market is dependent 
mainly on equipment business.
  Business structure is easily impacted by restrained capital 
investment in the domestic business.

*1  vEPC: virtualized Evolved Packet Core
*2  vCPE: virtualized Customer Premises Equipment

Market Environment (Risks and Opportunities)

Risks
There is risk of Japanese telecom carriers further curtailing 
capital investment, and there is the possibility of intensified 
competition as the market becomes more borderless.

Opportunities
Commercial deployment of SDN/NFV has begun. These 
technologies contribute to network transformation through 
outcomes such as faster delivery of services, optimization of 
network resources, and reduced operating costs for telecom 
carriers. Also, we expect demand for TOMS to continually 
increase. Additionally, we anticipate expanded business 
opportunities through the commercialization of the 5th 
generation mobile communications system (5G).

35

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Review of Operations  Telecom Carrier Business

Expanded introduction  
of TOMS and 

SDN/NFV; 

Conducting Proof of 
Concept projects and 

developing technology 
for the commercialization 
of 5G.

•	 Increasing	our	results	for	the	

introduction of TOMS and SDN/NFV, our 
major focus business over the medium-
long term. 

•	 Developing	core	technologies	to	

commercialize 5G and conducting Proof 
of Concept projects with clients.

Fiscal 2017 Main Accomplishments

We worked toward expansion of business in the fields of TOMS 
and SDN/NFV, working along with Netcracker Technology 
Corporation, a subsidiary of NEC on the systemization of 
solutions that support rapid adoption SDN/NFV by telecom 
carriers. In addition, we secured 10 commercial projects for 
vEPC and vCPE from major global telecom carriers in Europe, 
the Middle East, and North America.

For the commercialization of 5G, we developed a massive-
element Active Antenna System (AAS) that achieves efficient 
transmission using high frequency bands. In addition, we 
jointly conducted a Proof of Concept project with NTT 
DOCOMO for Massive MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple 
Output), a core technology for realizing high quality 5G 
transmission with high speed and capacity.

In our existing business areas, we finished construction of 

the “Asia Pacific Gateway (APG),” a high-capacity optical 
submarine cable that links 11 countries and territories 
between Japan and Singapore. We handed the completed 
cable over to a consortium of 13 companies from Japan, the 
US,	and	Asia.

We	also	developed	a	solution	that	links	PASOLINK	with	our	
lineup of AI Technologies “NEC the Wise” to quickly build and 
configure optimal networks by analyzing network information 
with AI, and efficiently operating those networks.

Initiatives in the Medium- to Long-Term

Business expansion for TOMS and SDN/NFV is the key for 
medium-to long-term growth in the telecom carrier business. 
With a tailwind in the market environment, momentum for 
deploying TOMS and SDN/NFV is increasing among the global 
telecom carriers. Within those conditions, NEC is contributing 
to larger profits and reduced capital investment and 
operational costs for our customers by creating value through 
the continuous improvement of solutions that integrate 
networks with IT, such as AI and linking TOMS with SDN/NFV. 
These efforts are in addition to our other strengths, such as our 
ability to propose TOMS solutions, our customer base, and our 
commercial deployment track record of SDN/NFV.

For 5G, we are accelerating the development of features 
such as high speed and capacity, low latency, and multiple 
simultaneous connections, which will be required of 
networks for new services in the age of IoT, such as 
transmission	of	4K	and	8K	high-definition	video	and	
automated autonomous driving. Sales will steadily improve 
with the timely introduction of these products and services to 
the market.

In this business, we contribute to business transformation 

through co-creation with our customers, actively proposing 
value to those customers in new areas while working to 
maintain and expand our existing businesses. We will keep 
our awareness of the constantly changing market as we 
continue to work toward providing rich communications that 
support diversity and the creation of social value.

36

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Business Activities for  Social Value CreationSystem Platform Business

In the System Platform Business, we provide products for 
business, ranging from terminals to network and computer 
equipment, software products and service platforms, as 
well as integrated platforms based on them. We deliver 
labor-saving and efficient platforms for customers, while at 
the same time creating new value such as IoT platforms 

Revenue 
(Billion ¥)

728.6 719.8

based on ICT as we contribute to the expansion 
of solutions for society.

2016

2017

IFRS

Revenue was ¥719.8 billion, a 
decrease of 1.2% year-on-year, 
mainly due to decreased sales in 
hardware and enterprise 
networks.

Operating Profit, Operating Profit Ratio 
(Billion ¥)

 Operating Profit 

 Operating Profit Ratio

31.6

29.6

4.3%

4.1%

2016

2017

IFRS

Operating profit decreased by 
¥2.0 billion year-on-year, to an 
operating profit of ¥29.6 billion, 
mainly due to decreased sales.

(Fiscal year ended on March 31)

Executive Vice President
Kimihiko Fukuda

Strengths

Weaknesses

  Distinguished group of technologies*1, including SDN, 
Big Data, the cloud, and security.
  Reliability and high quality cultivated under an intensely 
competitive domestic market; high share in Japan.
  Comprehensive capabilities with a wide range of assets 
necessary for building IoT platforms, from the cloud to 
devices such as networks and sensors.

  Compared with global mega vendors, the scale of 
business is smaller due to many areas being specialized 
for the Japanese market, leading to relatively lower profits.
  In areas of growth, such as the cloud and SDN, we cannot 
fully utilize our own resources, and the expansion of our 
business is still in progress.

*1  The world’s leading image recognition technology, including face recognition, advanced Big Data analysis technology, technology related to SDN, vector computing technology, etc.

Market Environment (Risks and Opportunities)

Risks
We expect a downward trend centered on our existing 
products and an increasingly competitive environment as 
progress toward the cloud and open systems continues. 
Furthermore, in areas such as IoT and AI, more companies will 
enter the market, including those from other industries.

Opportunities
The markets for SDN and the cloud have grown 
considerably, and new needs, such as for a hybrid cloud and 
for vertically integrated infrastructure, are expanding. In 
addition, as markets launch in the future for IoT and AI, we 
expect expansion of areas that utilize ICT. On the other 
hand, development requires a much greater sense of speed 
than ever before in order to further strengthen our position 
in the market.

37

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Review of Operations  System Platform Business

Achieved the 

No. 1 share 

of the domestic  
PC server market 

for the 21st 

consecutive year.

NEC achieved the No. 1 share of the domestic 
PC server market for the 21st consecutive 
year*2. As the top vendor in the market, we 
will continue to listen in earnest to the 
requests of our customers as we continue to 
provide high quality products and aim to 
improve customer satisfaction even further.

*2	 CY1996-2016	Japan	x86	server	(shipment)

Source:		IDC	Japan,	Japan	Quarterly	Server	Tracker	CY17Q1

  Note:  

 IDC declares a statistical tie in the server market when there is less than 
one percent difference in the revenues or the unit shipment of two or 
more vendors.

Fiscal 2017 Main Accomplishments

In Fiscal 2017, we have worked toward improving products 
and services to expand business in areas where we expect 
market growth, with a focus on SDN and IoT.

In the area of SDN for enterprises, we are putting in effort 
to expand our list of services to promote the introduction of 
SDN for customers in all industries with the goal of 
expanding our SDN business even further. In addition, we are 
carrying out various policies to expand the use cases for SDN, 
and to promote its use “on site” in locations other than an 
office by improving our co-creation activities with those who 
design and build infrastructure systems at sites such as 
factories and shops.

In regards to IoT, we began introducing our “Walkthrough 

Face Recognition System,” which is capable of recognizing 
faces without any need to stop in front of a camera, for use in 
managing entrances and exits from facilities or event venues. 
We also launched sales of our “Human Behavior Analysis 
Services,” which support marketing policies for a store by 
analyzing the behavior of customers using video footage 
from cameras inside the store. Through these efforts, we are 
strengthening our product lineup that makes use of our face 
recognition and image analysis technologies.

In terms of improving our cost competitiveness and as part 

of our gradual efforts to strengthen our domestic 
development and production systems, we launched a new 
company that unifies group-wide development and 
production of IT and network products. This company was 
formed by restructuring and integrating a total of five 
companies and departments, including NEC Platforms, Ltd. 
and NEC Network Products, Ltd.

Initiatives in the Medium- to Long-Term

In order to maximize value in the System Platform Business, 
it is essential to increase sales in key areas such as cloud 
platforms, SDN, Big Data, and security. To accomplish this, we 
must allocate resources to research and development, as well 
as capital investment, in order to become more focused and 
efficient. In particular, we will pursue greater profits by 
pushing for comprehensive improvements to our sales 
system, such as improving efficacy of our development costs, 
reducing costs, and increasing added value on our products 
for all of our existing businesses, which make up a large 
portion of the present System Platform Business.

Beyond that, we will be certain to link market growth with 
the expansion of our business by demonstrating our unique 
strengths in key areas with growing markets, such as SDN, 
Big Data, the cloud, and security.

In our IoT platform business, we will develop solutions and 

services that rotate around our competitive technologies, 
such as video analysis and security, and we will increase the 
value we provide to our customers. By providing high quality 
common platforms, including networks, with a sense of 
speed, we plan to contribute to the expansion of NEC’s IoT 
business and change the trajectory of its growth.

38

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Business Activities for  Social Value Creation	
International Business Structure
(As of July 1, 2017)

NEC is working to grow globally while leveraging the strengths of its businesses in each market by locating regional 
headquarters in North America, Central and South America, EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa), China/East 
Asia, and APAC (Asia Pacific). NEC has declared “Global Contributions through Solutions for Society” as a medium-
term theme, striving for growth in key businesses and securing the profitability of core businesses.

The safety business’ track record includes several achievements during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. 
These	include	the	delivery	of	a	face	recognition	system	for	customs	use	at	John	F.	Kennedy	International	Airport	in	
the	United	States,	and	the	adoption	of	a	biometric	identification	system	for	government	institutions	in	Australia.	We	
have also steadily increased orders, accurately capturing rising global demand with respect to safety.

In the upcoming fiscal year, we will build on our concentration of resources in key fields and regions, investing 
strategically to quicken the pace of growth in key businesses. Beginning with the safety business, where we utilize 
technology	benchmark	tested	by	the	U.S.	National	Institute	of	Standards	and	Technology	(NIST).	We	will	seek	out	
business expansion with a focus not only on SDN/NFV (network functions virtualization), which telecom carriers have 
begun to adopt full scale, retail and bus/fleet (bus transit) systems, but also on managed services, which are poised 
for growth in the APAC region.

Toshiya Matsuki
Executive Vice President  
 NEC Corporation
In charge of the Global  
Business	Unit

Overall, we see continued opportunity to become a 
strategic partner for digital transformation for more of our 
customers over the near term by leveraging the Internet 
of Things, analytics and artificial intelligence. 

business segments, especially in the retail, agriculture 
and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) fields.

Going forward, NEC Latin America looks forward to 

achieving our goals as we continue supporting our 
customers, partners and the people of Latin America 
through the orchestration of a brighter world. 

North America

Shinsuke 
Takahashi
President & CEO   
NEC Corporation of America

Central and  
South America

Masazumi Takata
Senior Vice President   
NEC Corporation,
President & CEO   
NEC Latin America

39

NEC Corporation of America continued to see success in 
our focused growth areas by engaging at a more strategic 
level with our customers.  

We secured a major contract with 7-Eleven, Inc. to 

provide our point of sale technology in all North 
American stores. We also made progress with the federal 
government’s border protection initiatives using our 
biometrics solutions, and won significant new contracts 
with key state law enforcement agencies. 

A major SAP® HANA migration project with the Ladies 

Professional Golf Association (LPGA) highlighted our 
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) private cloud activity for 
the	year.	Finally,	iPASOLINK	EX-Advanced	launched	in	
North America as a market leading broadband wireless 
alternative to fiber-based data connections.

NEC Latin America’s business is strongly aligned with 
the region’s needs, which drives us toward our goals 
and targets. 

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, our efforts 

to realize SDGs resulted in the winning of a biometrics 
project that helps provide students in Chile with fair access 
to meals, thereby contributing to the equality of society. 
We also expanded our business by acquiring a local 
cyber security company that is one of the top players in 
our market for MSS, as we aim to be the No.1 value 
provider in Safer Cities utilizing a wide range of advanced 
assets from NEC.

For continuous growth, the region needs to boost 
innovation and productivity, which NEC Latin America 
aims to contribute to as we focus our efforts on new 

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017EMEA  
(Europe, the Middle East 
and Africa)

Masahiro Ikeno
President & CEO   
NEC Europe

China/East Asia

Naoki Yoshida
Senior Vice President   
NEC Corporation,
President  
NEC (China)

APAC  
(Asia Pacific)

Tetsuro Akagi
Senior Vice President   
NEC Corporation,
CEO   
NEC Asia Pacific

NEC Europe promotes a sustainable society by 
providing solutions tailored to the diverse needs of 
more than 100 countries across Europe, Russia, the 
Middle East and Africa.  

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, a rise in 

safety and security needs triggered by acts of terrorism 
and other incidents doubled the order volume in the 
safety field, including solutions for airports and other vital 
infrastructure. In the telecom carrier business, we 
received orders for projects in the growth fields of TOMS 
and NFV from major carriers in Italy and Saudi Arabia, as 
we accelerated business development in this area. In 
terms of network business for the corporate sector, we 
expanded hospitality solutions, most notably for hotels.   
With increasing demand for safety and other Solutions 
for Society expected to remain strong in the EMEA region, 
we will continue to accelerate business expansion in the 

As a regional headquarters, NEC (China) covers China, 
Hong	Kong,	Macao	and	Taiwan,	as	well	as	Korea.	In	this	
capacity, we are broadly involved in the region in fields 
that include security, retail and other solutions, along with 
communication systems, PBX/servers, and displays. 

Regarding security, we provide fingerprint 

identification, face recognition and other biometric 
identification systems and automated customs inspection 
systems (e-gate systems) to justice ministries, law 
enforcement agencies, airports and other entities in each 
country and region. In the field of retail, in addition to 
providing POS and IT systems primarily for convenience 
stores, we provide a highly rated around-the-clock 
maintenance request service covering stores for 
customers mainly in Taiwan. With respect to displays, we 
are broadly developing opportunities particularly in China 
in areas that include digital cinemas for movie theaters 

NEC Asia Pacific is responsible for the ASEAN, Southwest 
Asia and Oceania market, collectively recognized as one 
of	the	world’s	fastest	growing	regions.	Using	ICT	to	
contribute to development in each country, we conduct 
business each day in ways that ensure NEC Asia Pacific is 
a company that society needs.  

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, we took 
steps to further expand Solutions for Society, most notably 
in safety arena, while positioning telecom carrier business 
as our core field. Successes during the year include orders 
from a number of ASEAN countries for an e-passport system 
featuring biometric identification. We also won for face 
recognition systems from law enforcement agencies in 
various countries, such as the South Australia Police. 
Additionally, we provided an intelligent bus management 
system for City of Pune, India, delivered digital terrestrial 

International Business Structure

upcoming fiscal year. In Europe, we will realize a secure, 
safe and efficient society by promoting smart cities and 
other globally cutting-edge initiatives. In Russia, the 
Middle East and Africa, where high future growth is 
expected, we will provide solutions including 
communications and energy, contributing to both 
business expansion and the realization of a more 
abundant society. 

and products for airports and subways as we expand 
business.	Beyond	this,	in	Hong	Kong,	as	an	advanced	
base in the bus/fleet (bus transportation system) field, we 
are providing technological support not only for the Hong 
Kong	market	but	for	NEC’s	global	activities.		

Going forward, NEC (China) will continue to promote 

business expansion particularly in the fast-growing 
Chinese market, while strengthening partnerships with 
some of the region’s most prominent companies to create 
new business.

broadcasting equipment for a state broadcasting station in 
the Philippines, and conducted demonstration trials of a 
flood simulation system in Thailand. Through these efforts, 
NEC Asia Pacific contributed to building a sophisticated 
social infrastructure in countries across the region. 

NEC Asia Pacific is committed to delivering innovative 
solutions to communities in the region and leading NEC’s 
global business expansion. 

40

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Business Activities for  Social Value CreationInitiatives Supporting Sustainable Management

NEC is advancing initiatives targeting ESG (Environment, Society, Governance), which is fundamental to sustainable management. 
Aiming for the sustainable development of society and the NEC Group, NEC has defined essential themes that prioritize ESG 
initiatives while also aiming to improve management from a non-financial standpoint. However, it is essential to establish specific 
themes and targets for the ESG initiatives, to tie these more closely to management, and to promote sustainable management that 
maximizes the value NEC provides to society through its businesses as a Social Value Innovator. From the fiscal year under review, NEC 
has again outlined its ESG strengths and challenges, launching initiatives aimed at reestablishing the materiality of how these 
contribute to its selectivity and concentration in management resource allocation. Based on the information gained through dialogue 
with a diverse set of stakeholders, NEC will define its materiality by measuring the degree of impact it has on society.

Environment
In 1970, NEC launched an organization dedicated exclusively to responding to 
environmental problems, and has been proactively addressing a range of issues ever 
since. Leveraging the skills and expertise gained in the process has proven useful in 
resolving client and society issues. This is why NEC promotes programs designed to 
integrate this knowledge within its businesses. Among the issues addressed, climate 
change is seen as an area in which NEC’s businesses have a high degree of impact on 
society. For this reason, NEC announced that it will prioritize initiatives outlined in the 
“Environmental Management Action Plan 2020/2030,” a long-term action plan for 
environmental activities that seeks both to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Society 
NEC recognizes human rights as one of the most significant themes for society. Together with 
concern for the human rights of employees and suppliers, NEC is putting systems and 
mechanisms in place to protect the privacy of citizens when delivering services through ICT. NEC 
is also promoting the creation of diverse human resources. Fostering an environment from which 
diverse perspectives and ideas can emerge and foster innovation is an important management 
strategy. Furthermore, in order to put NEC’s most treasured value since its founding in 1899, 
“Better Products, Better Services,” into practice, it is prioritizing efforts to deliver even more 
improvement in customer satisfaction, quality and safety as a company responsible for social 
infrastructure delivered through ICT. 

Governance 
In addition to enhancing management transparency, soundness and promptness,  
NEC is strengthening its corporate governance by clarifying its accountability and 
careful consideration of fairness in information disclosure. This is all in an effort to 
continuously create social value and maximize corporate value. In particular, NEC 
recognizes that compliance is indispensable to the promotion of sustainable 
management, and is striving for even more rigorous governance in order to infuse and 
embed to compliance as the first priority into its corporate culture.

41

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Corporate Governance

In recognition of the fact that reliable corporate governance is essential to the continuous creation of social value 
and the maximization of corporate value, NEC is committed to strengthening its corporate governance practices 
through (1) assurance of transparent and sound management, (2) realization of prompt decision making and 
business execution, (3) clarification of accountability and (4) timely, appropriate and fair disclosure of information.

Main Initiatives for Strengthening Corporate Governance

NEC Group Corporate 
Philosophy formulation

2000.4-2003.3 
In-house company structure

2003.4-2010.3 
Business line structure

NEC Group Charter of 
Corporate Behavior/Code of 
Conduct formulation

NEC Group Vision/ 
NEC Group Core Values 
formulation

2010.4-2013.3 
Structure driven by  
products and services

2013.4-Present 
Structures driven by  
markets and customers

1990

1999

2000

2001

2003

2004

2007

2008

2010

2011

2012

2013

 Instituting Corporate Officer System

NEC instituted a corporate officer system in April 2000 and worked to delegate authority from the 
Board of Directors to corporate officers with the aim of separating management supervision from 
business execution and expediting business execution based on prompt decision making.

 Reducing the Number of Directors

The number of Directors was reduced to streamline the Board of Directors. The aim is to ensure 
even sounder management through greater discussion at meetings of the Board of Directors and 
to deliver prompt decision making.

Reduction in the number of Directors 
(At the conclusion of the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders)

1999
37

2000
17

From 2012 onward
11

 Appointing Multiple Outside Directors

NEC added an Outside Director in June 2001 for a total of two Outside Directors in order to 
strengthen the supervisory functions of the Board of Directors. The number of members has 
increased and the system of five Outside Directors has continued since its inception in June 2007.

Ratio of Outside Directors to all Directors  
(At the conclusion of the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders)

1999
2.7%

2010
33.3%

From 2012 onward
45.5%

 Shortening Directors’ Terms

In June 2004, the term of Directors was shortened from two years to one year in order to clarify 
their responsibility for management.

 Establishing a Nomination and Compensation Committee

The committee has been established to enhance transparency of nomination and remuneration 
of Directors*. The committee is made up of five members, including three Outside Directors, one 
of whom is appointed as the chairperson.
*  The Compensation Committee established in 2001 was enhanced to become the Nomination and 

Compensation Committee in 2010.

  http://www.nec.com/en/global/about/executives/committee2.html

 Instituting the Chief Officer Position

The Chief Officer position was instituted in July 2011 to strengthen a company-wide strategy 
for realizing the NEC Group Vision. In April 2017, NEC extended the authority delegated to the 
Chief Officers in order to strengthen the corporate functions and accelerate the speed of 
decision making.

42

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Initiatives Supporting  Sustainable ManagementOverview of the Corporate Governance Structure

Elect and Dismiss

Elect and Dismiss

Elect and Dismiss

GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

Audit

Management/Supervision

Accounting 
Auditors

Cooperate

Cooperate

AUDIT &  
SUPERVISORY BOARD
5 A&SBMs, including  
3 Outside A&SBMs

Cooperate

Audit

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
11 Directors, including
5 Outside Directors

Supervise

Report

NOMINATION AND 
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE
5 members, including  
3 Outside Directors

CORPORATE AUDITING 
BUREAU

EXECUTIVE COMMITEE
Around 20 corporate officers

BUSINESS PROGRESS COMMITTEE
Corporate officers and general managers  
of business units etc.

CHIEF OFFICERS
9 Chief Officers

Business 
Execution

Internal audits

CORPORATE OFFICERS

BUSINESS UNITS/CORPORATE STAFF/AFFILIATE COMPANIES

Board of Directors
The Board of Directors holds regular meetings basically once a month 
and extraordinary meetings as necessary to determine important 
matters related to business execution, including business realignment, 
funding plans and financing and investment, as well as matters 
concerning business plans.

Business Progress Committee
The Business Progress Committee deliberates and reports on matters 
related to the status of the NEC Group’s business execution, such as 
monitoring progress with respect to meeting budgets adopted by the 
Board of Directors, with the aim of sharing management information and 
promoting execution efficiency.

Fiscal 2017 Status
In addition to receiving Chief Officers’ activity reports and management 
plans and progress reports for each business segment, the Board of 
Directors actively discussed matters such as optimization of development 
and manufacturing functions, as well as reform of underperforming 
businesses. In particular, a broad range of advice was given by Outside 
Directors, based on their own extensive experience in such roles as 
corporate management and their deep insight.

Executive Committee
The Executive Committee discusses important NEC Group management 
issues such as policies and strategies. This committee extensively 
discusses matters of particular importance prior to putting them forward 
to the meetings of the Board of Directors for approval. In doing so, the 
committee enhances the deliberations and ensures appropriate 
decision making.

Nomination and Compensation Committee 
The Nomination and Compensation Committee deliberates on (i) 
nomination for Directors, Representative Directors and Audit & 
Supervisory	Board	Members	(KANSAYAKU)	(“A&SBMs”),	the	chairman	of	
the Board, and the president and (ii) the structure and the level of 
compensation for Directors, representative Directors and corporate 
officers with taking the business result of NEC and other conditions into 
account and from an objective perspective. The committee reports the 
results of its deliberations to the Board of Directors.

Audit & Supervisory Board (KANSAYAKU-KAI) (“A&SB”) 
The A&SB holds regular meetings basically once a month and 
extraordinary meetings as necessary, decides on audit policies, 
standards, annual auditing plan and other matters, and receives status 
reports on audits and on other matters from each A&SBMs.

Organization Form
Chair of the Board of Directors 

Directors

Audit & Supervisory Board Members 
(KANSAYAKU) (“A&SBMs”)

Independent Directors/Independent A&SBMs
Incentive Policies for Directors

Remuneration*2 (For Fiscal 2017)

No. of Directors
Term
No. of A&SBMs
Term

Directors

A&SBMs

Company	with	the	Audit	&	Supervisory	Board	Members	(KANSAYAKU)
Chairman of the Board
11 (of which Outside Directors: 5)
1 year
5 (of which Outside A&SBMs: 3)
4 years
No. of Independent Directors: 4, No. of Independent A&SBMs: 3
Performance-linked remuneration*1
Total amount of 
remuneration: 
Total amount of bonus:
Total amount of 
remuneration:

¥337 million for a headcount of 13  
(of which, Outside Directors: 5, Total remuneration: ¥60 million)*3
¥0 for a headcount of 6
¥96 million for a headcount of 6  
(of which, Outside A&SBMs: 4, Total remuneration: ¥36 million)*3

*1  NEC introduces bonuses as short term incentive which is linked to single-year achievement, and stock compensation as mid- and long-term incentive which is linked to achievement of Mid-term Management 

Plan (no incentives are granted to Outside Directors).

*2  NEC does not disclose remuneration per individual. NEC’s basic remuneration policies and systems are also disclosed in the Business Report, the annual Securities Report and Corporate Governance Report.
*3  The above headcount includes 2 Directors and 1 A&SBM who retired at the close of the 178th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders held on June 22, 2016.

43

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Corporate Governance

Continued Strengthening and Improvement of the System

NEC adopts the Company with Audit & Supervisory Board Members 
(KANSAYAKU)	corporate	structure	to	provide	a	double-check	process:	
the Board of Directors supervises business execution and the A&SB 
audits the legitimacy and appropriateness of NEC’s decision making or 
activities. We have established a hybrid structure by utilizing the 
combination of a corporate officer system, multiple Outside Directors, 
and the Nomination and Compensation Committee, which we 
established voluntarily and is comprised of a majority of Outside 

Directors. In this way, we separate management supervision from 
business execution while striving to ensure management transparency 
and soundness.

NEC believes that its corporate governance is functioning adequately 
under the current system described above. However, NEC is focusing its 
efforts on enhancements and improvements of this system in order to 
realize more effective corporate governance responding to changes in 
the business environment. 

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Board of Directors

Since the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, NEC conducted an analysis and 
evaluation of the effectiveness of the Board of Directors in order to strengthen 
the Board of Directors functions. Based on the conclusion of such analysis and 
evaluation, NEC updated the contents to be reported to the Board, improved the 
format of the meeting materials, made material distribution earlier and revised 
the plan of annual agenda during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. 

 Evaluation Method

NEC conducted the analysis and evaluation, in which each Directors and 
A&SBMs answered a questionnaire about the role, composition and operation 
of the Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors discussed its functional 
advancement based on the results of such questionnaires.

 Evaluation Results and Issues Going Forward

It has been evaluated that in terms of the decision-making for NEC’s 
important business execution, and business strategies/business plans, the 
Board is structured and operated to facilitate active discussions among the 
Directors, and the Board of Directors has been appropriately supervising 
the business execution. Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that the Board of 
Directors needs to further narrow down the matters to be discussed, to 
clarify the key points that should be discussed and to establish the system 
to reflect advices of Outside Directors on the business execution, in order to 
more appropriately indicate business strategic direction of NEC. Based on 
the results above, NEC will continually make the deliberations at the Board 
more active.

Remuneration for Directors and Audit & Supervisory Board Members (KANSAYAKU)

  Introduction of a New Performance-linked Stock 
Compensation Plan

Based on the resolution at the 179th Ordinary General Meeting of 
Shareholders held on June 22, 2017, NEC introduced a new performance-
linked stock compensation plan using a trust for its Directors (excluding 
Outside Directors) and corporate officers (“Beneficiaries”). The purpose of this 
plan is to clarify the link between the value of the shares based on NEC’s 
performance	and	remuneration	of	Beneficiaries.	Under	this	plan,	the	
Beneficiaries share with the shareholders not only the benefits deriving from 
future appreciation of share prices, but also the risks associated with a fall in 
the same. This is intended ultimately to enhance the awareness of the 
Beneficiaries with respect to making a contribution to an improvement in 
NEC’s mid and long-term performance and its corporate value. 

  Remuneration System

For the purpose of continuously improving corporate value and 
strengthening its competitiveness, NEC’s basic policy on the remuneration for 
Directors and A&SBMs is to set the level and system appropriate for a global 
company which enables NEC to secure excellent human resources and serves 
as an incentive to improve performance of the NEC Group.

Remuneration for Directors
Remuneration for Directors consists of fixed monthly remunerations and 
performance-linked bonuses as short term incentives, and performance-
linked stock compensation as mid- and long-term incentive. Neither bonuses 
nor stock compensation are paid to Outside Directors, from the viewpoint of 
securing their independence from NEC because NEC expects that Outside 
Directors play a leading role in supervision over business execution. 

[Links between Remuneration and NEC’s Performance]
•	The	Bonuses
  Directors’ Bonuses are calculated according to the certain indexes (Revenue, 
Operating profit and others) that NEC considers are important regarding the 
consolidated business results of the NEC Group during previous fiscal year. 

•	The	Stock	Compensation
  The number of NEC shares, which is calculated using the following formula, will be 
granted after the expiry of period of Mid-term Management Plan in accordance 
with the Directors’ titles and the level of the achievement of Mid-term 
Management Plan. 

Number of granting shares based on the applicable Directors’ titles (*1) 
× Performance-based allotment rate (*2)

*1: Basic compensation x multiplying factors for titles of the applicable Directors /  

Average value of closing price of NEC shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in the fiscal 
year immediately preceding the evaluation period

*2: The level of the achievement of consolidated revenue in the period of Mid-term 

Management Plan at the time of granting shares x 35% 

  + The level of the achievement of consolidated operating profit in the period of 

Mid-term Management Plan at the time of granting shares x 35% 

  + The level of the achievement of consolidated ROE in the final fiscal year of Mid-term 

Management Plan at the time of granting shares x 30%

Consolidated 
Revenue 
Achievement 
Level

×35%

Consolidated 
Operating Profit 
Achievement 
Level

×35%

Consolidated ROE 
Achievement 
Level

×30%

Remuneration for Audit & Supervisory Board Members
Remuneration for A&SBMs are only fixed monthly remunerations and do not 
include bonuses linked to the business results because the responsibility of 
A&SBMs is to audit execution of Directors’ duty. 

For	further	details	on	the	corporate	governance	of	NEC	Corporation,	please	visit	the	following	URL:

 http://www.nec.com/en/global/about/governance.html

44

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Initiatives Supporting  Sustainable ManagementEnsuring Compliance

For a company like NEC, which develops solutions for society, obtaining and maintaining the trust of society and its 
customers is of the utmost importance. To that end, compliance and ethical management are fundamentals at NEC, and 
we consider compliance to include not only legal compliance, but also compliance with the expectations and demands 
of society, such as social norms and common sense. Also, from the perspective of risk management, we have worked to 
minimize our compliance risks, such as competition law compliance, or risks stemming from bribery and fraud.
However, in fiscal 2017, we received notification of three violations of Antimonopoly Act from the Japan Fair Trade 
Commission. We accept these facts solemnly and sincerely, and along with a renewed commitment to make compliance 
a top priority, we are strengthening our internal systems, education and awareness in order to prevent recurrences and 
restore trust. Each one of our officers and employees will act fairly and with integrity, working to conduct business 
activities with compliance as our top priority.

Strengthening Internal Systems and Awareness to Prevent Competition Law 
Violations and Bribery

Based on our Competition Policy established in October 2011, NEC is 
striving to reduce the risk of being suspected of or becoming involved 
in a cartel or bid rigging, it has prepared rules for the prevention of 
cartels and bid rigging, and outlined regulations to restrict unnecessary 
contact with competitors.

In addition, NEC and its subsidiaries around the world have 

established anti-bribery system and rules, working to prevent bribery in 
relation to our business activities through efforts such as bribery risk 

evaluations for businesses or work under our purview, and due 
diligence of appointed contractors. We have clarified our guidelines 
and procedures, as well as what to pay attention to when providing 
gifts, hospitality and travel expenses.

Furthermore, each year we conduct group training with practical 
content on competition law violations and bribery prevention for sales 
representatives and SEs at NEC and some of its domestic subsidiaries. 
This training is held at our branches and offices across Japan.

Fostering a Corporate Culture that Makes Compliance a Top Priority

In addition to strengthening the above systems, NEC is working to foster 
a corporate culture where compliance is a top priority through education 
and awareness activities. Top-level executives, starting with the CEO, 
periodically release statements in their own words about the importance 
of compliance, and every year we hold the NEC Business Ethics Forum to 
raise awareness of compliance through lectures given by the CEO and 
external experts. Also, once every year we hold a Workplace Roundtable 
meeting at each workplace where employees are encouraged to think of 

compliance as their own problem, and we are also providing information 
on compliance through our company intranet.

Propagating the importance of acting in accordance with the NEC 

Group Code of Conduct through training of new employees and 
promoted persons, we also carry out web training sessions on 
compliance once per year for all officers and employees. These are also 
conducted for all domestic subsidiaries, along with compliance training 
for our overseas subsidiaries.

Aiming as an Organization to Never Again Violate the Antimonopoly Act

Even while undertaking these initiatives, we received certified 
notification of our violations of the Antimonopoly Act from the Japan 
Fair Trade Commission. Even now we are further strengthening our 
mechanisms to promote thorough awareness so that we may become 
an organization that never again violates competition law through 
actions such as bid rigging.

In fiscal 2017, we submitted a pledge to eliminate bid rigging, with 

all officers and employees of NEC and its domestic subsidiaries 
declaring to do away with bid rigging practices.

Further more, in hopes of preventing competition law violations, we 

have decided to promote personnel changes by moving employees 
who have dealt with the same customer for long periods to other areas, 
begin April 2017.

In addition to that, from April 2017 to June 2017, we directly 
communicated over 100 times with our officers and employees in 
regard to the three certified violations of the Antimonopoly Act, 
detailing what happened within the Company, how the case was 
handled by human resources, and what should be learned from the 
incident. By having the Company directly communicate the facts, we 
have increased employees’ acceptance of the events and awareness of 
compliance.

Effective April 1, 2017, NEC established the position of Chief 
Compliance Officer (CCO). Moving forward, the CCO will take the 
initiative to ensure that the lessons from these three violations are not 
forgotten within the Company, while promoting additional efforts to 
make compliance a fundamental part of our corporate culture.

45

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Messages from an Outside Director and  
an Audit & Supervisory Board Member

Advancing self-transformation and  
achieving growth through innovation

Technology in fields, such as ICT, AI and IoT, is evolving at a pace far faster than we could have 
imagined. To meet these trends in a timely manner, it is important for NEC to continuously create 
customer value by honing its technology in these fields, sparking innovation, and developing new 
business models. As NEC competes on a global stage, simply responding to changes that happen 
is too slow, and offers no prospects for significant growth. Transforming oneself is more important 
and essential.  

On the one hand, NEC should closely examine what it considers its core technologies to be, and 

rigorously refine them until they are the best in the world. At the same time, in fields where NEC 
faces challenges, it is being asked to take steps to adopt external technologies and move away from 
overreliance on self-sufficiency, all while taking the initiative in open innovation.  

From this perspective, I offer insights based on my own experience for the projects we discuss 

at meetings of the Board of Directors, doing my utmost to assist in the effort to speed up NEC 
growth strategies.  

There is another vital role I play as an Outside Director. That is the ability to speak objectively 
from a position of fairness as an outside observer, thereby ensuring that corporate governance 
functions properly. In particular, I consider it the top priority to deeply embed the phrase 
“Compliance First” among NEC’s employees. Through the vitalization of the Board of Directors,  
I fully expect NEC to quickly arrive at a growth trajectory prefaced on the idea of “Compliance First.” 

Outside Director
Kunio Noji

View your own actions objectively for thorough 
compliance

The word “integrity” is the basis of occupational ethics for professional accountants. Put simply, this 
word means, “don’t lie” and “don’t deceive.” While it may be nothing if not obvious to say this, most 
scandals that emerge happen because of a lack of integrity. Intentional criminal behavior aside, it is 
entirely possible for individuals, thinking they are acting in the interest of a client or the organization, 
to inadvertently violate rules, cover up facts or deceive others. 

To prevent this, I think the most effective approach may be to have an individual objectively 
observe their decisions and actions. In other words, the idea is to have them consider the impact or 
likely outcome of their decisions and actions, and to be able to explain why this happened to 
someone else. The same thing applies to a company’s management. I definitely feel that deliberation 
by the Board of Directors, and particularly questions and guidance from the varied perspectives of the 
Outside Directors and Audit & Supervisory Board Members (“A&SBMs”), is crucial for boosting 
transparency. And if management objectivity and transparency are enhanced, employee awareness 
will be, as well. This, in turn, will lead each employee to see the actions they take in carrying out their 
duties each day more objectively.        

 A year has passed since my A&SBM appointment. As part of my duties, thinking of ways to address 

compliance and risk is never far from mind. With that said, as an Outside A&SBM, I strive to keep an 
objective viewpoint, and want to sidestep excessive risk avoidance in the hope that I can support 
rational risk taking and dynamic corporate activities. 

Outside	Audit	&	Supervisory	Board	Member	(KANSAYAKU)
Kazuyasu Yamada

46

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Initiatives Supporting  Sustainable ManagementDirectors and Audit & Supervisory Board Members
 (As of June 22, 2017)

Directors

Nobuhiro Endo
Chairman of the Board (Representative Director)
Mr. Endo has been engaged in the management of 
NEC as President (Representative Director) since 
2010 and as Chairman of the Board (Representative 
Director) since April 2016.

Takashi Niino
President (Representative Director) and  
CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
After being engaged in the management of the 
financial solutions business and the NEC Group’s 
management strategies, Mr. Niino has been 
engaged in the management of NEC as President 
(Representative Director) and CEO since April 2016.

Isamu Kawashima 
Executive Vice President,  
CFO (Chief Financial Officer) and  
Member of the Board (Representative Director)
After being engaged in the management of 
accounting and financial affairs at the business 
units	and	overseas	subsidiaries,	Mr.	Kawashima	is	
now in charge of the NEC Group’s accounting and 
financial strategies.

Takayuki Morita
Executive Vice President,  
CGO (Chief Global Officer) and  
Member of the Board
After being engaged in the management of NEC’s 
M&A and global business, Mr. Morita is now in 
charge of global business strategy.

Katsumi Emura
Executive Vice President,  
CTO (Chief Technology Officer) and  
Member of the Board
After being engaged in the management of 
intellectual properties and Research and 
Development, Mr. Emura is now in charge of the 
NEC Group’s technology strategy.

Hajime Matsukura
Executive Vice President,  
CSO (Chief Strategy Officer) and  
Member of the Board
After being engaged in the management of 
corporate strategies at the corporate departments 
and in the NEC Group’s operational reform, Mr. 
Matsukura is now in charge of the NEC Group’s 
corporate strategies.

Takeshi Kunibe
Member of the Board 
Director President (Representative Executive Officer), 
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc.
Mr.	Kunibe	has	extensive	experience	and	deep	
insight with management of a bank.
•	Attendance	at	meetings	of	the	Board	of	Directors:
  11 out of 12

Hitoshi Ogita
Member of the Board 
Adviser to the Board, Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd.
Mr. Ogita has extensive experience and deep 
insight with management of a manufacturing 
company.
•	Attendance	at	meetings	of	the	Board	of	Directors:
  11 out of 12

Kaori Sasaki
Member of the Board 
President	and	CEO,	UNICUL	International,	Inc. 
President and CEO, ewoman, Inc.
Ms. Sasaki has a wide range of knowledge on 
marketing and perspective of consumers.
•	Attendance	at	meetings	of	the	Board	of	Directors:
  12 out of 12

Motoyuki Oka
Member of the Board 
Senior Adviser, Sumitomo Corporation
Mr. Oka has extensive experience and deep insight 
with management of a general trading company 
including the management of overseas firms.
•	Attendance	at	meetings	of	the	Board	of	Directors:
  12 out of 12

Kunio Noji
Member of the Board 
Chairman	of	the	Board,	Komatsu	Ltd.
Mr. Noji has extensive experience and deep insight 
with management of a manufacturing company.
•	Attendance	at	meetings	of	the	Board	of	Directors:
  9 out of 12

Notes:  1.  NEC has notified the Tokyo Stock Exchange of its four independent Directors and three 

independent Audit & Supervisory Board Members (“A&SBMs”). 
Independent	Directors:	Mr.	Hitoshi	Ogita,	Ms.	Kaori	Sasaki,	Mr.	Motoyuki	Oka	and	Mr.	
Kunio	Noji	 
Independent	A&SBMs:	Ms.	Kyoko	Okumiya,	Mr.	Takeshi	Kikuchi	and	Mr.	Kazuyasu	Yamada	
2.  Attendance at meetings: the number of attendance at meetings (meetings of the Board of 

Directors or meetings of the Audit & Supervisory Board) out of the number of the 
meetings held in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017

47

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017 
Directors and Audit & Supervisory Board Members

Audit & Supervisory Board Members (KANSAYAKU)

Board of Directors

Tetsuya Fujioka 
Audit & Supervisory Board Member (full-time) 
Mr. Fujioka has accounting experience for many 
years and experience as former General Manager 
of Corporate Finance Division.

11 Directors 

6 Inside Directors 

5 Outside Directors  
(of which 4 are 
independent Directors)

Hajime Kinoshita
Audit & Supervisory Board Member (full-time) 
Mr.	Kinoshita	has	experience	being	in	charge	of	the	
legal and internal control division for many years.

The Board of Directors makes important decisions regarding the Company’s 
business execution, starting with deciding on its basic management policies. It 
also fulfills the responsibility of overall supervision of business execution, and 
therefore requires viewpoints based on broad knowledge, and the Board of 
Directors is comprised with consideration given to diversity in such factors as 
career background, specialties and gender.

Chairman of the Board 
(Chair of the Board of Directors)

Kyoko Okumiya 
Audit & Supervisory Board Member  
Attorney at Law 
Ms. Okumiya has a lot of experience and 
professional insight as an attorney at law.
•	Attendance:	At	meetings	of	the	Board	of	

Directors: 12 out of 12

  At meetings of the Audit & Supervisory Board: 

17 out of 17

Takeshi Kikuchi 
Audit & Supervisory Board Member  
Attorney at Law 
Mr.	Kikuchi	has	a	lot	of	experience	and	
professional insight as an attorney at law in the 
field of IT and other fields.
•	Attendance:	At	meetings	of	the	Board	of	

Directors: 12 out of 12

  At meetings of the Audit & Supervisory Board: 

17 out of 17

Kazuyasu Yamada
Audit & Supervisory Board Member  
Certified Public Accountant 
Mr.	Yamada	has	a	lot	of	auditing	experience	as	a	
Certified Public Accountant and professional 
insight in finance and accounting.
•	Attendance:	At	meetings	of	the	Board	of	

Directors: 10 out of 10 

  At meetings of the Audit & Supervisory Board: 

13 out of 13

(Appointed in June 2016)

For further details on the Directors and Audit & Supervisory Board Members of  
NEC	Corporation,	please	visit	the	following	URLs:

Directors

 http://www.nec.com/en/global/about/executives/directors.html

Audit & Supervisory Board Members (KANSAYAKU)

 http://www.nec.com/en/global/about/executives/auditors.html

Outside 
Directors

 Non-Corporate Officer
 Corporate Officer

Inside 
Directors

Career background 
and specialties of  
5 Outside Directors

Tenure of  
5 Outside Directors

 Manufacturing  
 Banking  
 Marketing  
 General Trading Company  

2
1
1
1

 6 years  
 5 years  
 4 years  

1
2
2

Audit & Supervisory Board (KANSAYAKU-KAI)

5 Audit & Supervisory Board Members 

2 Inside Audit & Supervisory 
Board Members 

3 Outside Audit & Supervisory 
Board Members  
(All members are independent 
Audit & Supervisory Board Members)

NEC appoints as Audit & Supervisory Board Members personnel who have the 
knowledge and experience necessary for audits, such as considerable expertise in 
finance and accounting or experience as an attorney at law, and who strengthen 
the auditing functions of the Audit & Supervisory Board.

48

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Initiatives Supporting  Sustainable ManagementCross-company Corporate Strategy Promotion Framework
 (As of July 1, 2017)

NEC introduced its Chief Officer System in 2011 in order to promote the execution of strategy that spans across 
the entire company. From April 2017, we have increased the number of Chief Officers and are promoting the 
delegation of authority to each of them to further improve the speed of our management.
Specifically, we have appointed eight Chief Officers to cover nine themes representing efforts that go beyond the 
boundaries of our business units and Group companies. These officers determine the strategies for the areas they 
specialize in that extend beyond the framework of each business unit and Group company, and work to solve 
issues that affect the entire Company.
Here, each of the Vice Presidents and Chief Officers, who are in a position to plan and execute cross-company 
strategies, will introduce the issues they face in their respective areas and their efforts to solve those issues.

Manabu Kinoshita
Senior Executive Vice President    

Driving Company-wide Growth Through 
Customer-Oriented Social Value Innovation

In order to solve increasingly complex social issues and continually 
contribute to society, the sales staff, who are the point of contact 
with our customers, must have a deep understanding of the 
market and make use of the technologies and strengths we have 
cultivated to create the future we are aiming for.

We will train our employees to be able to think on their feet, with 
the ability to quickly and appropriately grasp changes in the market 
and to think and act on their own. We will also offer value proposals 
that make use of our unique technology assets, like AI, and make 
full use of the knowledge and solutions held by each business unit 
and related company, and also achieve co-creation with our 
customers and sales partners. Through these activities, we will drive 
company-wide growth and management with a sense of speed.

Takayuki Morita
Executive Vice President and CGO (Chief Global Officer)

Speedy Policy Development for Realizing 
Global Growth 

NEC’s biggest challenge is the realization of “growth.” To meet 
that challenge, NEC must narrow its wide-ranging business 
portfolio down to businesses that can win in the global market, 
concentrating resources and prioritizing investment into those 
businesses. In addition to these kinds of organic policies, we 
will also boldly and speedily move forward with inorganic 
policies, such as co-creation with customers, partnering with 
governments, international organizations, and other 
companies, and even acquisition of other businesses, in order 
to achieve growth. As CGO, I will emphasize safety and security, 
SDN/NFV and IoT, and promote these policies to allow NEC to 
achieve growth as an industry leader.

Norihiko Ishiguro
Senior Executive Vice President    

Becoming a Global Social Value Innovator 

The building of safe and reliable cities and public services, and 
the formation of communication infrastructure that supports a 
thriving society, are some of the seven themes for social value 
creation presented by NEC. These themes are deeply connected 
to the SDGs, which are universal issues affecting developed 
and emerging countries around the world. Through PR and 
sales activities pitched to national and local governments for 
each country, international organizations, and local companies, 
NEC is aiming to increase its presence and is working to 
contribute to the solution of the world’s issues as a global 
Social Value Innovator.

Isamu Kawashima
Executive Vice President and CFO (Chief Financial Officer)

Reforming Cost Structure and Response to 
Underperforming Businesses while 
Redistributing Resources for Growth Areas

In fiscal 2017, new businesses failed to pick up as expected 
while existing businesses were on the decline. The emergence 
of underperforming businesses and problems with compliance 
also caused business performance to take a major downturn.
For the next fiscal year, we will reinforce compliance while 
also promoting reforms to our profit structure and solidifying 
the foundation for improved financial performance in fiscal 
2018. From the financial side, we will support the execution of 
business with a balance of offense and defense through 
measures such as capital investment to realize growth 
strategies, and shifting resources as required to meet our goals.

49

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Katsumi Emura
Executive Vice President and CTO (Chief Technology Officer)

Creation of Business Based on Technology 
that Leads to the Next Level of  
Growth for NEC

By envisioning the society of tomorrow and its issues, and 
carrying out a wider range of problem solving and value creation 
activities, we can aim for our own growth as well. We can create a 
competitive business by building a research and development 
strategy that is integrated with our business strategy, and thus 
further improve our own strengths.

In order to advance these efforts with a sense of speed, we will 

use NEC’s technological strengths, such as image processing 
technologies like face recognition, AI technologies, named as 
“NEC the WISE,” and security solutions, to drive collaboration with 
external parties. Promotion of strategic cooperation with other 
firms, large-scale collaboration with universities and research 
institutes, and the use of ventures, beyond what we have 
traditionally done, will lead to the creation of even greater value.

Kazuhiro Sakai
Executive Vice President, CIO (Chief Information Officer) and 
CISO (Chief Information Security Officer)         

Preparing ICT for the Realization of  
Digital Management

ICT will become even more important in the age of digital 
transformation. NEC is contributing to the sophistication of 
business management systems by expanding data utilization 
and supporting digital management based on business 
management infrastructure that it has improved over the years. 
It is also promoting the enhancement of ICT infrastructure that 
takes advantage of NEC’s strengths, including AI, IoT, cloud, 
and security.

Makoto Enomoto
Senior Vice President, CMO (Chief Marketing Officer)      

Establishing a Brand Image Centered Around 
“Co-Creation” as a Suitable Transformative 
Partner in the Digital Age

To realize our goal of becoming a sustainable company, we are 
working to improve the aspect of “co-creation” in addition to 
NEC’s reliable and friendly brand image. The CMO office actively 
oversees the story of “One NEC” from a company-wide 
perspective, and in doing so we improve our ability to 
disseminate information, supporting the side of our branding 
that makes NEC into “a partner for transformation,” recognized 
by its customers.

In addition, we will quickly recognize market trends and the 
expectations of our customers, and incorporate them into our 
strategy with a sense of speed.

Cross-company Corporate Strategy Promotion Framework

Susumu Makihara
Executive Vice President and CHRO (Chief Human Resources Officer)

Increasing Profitability and Getting on a 
Trajectory of Growth Based on Excellent 
Technology and Resources

The needs of the customer are constantly shifting due to changes 
in the structure of society and the evolution of technology. In 
order to deal with these changes, we support the transformation 
of NEC by encouraging the development of employee skills and 
promoting the optimal placement of human resources.

In addition, we also aim to improve productivity through 
changes in work style and to promote diversity. By changing our 
style of work through careful arrangement of our work 
environment, we can change NEC into a company where diverse 
human resources can play an active role. Through these efforts, 
we will improve the organizational capabilities of the NEC Group 
to achieve globalization.

Hajime Matsukura
Executive Vice President, CSO (Chief Strategy Officer) 

Improve Earning Power in the Workplace 

We will redesign our company-wide strategy with the goals of 
accelerating our business model shift and increasing the value 
we provide. To that end, we need to be thorough in clarifying 
the appropriate allocation of resources, as well as 
responsibilities and authority. At the same time, we will 
thoroughly continue to have open and essential communication 
between management and the employees on site, until they 
can share their opinions and have a common sense of urgency.
Our goals are both to create an organization that constantly 
transforms itself without lagging behind market changes, and 
to improve earning power in the workplace.

Shinobu Obata
Senior Vice President, CCO (Chief Compliance Officer)

How to Establish a Corporate Culture of 
Compliance

In fiscal 2017, NEC received certified notification from the Japan 
Fair Trade Commission for three violations on our part of the 
Antimonopoly Act of Japan. The NEC Group has for a long time 
regarded compliance to be a major issue for management and 
is one for which it has taken various measures. As Chief 
Compliance Officer, I will work to thoroughly prevent recurrence 
of such violations. In order to restore trust in NEC, we will 
reinforce compliance within our corporate culture, not allowing 
these incidents to be forgotten within the NEC Group.

For	further	details	on	the	corporate	officers	of	NEC	Corporation,	please	visit	the	following	URL:

 http://www.nec.com/en/global/about/executives/svp.html

50

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Initiatives Supporting  Sustainable ManagementHuman Rights and Diversity

The NEC Group Human Rights Policy was formulated as a declaration of NEC’s commitment to respect human 
rights in all of its corporate activities, and reject both child and forced labor in any and all circumstances. NEC also 
gives the utmost care to avoiding any violation of human rights, including invasions of privacy, in the provision of 
its services. This commitment applies to the suppliers that comprise NEC’s supply chain and their employees. NEC 
strives for respect of human rights that encompasses the rights of women and persons with disabilities as well. 
NEC holds that the dynamic utilization of diverse human resources, and the incorporation of different perspectives 
and ideas, are essential to the creation of new value and innovation. NEC thus promotes diversity and inclusion 
with this view in mind. 

Furthermore, in April 2017, NEC launched the “Data Distribution 
Strategy Office.” It has been working in active cooperation with external 
experts to promote initiatives for personal data usage focusing on 
privacy such as strategy and solution planning, policy proposals and 
communication to related stakeholders. 

Measures to Protect Privacy

In recent years, new businesses have emerged from the collection and 
usage of data from a broad range of devices, through evolutionary 
advancements in IoT and other technologies. While these technologies 
may, on the one hand, benefit society, they can also open the way to 
violations of human rights from the consumer’s standpoint. 

Privacy protection in data usage is a particularly important human 
rights issue, and NEC works on it actively with governments, research 
institutes and ICT companies. 

Aiming to promote business that makes use of visual images, NEC 
has led the launch of an investigative project that calls for cooperation 
from 35 companies and research institutes to create rules that protect 
the privacy of the consumer. The rules drafted by this project were 
proposed to a working group established by the relevant ministry and 
agencies for reviewing how to treat visual images in terms of privacy 
protection. This led to the publication of an official guidebook on the 
use of visual images and the protection of privacy. 

Meeting on protecting privacy as data is utilized

Responding to the Modern Slavery Act

The Modern Slavery Act 2015 (“MSA”) is one of the most important 
pieces	of	legislation	regarding	human	rights	in	the	UK.	From	the	fiscal	
year	ended	March	31,	2017,	NEC	created	opportunities	in	the	UK	and	
Japan for employees to learn about and debate the MSA, with the goal 
of deepening understanding of the law. 

In September 2016, NEC Europe issued its first statement in 

reference to NEC Europe, its subsidiaries and supply chain working to 
be in accordance with Section 54 of the MSA. 

Based on the goals of the MSA, NEC Europe conducts audits to assess 

risks in its supply chain, such as forced labor and human trafficking.

51

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Human Rights and Diversity

Career Formation and Raising Awareness for Women

In the rapidly changing world of ICT, increasing the number of human 
resources that possess diverse perspectives and ideas is a vital concern. 
With this in mind, NEC has proactively sought to hire more women 
from scientific backgrounds since 1980. 

During the fiscal year under review, NEC held “Summer Riko-Challe 
2016” (Science and Engineering Challenge 2016), a dialogue event for 
junior high and high school girls aimed at conveying the excitement of 
working in the computer science and engineering field. Through a 
showroom tour and conversations with female researchers and 
engineers, the event provided a great opportunity for participants to 
witness how R&D and product development contribute to society, and 
to feel how closely ICT affects their lives.

Scene from Summer Riko-Challe 2016

Providing Society with More 
Individualized Services from a Female 
Perspective

President, Japan Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics; Vice President,  
The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (IEICE);  
Member of the Science Council of Japan; Senior Engineer,  
NEC Security Research Laboratories 
Kazue Sako

“I have been involved in encryption and security research since joining NEC. There is a co-creative effort gaining 
momentum globally around the creation of a secure, robust and fair networked society that respects privacy. 
Cryptography has emerged as a technology for protecting individual information, even from organizations that 
possess massive volumes of information or crunch large amounts of data. With blockchain technology, the aim is to 
realize both fairness and transparency without relying on a central authority. 

Roughly half of the people in our world are women. Incorporating that perspective, we will provide services to 

society that are more closely tailored to individuals.”

Participation in “Summer Riko-Challe 2016”  
as a senior female researcher 

Co-creation Activities with Customers Incorporating Diverse Perspectives

In	October	2016,	Mr.	Daisuke	Uehara,	a	silver	medalist	in	Para	ice	
hockey at the 2010 Paralympic Games in Vancouver joined NEC. By 
promoting branding and co-creation activities with customers that 

leverage	Mr.	Uehara’s	insight	as	a	Paralympian,	NEC	is	taking	steps	to	
make society defined by diversity a reality. 

Paralympian Perspective Comes to NEC

Tokyo Olympics and  
Paralympics Promotion Division, NEC
Daisuke Uehara

“After giving a lecture at NEC on para-sports, I received a request from NEC helping NEC employees incorporate a 
Paralympian perspective in the run up to 2020. This culminated in me formally joining NEC. Many of our local 
government customers have some unease about the decision – what exactly should they be doing ahead of 2020? 
Would paralympians be looking to use local gymnasiums? I personally pay visits to these customers, doing my best 
to assist them in taking first steps in these directions. 

While collaborating with regional headquarters and branches across Japan, my hope is to solve issues that local 

governments face for 2020 and beyond, and thereby build even friendlier relationships with them.”

52

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Initiatives Supporting  Sustainable ManagementFurther Promotion of Environmental Management Contributing  
to the Realization of a “Sustainable Earth”

In line with the seven themes of social value innovation under the “Orchestrating a 
brighter world” campaign, NEC is promoting co-creation with customers and gaining 
recognition from them for providing great value toward solving environmental issues. 
That value has come to be incorporated into our business thinking. The kind of 
“environmental management” we should strive for would not simply work to preserve 
the Company’s environment, but would create a business on its own that contributes to 
the resolution of environmental issues. I believe we have come close to achieving this.
Meanwhile, in 2015 the UN proposed its “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” and a 
worldwide agreement on policy to combat climate change was reached in the Paris 
Agreement. In response to all of this, NEC aims to contribute to the realization of a 
“Sustainable Earth” as a sustainable company that is conscious of our coexistence with 
the planet. We have been working from 2016 on expanding value provided that focuses 
on measures to combat climate change.

Nobuhiro Odake
Executive Vice President
In charge of the Supply Chain 
Management	Unit

Promotion of the “NEC Group Environmental Management Action Plan 2020/2030,” 
the Key to Our Measures Against Climate Change

NEC has devised the “NEC Group Environmental Management Action 
Plan 2020/2030” as a medium- to long-term target, positioning 
climate change as a high priority theme (materiality) and working to 
resolve social issues pertaining to the environment. The three points on 
the right are our measures related to climate change.

1. Contribution to “mitigation” of climate change

  Reduction in emissions of customers and society through 
the provision of IT solutions
  Improvement in product energy efficiency

2. Contribution to “adaptation” to climate change
  Preparing for the impacts of climate change through the 
provision of Solutions for Society

3. Reduction of emissions from business activities
  Improvement in CO2 emission through efficiency of 
energy use during business activities 
  Conversion to renewable energy 

Developing an Original Method to Quantitatively Evaluate “Adaptation” to Climate Change

NEC is developing and providing systems that support safe and secure 
lifestyles, such as preventative measures against natural disaster risks 
that increase from climate change, and effective evacuation guidance for 
times when disasters strike. One example is our “Flood and Landslide 
Simulation System,” which uses ICT such as NEC’s unique sensing and Big 
Data technologies to “visualize” the risks of landslides or flooding. 
Additionally, in regard to issues such as overstocking and losses from 
waste, which could also be considered modern-day food problems, NEC’s 
“Product Demand Forecasting Solution,” based on its independently 
developed heterogeneous mixture learning technology, can greatly 
reduce defects, overstocking, and waste losses by eliminating 
mismatches between manufacturing, distribution, and sales.

In order to expand this kind of value in a controlled, goal-oriented 
manner, NEC has worked with the Waseda Environmental Institute to 
jointly develop a quantitative method for considering the reduction of 

impact from climate change through IT solutions as equivalent to 
suppression of CO2 emissions. By propagating these kinds of ideas, we 
are helping to further accelerate our “adaptation” to climate change.

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Set “conversion factor” 
from correlations

It can be deemed true 
that if the impact can be 
reduced, emissions may 
also be suppressed.

If emissions increase, 
impact also increases.

Increase in CO2 emissions

53

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Further Promotion of Environmental Management Contributing to the Realization of a “Sustainable Earth”

Aiming for Five Times the Value Provided Against Environmental Burden

By using these kinds of quantitative methods, NEC hopes to provide 
five times more value against the environmental impact of its supply 
chain by 2020. The results for fiscal 2016 were that we increased the 

value we provided up to 2.4 times our environmental burden. We will 
continue to aim for our goal, promoting greater value provided and 
reducing the environmental impact of our supply chain.

Progress on achieving climate change objects 
(July 2014 announcement)

FY2015

FY2016

FY2017

FY2020 (target)

Contribution

11.81  
Million tons

14.88 
Million tons

18.53  
Million tons

Impact

9.5 
Million tons

9.68 
Million tons

7.76 
Million tons

1.2 times

1.5 times

2.4 times

50  
Million tons

10 
Million tons

5 times

Improvements to Environmental Management through Dialogue with Our Stakeholders

Holding Meetings on ESG with Institutional Investors

In response to an increasing need among investors for ESG 
information, we are promoting greater understanding of our efforts in 
non-financial areas. As we grasp the ESG information requested by 
investors, we are aiming to improve our disclosure of information, and 
in July 2016, we held an IR meeting specializing in the “E” 
(environment) of ESG. 15 institutional investors from 13 companies 
participated in the meeting, leading to lively discussion with questions 
such as a request to more clearly show the connection between 
environmental activities and the management index, or what our 
future plans are for expanding the scale of our businesses related to 
SDGs. We received comments from participants that indicated they 
were better able to understand after hearing explanations in the 
directors’ own words, and that their impression of NEC improved after 
the meeting. We also received positive feedback expressing interest in 
participating in the next meeting.

IR Meeting

54

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Initiatives Supporting  Sustainable ManagementParticipation in SPEAR, a joint development project for a next-generation electricity network in Singapore

Along with Space-Time Insight, which has delivered numerous data 
analysis	and	visualization	solutions,	mainly	to	major	European	and	US	
power companies, NEC and NEC Asia Pacific are participating in the 
Singapore Power Energy Advanced Research and Development (SPEAR), 
a next-generation power grid joint development project promoted by 
Singapore Power, which is Singapore’s largest electricity company. In 
this project, we are investigating efficiency improvement of capital 
investment and maintenance based on big data analysis, real-time 
visualization and analysis of power failures, and advanced power failure 
management that accurately predicts expected recovery time.

Taking advantage of the experience we gain through this collaborative 

project, we will accelerate the creation of new technologies and 
solutions that combine ICT and energy, and will continue to further 
expand the smart energy business in the Asia-Pacific region.

Commemorative photo of participants

Trial using flood and landslide simulation system in Thailand

In collaboration with the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC), 
NEC conducted a trial of its system to predict inundation areas and 
landslide hazard areas.

Thailand is a country where floods are frequent. The flood of the Chao 

Phraya River in 2011 was a particularly damaging event, resulting in 
extensive damage to many industrial parks and urban areas, including 
Bangkok. This caused severe disruption of the global supply chain, and 
had a major impact not only on the Thai economy but also on the world 
economy. Further, landslides caused by heavy rain are also a frequent 
occurrence in Thailand, and because of the extensive human suffering 
and material damage they cause and their negative impact on logistics 
due to road closures. For these reasons, countermeasures to mitigate 
damage from floods and landslides have become critical issues.

In these trials, NEC ran simulations based on various data such as 
weather, topography, river, and soil conditions to predict inundation 
areas, maximum flood levels, levels of landslide risk etc., for up to 7 
days in advance, and then confirmed the effectiveness of the system.

Going forward, NEC will continue to promote the advancement and 

utilization of disaster prevention ICT for floods and landslides in 
Thailand, and utilize the experience and know-how gained from these 
trials to proactively engage in the proposal of this system to other Asian 
countries that frequently suffer damages from floods and landslides.
This trial is NDWC’s first disaster prevention cooperation project 
between Thailand and Japan. NEC conducted this trial in collaboration 
with the Embassy of Japan in Thailand as part of the “Research and 
study for the development of a flooding simulator in Thailand” project 
commissioned by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and 
Communications, and the “Research and study for the development of 
a landslide simulator in Thailand” project.

Simulation screen

55

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Financial Section

57  Consolidated Statements of Financial Position

59  Consolidated Statements of Profit or Loss

60  Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

61  Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity

62  Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Note: Please refer to the separate publication “Annual Report 2017 (Financials)” for details of “Note XX” on pages 57 to 62.

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017

56

Corporate DataConsolidated Statements of Financial Position
NEC Corporation and Subsidiaries 
Years	Ended	March	31,	2016	and	2017

Millions of yen

2016

2017

assets

Current assets

Cash and cash equivalents (Note 16)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

¥   192,323

¥   239,970

Trade and other receivables (Note 15)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Inventories (Note 14)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Other financial assets  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

933,914

211,992

7,651

Other current assets  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

107,456

952,258

205,855

4,485

106,169

total current assets   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

1,453,336

1,508,737

non-current assets

Property, plant and equipment, net (Notes 8 and 10)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Goodwill (Notes 9 and 10)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Intangible assets (Notes 9 and 10)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Investments accounted for using the equity method (Note 12)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Other financial assets   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Deferred tax assets (Note 13)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Other non-current assets (Notes 10 and 21)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

343,323

56,141

118,019

90,346

254,917

196,019

16,803

419,078

63,220

142,139

68,132

262,284

156,622

63,784

total non-current assets  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

1,075,568

1,175,259

total assets  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

¥2,528,904

¥2,683,996

See notes to consolidated financial statements.

57

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Millions of yen

2016

2017

liabilities and equity

liabilities

Current liabilities

Trade and other payables (Note 24)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

¥   503,375

¥   497,051

Bonds and borrowings (Note 20)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Accruals  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Other financial liabilities  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Accrued income taxes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Provisions (Note 23) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

155,454

157,403

13,555

13,445

40,318

118,915

155,161

12,507

21,014

52,210

Other current liabilities (Note 22)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

137,135

145,683

total current liabilities  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

1,020,685

1,002,541

non-current liabilities

Bonds and borrowings (Note 20)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

318,435

Other financial liabilities  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

9,365

Defined benefit liabilities (Note 21)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

297,756

Provisions (Note 23)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Other non-current liabilities (Note 22)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

15,336

30,107

342,854

8,285

264,272

13,736

36,242

total non-current liabilities  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

670,999

665,389

Total liabilities   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

1,691,684

1,667,930

equity

Share capital (Note 18)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Share premium (Note 18)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Retained earnings (Note 18)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Treasury shares (Note 18)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Other components of equity (Notes 18 and 21)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

total equity attributable to owners of the parent  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Non-controlling interests (Note 11)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

total equity  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

397,199

147,755

223,883

(3,077)

4,067

769,827

67,393

837,220

397,199

147,879

235,601

(3,101)

76,686

854,264

161,802

1,016,066

total liabilities and equity  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

¥2,528,904

¥2,683,996

58

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Corporate DataConsolidated Statements of Profit or Loss 
NEC Corporation and Subsidiaries 
Years	Ended	March	31,	2016	and	2017

Revenue (Notes 6 and 25)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

¥2,824,833

¥2,665,035

Cost of sales (Notes 14 and 28)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

1,984,748

1,909,414

gross profit  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

840,085

755,621

Millions of yen

2016

2017

Selling, general and administrative expenses (Note 28)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

725,960

698,413

Other operating income (loss) (Note 27)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

(22,707)

(15,370)

operating profit (Note 6)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

91,418

41,838

Financial income (Notes 6 and 29)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Financial costs (Notes 6 and 29)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Share of profit of entities accounted for using the equity method (Note 6)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

income before income taxes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

11,703

21,746

5,178

86,553

38,420

20,817

8,617

68,058

Income taxes (Note 13)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

3,359

32,834

net profit  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

¥     83,194

¥     35,224

net profit attributable to

Owners of the parent  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Non-controlling interests   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

75,923

7,271

27,310

7,914

¥     83,194

¥     35,224

earnings per share attributable to owners of the parent

Basic earnings per share (yen) (Note 31)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Diluted earnings per share (yen) (Note 31)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

29.22

—

10.51

10.51

See notes to consolidated financial statements. 

59

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017 
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
NEC Corporation and Subsidiaries 
Years	Ended	March	31,	2016	and	2017

net profit

other comprehensive income, net of tax

items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss

Millions of yen

2016

2017

¥    83,194

¥  35,224

Remeasurements of defined benefit plans (Notes 18 and 21)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

(88,202)

Share of other comprehensive income of associates (Note 18)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

(1,822)

Total items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

(90,024)

56,276

534

56,810

items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss

Exchange differences on translating foreign operations (Note 18)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

(11,863)

(1,869)

Cash flow hedges (Note 18)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

(30)

Available-for-sale financial assets (Note 18)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

(13,841)

Share of other comprehensive income of associates (Note 18)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

(4,125)

Total items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

(29,859)

total other comprehensive income, net of tax  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

(119,883)

623

15,533

702

14,989

71,799

total comprehensive income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

¥   (36,689)

¥107,023

total comprehensive income attributable to

Owners of the parent  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

(41,170)

Non-controlling interests   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

4,481

99,929

7,094

¥   (36,689)

¥107,023

See notes to consolidated financial statements. 

60

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Corporate Data 
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity
NEC Corporation and Subsidiaries 
Years	Ended	March	31,	2016	and	2017

Equity attributable to owners of the parent

Millions of yen

Share  
capital

Share 
premium

Retained 
earnings

Treasury  
shares

Other 
components  
of equity

Total

Non-
controlling 
interests

Total equity

as of april 1, 2015  . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

¥397,199

¥147,415

¥158,356

¥(3,025)

¥  121,160

¥  821,105

¥   66,534

¥    887,639

Net profit    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Other comprehensive  
income (Note 18)  . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Comprehensive income  . . . . . . . .   

Purchase of treasury shares   
(Note 18) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Disposal of treasury shares   
(Note 18) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Cash dividends (Note 19)  . . . . . . .   

Changes in interests in  
subsidiaries   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

total transactions with owners  .   

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

(2)

—

342

340

75,923

—

75,923

—

—

(10,396)

—

—

—

—

(56)

4

—

—

(10,396)

(52)

—

75,923

7,271

83,194

(117,093)

(117,093)

(2,790)

(119,883)

(117,093)

(41,170)

4,481

(36,689)

—

— 

—

—

—

(56)

2

—

—

(56)

2

(10,396)

(2,214)

(12,610)

342

(10,108)

(1,408)

(3,622)

(1,066)

(13,730)

as of march 31, 2016  . . . . . . . . . .   

¥397,199

¥147,755

¥223,883

¥(3,077)

¥       4,067

¥  769,827

¥   67,393

¥    837,220

Equity attributable to owners of the parent

Millions of yen

Share  
capital

Share 
premium

Retained 
earnings

Treasury  
shares

Other 
components  
of equity

Total

Non-
controlling 
interests

Total equity

as of april 1, 2016  . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

¥397,199

¥147,755

¥223,883

¥(3,077)

¥   4,067

¥769,827

¥   67,393

¥    837,220

Net profit    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Other comprehensive  
income (Note 18)  . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Comprehensive income  . . . . . . . .   

Purchase of treasury shares   
(Note 18) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Disposal of treasury shares   
(Note 18) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Cash dividends (Note 19)  . . . . . . .   

Subscription rights to shares   . . . .   

Changes in interests in  
subsidiaries   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

total transactions with owners  .   

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

(2)

—

5

121

124

27,310

—

27,310

—

—

(15,592)

—

—

—

—

—

(26)

3

—

—

—

(15,592)

(23)

—

27,310

7,914

35,224

72,619

72,619

72,619

99,929

(820)

7,094

71,799

107,023

—

— 

—

—

—

—

(26)

1

—

—

(26)

1

(15,592)

(2,386)

(17,978)

5

121

(15,491)

—

5

89,701

87,315

89,822

71,824

as of march 31, 2017  . . . . . . . . . .   

¥397,199

¥147,879

¥235,601

¥(3,101)

¥76,686

¥854,264

¥161,802

¥1,016,066

See notes to consolidated financial statements. 

61

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
NEC Corporation and Subsidiaries 
Years	Ended	March	31,	2016	and	2017

Cash flows from operating activities

Income before income taxes   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Depreciation and amortization (Note 6)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Impairment loss (Notes 6 and 10)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Increase (decrease) in provisions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Financial income  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Financial costs   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Share of (profit) loss of entities accounted for using the equity method   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Decrease (increase) in trade and other receivables  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Decrease (increase) in inventories  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Increase (decrease) in trade and other payables  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Others, net   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Subtotal  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Interest and dividends received  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Interest paid  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Income taxes paid  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
net cash provided by operating activities  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  

Cash flows from investing activities

Purchases of property, plant and equipment  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Proceeds from sales of property, plant and equipment   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Acquisitions of intangible assets  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Purchases of available-for-sale financial assets   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Proceeds from sales of available-for-sale financial assets  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Purchase of shares of newly consolidated subsidiaries  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Acquisitions of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Proceeds from sales of shares of subsidiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Disbursements for sales of shares of subsidiaries  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Purchases of investments in affiliated companies  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Proceeds from sales of investments in affiliated companies   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Proceeds from collection of loans receivable  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Others, net   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
net cash provided by / (used in) investing activities   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  

Cash flows from financing activities

Increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings, net   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Proceeds from long-term borrowings (Note 20)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Repayments of long-term borrowings (Note 20)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Proceeds from issuance of bonds (Note 20)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Redemption of bonds (Note 20)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Dividends paid (Note 19)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Dividends paid to non-controlling interests  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Others, net   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
net cash used in financing activities  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Cash and cash equivalents, at the beginning of the year   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Cash and cash equivalents, at the end of the year (note 16)   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  

See notes to consolidated financial statements. 

Millions of yen

2016

2017

¥     86,553
83,771
13,463
(6,454)
(11,703)
21,746
(5,178)
47,897
7,182
(49,602)
(60,293)
127,382
5,845
(10,007)
(25,391)
97,829

(32,522)
2,746
(8,316)
(892)
7,616
—
36
556
(385)
(4,380)
204
584
2,551
(32,202)

14,790
4,059
(15,827)
50,000
(90,000)
(10,368)
(2,214)
(522)
(50,082)
(4,354)
11,191
181,132
¥   192,323

¥     68,058
80,376
2,571
12,302
(38,420)
20,817
(8,617)
22,201
22,659
(31,666)
(43,141)
107,140
5,866
(8,646)
(11,835)
92,525

(37,201)
2,676
(7,888)
(4,117)
4,359
(984)
11,220
339
—
(162)
23,698
12,958
1,527
6,425

15,228
204,082
(240,127)
—
(10,000)
(15,592)
(2,386)
(86)
(48,881)
(2,422)
47,647
192,323
¥   239,970

62

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Corporate DataNon-Financial Section
NEC Corporation and Consolidated Subsidiaries 
For the years ended or at year-end of March 31, 2016 and 2017

CO2 emissions reduction by  
  providing IT solutions  � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,620 

2,630 

Thousand tons

Number of employees  
  by region Total   � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �  98,726  107,729  People

2016

2017

Units

2016

2017

Units

Improvement in energy  
  efficiency of products*1   � � � � � � � � � � � �

97 

17 

%

Greenhouse gas emissions*2*3 

Scope 1  � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 59 

54 

Thousand tons

Scope 2  � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 299 

296 

Thousand tons

Scope 3  � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �9,286 

7,410 

Thousand tons

Energy usage*3

Electricity   � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �5,689 

5,708 

Thousand GJ*4

Gas   � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �1,070 

938 

Thousand GJ

Fuel (heavy oil and kerosene)  � � � � � � �

99 

131 

Thousand GJ

Water usage*3  � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �2,294 

2,240 

Thousand m3

Industrial waste*3

Emission volume 
  (general waste + industrial waste)  � �

35 

26 

Thousand tons

Resource reuse rate  � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 87�2 

90.6 

%

Japan  � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �  77,455 

80,478  People

China/East Asia  � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 

4,058 

5,329  People

Asia Pacific � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 

7,678 

9,347  People

EMEA  � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 

4,948 

5,406  People

North America  � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 

2,495 

2,819  People

Latin America   � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 

2,092 

4,350  People

Ratio of outside directors to  
  all directors*5   � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 

Number of female managers*3*5  
  (As of April 1 of each year)  � � � � � � � � � � 

Ratio of female managers*3*5  
  (As of April 1 of each year)  � � � � � � � � � � 

Ratio of employees  
  with disabilities*5 
(As of June 1 of each year)  � � � � � � � � � � 

Number of people of  
  utilizing childcare leave*3*5   � � � � 

Number of people of  
  utilizing nursing care leave*3*5  � � � 

Average age of employees*3*5  � � � 

Average length of  
  employment*3*5  � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 

Labor accidents and  
  disasters*3*6

45�5 

45.5 

%

374 

368  People

5�4 

5.5 

%

2�07*3

2.04

%

395

376 People

19

42�9

18 People

43.1 Years old

18�6

18.8

Years

Frequency rate  � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 

Severity rate   � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 

0�25

0�00 

0.18

0.00 

*1  Figures for 2016 are a comparison to March 2006 fiscal year products� Due to a revision in baseline comparison year, 2017 figures are a comparison to March 2014 fiscal year products�  

*2  Greenhouse gas refers to CO2 (carbon dioxide), CH4 (methane), N2O (nitrous oxide), HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons), PFCs (perfluorocarbons), SF6 (sulphur hexafluoride), and NF3 (nitrogen trifluoride)� 

Greenhouse gas emissions are calculated based on the following categories stated by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol)�
Scope 1: Direct GHG emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by the Company
Scope 2: Indirect GHG emissions from consumption of purchased electricity, heat or steam
Scope 3: Other indirect emissions covering corporate upstream and downstream processes not included in Scope 2

*3  External assurance received� 

*4  Gigajoules

*5  Scope: NEC Corporation

*6  Scope: NEC Corporation 

Frequency rate: Number of deaths and injuries due to industrial accidents divided by total working hours times one million 
Severity rate: Number of lost working days divided by total working hours times one thousand

63

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017 
 
 
Corporate Overview

Company name 

NEC Corporation

organization Chart

address 

7-1, Shiba 5-chome, Minato-ku,  
Tokyo 108-8001, Japan

established 

July 17, 1899

number of employees 

107,729  
(NEC Corporation and consolidated subsidiaries)  
(As of March 31, 2017)

total number of Shares issued

2,604,732,635 shares (As of March 31, 2017)

Stock exchange listing 

Tokyo (Securities Code: 6701)

Shareholder register administrator 

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Limited 
1-4-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Classification of Shareholders (Shareholding ratio)
(As of March 31, 2017)

Japanese Individuals and Others
31.15%

Japanese Government and  
Local Government
0.00%

number of  
Shareholders:
200,152

Financial Institutions
30.28%

Securities Companies
2.73%

Other Corporations
3.48%

Foreign Investors
32.36%

President

Board

Business	Innovation	Unit

System	Integration,	Services	&	Engineering	Operations	Unit

Supply	Chain	Management	Unit

Global	Business	Unit

Regional Headquarters (RHQs)

Public	Solutions	Business	Unit

Branch Offices

Public	Infrastructure	Business	Unit

Enterprise	Business	Unit

Telecom	Carrier	Business	Unit

System	Platform	Business	Unit

Central Research Laboratories

Corporate Staff

major Shareholders (Top 10) (As of March 31, 2017)

Name of Shareholders

Number of Shares Held 
(Thousands of Shares)

Shareholding Ratio  
(%)

Japan Trustee Services Bank, Ltd. (Trust Account)

The Master Trust Bank of Japan, Ltd. (Trust Account)

Nomura	International	(Hong	Kong)	Limited	-	Unclaimed	Client	Account

Japan Trustee Services Bank, Ltd. (Trust Account No.9)

Bnymsanv	As	Agent	/	Clients	Lux	Ucits	Non	Treaty	1

NEC Employee Shareholding Association

Japan Trustee Services Bank, Ltd. (Trust Account No.5)

Trust & Custody Services Bank, Ltd. (Trust Collateral Account)

Nippon Life Insurance Company

Japan Trustee Services Bank, Ltd. (Trust Account No.4)

Note: The shareholding ratio is calculated by excluding the number of treasury stock (6,086,347 shares).

123,516

116,590

78,141

59,617

58,250

52,439

50,513

42,833

41,977

41,414

4.75

4.49

3.01

2.29

2.24

2.02

1.94

1.65

1.62

1.59

64

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017Corporate Data 
 
 
 
 
 
Cautionary Statement with respect to Forward-looking Statements
This material contains forward-looking statements regarding estimations, forecasts, targets and plans in relation to the results of operations, financial conditions and other overall 
management of the NEC Group (the “forward-looking statements"). The forward-looking statements are made based on information currently available to NEC and certain assumptions 
considered reasonable as of the date of this material. These determinations and assumptions are inherently subjective and uncertain. These forward-looking statements are not  
guarantees of future performance, and actual operating results may differ substantially due to a number of factors.
The factors that may influence the operating results include, but are not limited to, the following:
•	Effects	of	economic	conditions,	volatility	in	the	markets	generally,	and	fluctuations	in	foreign	currency	exchange	and	interest	rate
•	Trends	and	factors	beyond	the	NEC	Group's	control	and	fluctuations	in	financial	conditions	and	profits	of	the	NEC	Group	that	are	caused	by	external	factors
•	Risks	arising	from	acquisitions,	business	combinations	and	reorganizations,	including	the	possibility	that	the	expected	benefits	cannot	be	realized	or	that	the	transactions	may	result	in	

unanticipated adverse consequences

•	Developments	in	the	NEC	Group's	alliances	with	strategic	partners
•	Effects	of	expanding	the	NEC	Group's	global	business
•	Risk	that	the	NEC	Group	may	fail	to	keep	pace	with	rapid	technological	developments	and	changes	in	customer	preferences
•	Risk	that	the	NEC	Group	may	lose	sales	due	to	problems	with	the	production	process	or	due	to	its	failure	to	adapt	to	demand	fluctuations
•	Defects	in	products	and	services
•	Shortcomings	in	material	procurement	and	increases	in	delivery	cost
•	Acquisition	and	protection	of	intellectual	property	rights	necessary	for	the	operation	of	business
•	Risk	that	intellectual	property	licenses	owned	by	third	parties	cannot	be	obtained	and/or	are	discontinued
•	Risk	that	the	NEC	Group	may	be	exposed	to	unfavorable	pricing	environment	due	to	intensified	competition 
•	Risk	that	a	major	customer	changes	investment	targets,	reduces	capital	investment	and/or	reduces	the	value	of	transactions	with	the	NEC	Group
•	Risk	that	the	NEC	Group	may	be	unable	to	provide	or	facilitate	payment	arrangements	(such	as	vendor	financing)	to	its	customers	on	terms	acceptable	to	them	or	at	all,	or	risk	that	the	

NEC	Group's	customers	are	unable	to	make	payments	on	time,	due	to	the	customers'	financial	difficulties	or	otherwise

•	Risk	that	the	NEC	Group	may	experience	a	substantial	loss	of,	or	an	inability	to	attract,	talented	personnel
•	Risk	that	the	NEC	Group's	ability	to	access	the	commercial	paper	market	or	other	debt	markets	are	adversely	affected	due	to	a	downgrade	in	its	credit	rating
•	Risk	that	the	NEC	Group	may	incur	large	costs	and/or	liabilities	in	relation	to	internal	control,	legal	proceedings,	laws	and	governmental	policies,	environmental	laws	and	regulations,	

tax practice, information management, and human rights and working environment

•	Consequences	of	natural	and	fire	disasters
•	Changes	in	methods,	estimates	and	judgments	that	the	NEC	Group	uses	in	applying	its	accounting	policies 
•	Risk	that	the	NEC	Group	may	incur	liabilities	and	losses	in	relation	to	its	retirement	benefit	obligations
The forward-looking statements contained in this material are based on information that NEC possesses as of the date hereof. New risks and uncertainties come up from time to time, and 
it is impossible for NEC to predict these events or how they may affect the NEC Group. NEC does not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new 
information, future events or otherwise.

trademarks
•	NEC	is	a	registered	trademark	of	NEC	Corporation	in	Japan	and	other	countries.
•	All	other	names	may	be	trademarks	of	their	respective	owners.

65

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 2017The information contained in Annual Report 2017 is also available on NEC’s website.

NEC home page

http://www.nec.com

Corporate Social Responsibility
http://www.nec.com/en/global/csr
NEC discloses information concerning sustainable management in line 
with ESG issues and constantly strives to enhance presentation of this 
information on its website.

Division  
in Charge

CSR Promotion and Social Contributions Office,  
Corporate Communications Division

Investor Relations
http://www.nec.com/en/global/ir
Posted on the NEC Investor Relations (IR) website are IR presentation 
materials and other documents, NEC’s financial position and business 
results, stock and bond information, and much more. NEC constantly 
strives to enhance the disclosure on this website.

Division  
in Charge

Investor Relations Office,  
Corporate Strategy Division

66

NEC Corporation   Annual Report 20177-1, Shiba 5-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8001, Japan
Telephone: +81-3-3454-1111 

ISSN 0910-8229
©NEC Corporation 2017
Printed in Japan