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NEC Corp.
Annual Report 2021

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FY2021 Annual Report · NEC Corp.
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Integrated Report

2021

 
NEC creates the social values of safety, security, fairness  

and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where 

everyone has the chance to reach their full potential.

NEC Way

Our Stance as a Company

Purpose 

NEC creates the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to 

promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach 

their full potential.

Principles 

The Founding Spirit of “Better Products, Better Services,” Uncompromising 

Integrity and Respect for Human Rights, and Relentless Pursuit of Innovation

The NEC Way is a common set of 

values that form the basis for how the 

entire NEC Group conducts itself.

Our Stance as Good Businesspeople

Code of Values  

Code of Conduct  

01

By putting the NEC Way into practice,  
we will create social value.
Since its founding, NEC has worked to provide social value  

by putting forth its own unique approach to each era.  

We will pursue innovation and work to realize NEC’s Purpose, 

with the goal of living harmoniously with the earth and  

creating mutual understanding between people,  

no matter the era, no matter the conditions. 

NEC Integrated Report 202102

Life

NEC 2030VISION

Global warming, the destruction of the environ-

ment, food and water shortages, energy issues, 

 economic disparities—these are some of the many 

global issues that stand in the way of realizing our 

vision of society. To realize our Purpose in a time of 

rapid social change, we have put together NEC 

2030VISION as a compass to indicate the business 

direction and path for NEC to follow. 

Life

Society

Environment

Changing Consumer Needs

Consumer needs can be categorized into three layers. At the base is the 

“Environment,” which forms the foundation of life for all people and 

organisms on earth. Above that is “Society,” the basis on which cities, 

work, and communication are supported. The highest layer is “Life,” which 

 supports and improves the comfort and lifestyles of consumers in their 

daily lives. These three layers are our starting points for value creation.

Society

Environ- 
ment

03

Bringing people together and filling  
each day with inspiration

Fostering mental and physical well-being and long life

Improvement of lifestyle

Free and open learning opportunities

Nurturing prosperous cities with inclusive  
and harmonious societies

Creating sustainable societies  
by shaping new industries and workstyles

Sharing hopes that transcend time, space,  
and generational boundaries

Democratization of data use

Social stability through data democratization

Free and equal communication services

Cities without traffic congestion and accidents

Government services from the consumer’s perspective

Safe and secure cyberspace

Closing the gap in employment opportunities

Living harmoniously with the earth  
to secure the future

Realization of a decarbonized society

Implementation of global warming countermeasures

Guaranteeing food and water security

NEC Integrated Report 202104

NEC Initiatives for Contributing to the Achievement of the SDGs
In 2005, NEC became a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, a global initiative aimed at sustainable growth for society 

and companies. We are now promoting corporate activities based on the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact pertaining to 

the four fields of human rights, labor, the environment, and anti-corruption, which align with “uncompromising integrity and 

respect for human rights,” one of the Principles of the NEC Way. Moreover, each and every member of the NEC Group, from officers to 

employees, performs their day-to-day activities based on the NEC Group Code of Conduct. 

 Furthermore, based on the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact, the SDGs pledge that “no one will be left behind” is aligned 

with the NEC Purpose, to “promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential.”

 Information and communications technology (ICT) has the potential for responding to a variety of issues. Therefore, we believe 

that we can contribute significantly to all of the targets set out in the SDGs by drawing on our leading-edge technologies in such 

fields as AI (biometrics, etc.) and 5G, as well as our competence in R&D and implementation as we engage in dialogue and co-

creation with a range of stakeholders.

NEC 2030VISION and Areas of Contribution (Fiscal 2022 and Onward)
We believe that by working to fulfill the NEC 2030VISION, we can contribute to the achievement of the following SDGs in particular. 

We take hints from the SDGs to point out the issues and challenges facing society and use the SDGs as a guide when setting targets 

for creating social value—which we aim to do through our business—and also for managing progress. 

No Poverty

Zero Hunger

Health

Education

Gender Equality Water and 
Sanitation

Energy

Employment

Infrastructure

No Inequality

Cities

Consumption 
and Production

Climate Action

Oceans

Land

Peace and 
Justice

Partnerships

Living harmoniously 
with the earth to 
secure the future ● ●

● ●

●

●

● ●

●

●

●

●

● ● ● ●

● ●

● ● ●

●

●

Nurturing prosper-
ous cities with 
inclusive and 
harmonious 
societies

Creating sustainable 
societies by shaping 
new industries and 
workstyles

Sharing hopes that 
transcend time, 
space, and 
generational 
boundaries

Bringing people 
together and filling 
each day with 
inspiration

● ●

●

● ●

NEC Integrated Report 2021

05

Contents

Cover Story

NEC’s Past, Present, and Future
06	 Message	from	the	President
14	
16	 What	is	NEC

NEC’s	Value	Creation	Journey

NEC’s Business Model
18	
20	

Value	Creation	Process

	Review	of	the	Mid-term	Management	

Plan	2020

22	 Mid-term	Management	Plan	2025
30	
34	

R&D	and	Business	Development

CFO	Message

38	 Roundtable:		Creating	Social	Value	

through	NEC’s	R&D

NEC,	for	Those	Who	Seek	Challenge

43	 CHRO	Message

44	 Messages	from	Employees

	Living	Harmoniously	with	the	Earth		

to	Secure	the	Future

At	a	Glance

Business	Overview

40	

46	

50	
52	

Management That Supports 

 Corporate Value Creation
58	
Risks	and	Opportunities
60	
62	
64	

Supply	Chain	Sustainability

Respecting	Human	Rights

Corporate	Governance

70	

72	

69	 Messages	from	Outside	Directors

	Directors	and	Audit	&	Supervisory		

Board	Members

	Cross-Company	Corporate	Strategy	

Promotion	Framework

Corporate Data
74	
76	

Corporate	Overview

Financial	and	Non-Financial	Highlights

Editorial Policy

NEC has published annual reports containing both financial and 

non-financial information since 2013. Starting in 2018, having defined 

its materiality, NEC has changed the name of its annual report to the 

“Integrated Report.”

 Integrated Report 2021 comprises initiatives for achieving the NEC 

2030VISION and the Mid-term Management Plan 2025, which are 

based on NEC’s “Purpose.” NEC has also compiled a section on 

extremely high-profile human resources, focusing on the appeal of 

said human resources as well as NEC’s culture.

 The Message from the President explains the philosophy behind the 

NEC Way and the NEC 2030VISION, and the Mid-term Management 

Plan 2025 explains the strategic and cultural aspects. Furthermore, 

this report focuses on people, who are the driving force behind man-

agement implementation of NEC’s “Purpose,” and features roundtable 

discussions with young researchers and messages from our employ-

ees who are at the forefront of creating value. The report also sum-

marizes the management that supports the creation of corporate 

value, focusing on “materiality”—management priority themes from 

an ESG perspective.

 NEC will keep endeavoring to provide increasingly transparent and 

continuous information while incorporating feedback from various 

stakeholders.

Reporting Period

April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 (hereinafter referred to as “fiscal 2021”; 

all other fiscal years are 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

•  GRI Standards

•  United Nations Global Compact

•  International Integrated Reporting Council’s 

“International Integrated Reporting Framework”

•  Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s  

“Guidance for Collaborative Value Creation”

NEC is a signatory to the United 

Nations Global Compact.

Other Related Information

•  Earnings Releases/Annual Securities Report

•  Corporate Governance Report

•  Sustainability Report

•  Information Security Report

 
 
 
 
06

Message from the President

Takayuki Morita

President	and	CEO	(Representative	Director)

April  1983  Joined NEC Corporation

April  2002  General Manager, Business Development Division

April  2006  Senior Vice President, Executive General Manager,  

Corporate Business Development Unit

April  2008  Senior Vice President
July  2011  Executive Vice President

April  2016  Executive Vice President, CGO (Chief Global Officer)

June  2016  Executive Vice President, CGO and Member of the Board

April  2018  Senior Executive Vice President and Member of the Board  

(Representative Director)

June  2018  Senior Executive Vice President, CFO (Chief Financial Officer)  

and Member of the Board (Representative Director)

April  2021  President and CEO (Representative Director) (to present)

NEC’s Past, Present, and Future 
 
 
 
 
 
07

We will create new social value promoting 

digital transformation, thinking about the 

future of both society and our customers, 

with Purpose-driven Management at the 

foundation.

The spread of COVID-19 continues to have a massive impact on the world today. It has brought 

about many important changes to our lives, sometimes leading to benefits, other times exposing 

problems. While some of these changes were forward-facing, such as the acceleration of digitali-

zation and the expansion of workstyle reforms and cashless payments, the pandemic also shone 

a light on the sluggish efforts to digitalize Japanese society as well as the issue of the digital 

divide, making it a strong reminder of the impact of technology. 

  The pandemic, in a rather unplanned fashion, sped up the changes that would ring in the next 

generation of society, and after getting a glimpse into our ideal trajectory, I expect that there will 

be great strides taken toward the digitalization of society in the future. This experience has 

taught us that, if digitalization is to go forward, we cannot just transform our technology. We 

must also transform institutional and social systems, and we must transform our minds in a way 

that will accept these changes. For people’s minds to change, this transformation needs to take 

place without leaving the vulnerable behind; there needs to be an effort to build public trust 

toward digitalization and a willingness among every person, ourselves included, to adapt.

  Our lives along with the future of the country will change drastically depending on our efforts 

to digitalize. As a social value innovator, NEC will continue to call on its R&D and highly trusted 

social implementation technology to serve as a base for promoting digital transformation across 

society, and to create new social value as part of ensuring a better future for society and our 

customers.

NEC Integrated Report 202108

Message from the President

The NEC Way and the NEC 2030VISION
Creating a More Sustainable World Where Everyone Has the Chance  

to Reach Their Full Potential

Since its founding, NEC has created social value and engaged in social contribution by consis-

tently working to resolve social issues. Guided by our founding spirit of “Better Products, Better 

Services,” in 1977 we advocated for “C&C” (the integration of computers and communications), a 

concept that foresaw the internet-driven world of today and one that is spreading throughout 

our current society. 

  To determine our ideal direction for the future, we asked ourselves what NEC is as a  

company and what we should do going forward; we looked back on the strengths we had culti-

vated over our history and we reexamined our purpose for being. This reaffirmed our strengths 

when it came to technology for supporting Japan’s infrastructure and mission-critical systems, 

as well as our track record in these efforts. These strengths were something we could transform 

into new value that could contribute to society. Believing that this was our purpose for being, we 

made a declaration to become a social value innovator, in 2013.

  Subsequently, in April 2020 we redefined the NEC Way, a common set of values that form the 

basis for how the entire NEC Group conducts itself. As part of the NEC Way, we determined NEC’s 

Purpose, “Orchestrating a brighter world,” which involves creating “the social values of safety, 

security, fairness, and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the 

chance to reach their full potential.”

NEC Way

The NEC 2030VISION as a Compass for Management

If society identifies with our Purpose, I see it as confirmation that we are a trusted organization 

and that society sees value in NEC’s existence. To clarify what we are trying to achieve through 

this Purpose, we formulated the NEC 2030VISION to express what our ideal 2030 future looks like.

  The NEC 2030VISION looks at future customers and uses their ideal environment, society, and 

life as the three points of a compass aimed at showing the path and business direction for NEC to 

follow. If our direction is in sync with the society heading into the future, we should be able to 

overcome the various difficulties that come along the way to achieving this ideal.  

  By using our business activities to realize the NEC 2030VISION, we will be able to seize the 

future together.

NEC’s Past, Present, and Future09

Mid-term Management Plan 2025
Purpose-driven Management—A Combination of 

Strategy and Culture

The Mid-term Management Plan 2025 is a business plan 

Purpose

formulated to achieve the NEC Way and the NEC 

2030VISION. Since this five-year plan was set to take 

place over such a period of change, it was developed 

based on the idea that this plan should not be an exten-

sion of what we were already doing, and should instead 

be focused on investments that would transform the 

Company, as well as ensure that these investments 

were made responsibly until they began showing results. 

Strategy

Culture

To that end, we looked thoroughly into a resource plan that would better integrate our business 

and financial strategies and allow us to meet our expectations for business after five years’ time. 

  Purpose-driven Management, as we have defined it, involves working on strategy and culture 

as one. The plan’s strategy is aimed at achieving growth by translating NEC’s technological 

strengths into value for customers, and accelerating business expansion globally and transform-

ing business domestically. Our strategies and Purpose are realized by people. This means we 

need a strong culture that supports highly motivated human resources. Bearing this relationship 

in mind, we have positioned strategy and culture as one.

NEC’s Growth Model

NEC’s strengths lie in its R&D and its high-quality implementation capabilities, which it has used 

to support social and network infrastructure up to the present day. In order to convert these 

strengths into value for customers, we intend to develop technologies such as biometrics and AI 

into a shared platform, supplemented externally through M&As when necessary. We will then use 

these as a means to expand business, securing high profits and creating cash flow both globally 

and in Japan. Specifically, we will focus on digital government and digital finance as well as 

global 5G worldwide, including Japan.

  We are also working to transform our IT business in Japan. To do this, we will take advantage 

of two aspects of our business. The first of these is one of our strengths, the integration of our 

NEC’s Growth Model 

business from upstream consulting to downstream implementation, and the second is our 

shared platform, which features superior technology. Using these to their fullest, we will drive 

DIGITAL GOVERNMENT
DIGITAL FINANCE

GLOBAL 5G

Strong Focus

Biometrics

AI

CORE DX

5G/TOMS*

Cloud

+ M&A
+ M&A

Security

R&DR&D

Public & Communication 
Infrastructure

IT SERVICES &
PRODUCTS

Transformation

* Telecom operations and management solutions

1

© NEC Corporation 2021

NEC Integrated Report 202110

Message from the President

growth across our entire domestic business and enter new markets targeting the digital 

 transformation (DX) of society and companies.

  We will also optimize our existing IT business as a whole by making the best use of our assets. 

By working to improve low profit businesses, we will be able to achieve higher profitability than 

our competitors.

Business Strategy: Achieve Growth by Converting Our Strengths into Value for Customers

① Digital Government / Digital Finance

Three companies central to this strategy are NEC Software Solutions UK (formerly Northgate 

Public Services (UK) Limited), KMD Holdings ApS (KMD), and Avaloq Group AG (Avaloq), which 

were acquired during the previous mid-term management plan. Over the course of the Mid-term 

Management Plan 2025, we will generate synergies between these three European companies 

and NEC. Our goal is to grow business by expanding synergies, not only in terms of sales, costs, 

and asset utilization but also in areas where we can integrate government and finance.

  A common question that follows one of our acquisitions is when we will integrate it into the 

Group. I believe that if we take a uniform approach toward integration, the strengths of the com-

pany could be lost. Instead, we make the best possible use of its strengths and culture, we 

respect its positive aspects while working to align its vectors with ours, and we create sound and 

sustainable synergies.

In Japan, we will promote government digitalization. Since government systems operate for 

long periods of time and need to be reliable, this task requires a company that can fulfill all of its 

social responsibilities, which includes having the necessary technology, track record and finan-

cial standing for the job. We are proud of our track record of contributions made through mis-

sion-critical social infrastructure and the protection we have given Japan in the handling of 

sensitive data, without any problems of note. I would also like for us to make major contributions 

to the digitalization of the Japanese government.

  As we pursue this goal, I believe that we can make great use of the extensive know-how and 

experience of NEC Software Solutions UK and the Denmark-based KMD, both of which have been 

central to the digitalization of governments of advanced European nations. Other strengths in 

our favor include our technical excellence when it comes to biometrics and other forms of per-

sonal authentication, as well as our credibility, which we have built through many years of doing 

business with local and central governments. During this digitalization process, it is important to 

possess comprehensive strength, which includes experience and resources, in order to facilitate 

a smooth system migration, and this is yet another instance where NEC’s strength can be put to 

work as well. 

② Global 5G

Looking at global 5G, we will use our domestic commercial performance as the basis for gaining a 

share of the global market. With the introduction of a variety of rules and standardization regard-

ing the opening of base station specifications, coupled with better hardware performance, Open 

RAN is entering a stage where it can be applied globally. What will be helpful for us in terms of 

developing products for the global market is the fact that we are engaged in domestic business 

related to 5G with global-oriented companies such as NTT Corporation and Rakuten Mobile, Inc. 

In the global market, mobile operators welcome an increase in suppliers out of a strong desire 

for a more competitive environment and more efficient operations, achieved by increasing com-

munication equipment options. Under such conditions, NEC was selected as a commercial vendor 

for Open RAN by UK-based Vodafone in June 2021. In the same month, NEC was also selected as 

a vendor for deploying Open RAN as part of a commercial project headed by Deutsche Telekom. 

NEC’s Past, Present, and Future 
 
11

  Although our current focus is on base stations, we intend to expand our business into the area 

of software and services going forward. The shift that took place in the computer market 20 years 

ago, from being controlled through software with proprietary specifications to open software, is 

taking place in the world of networks, which suggests that communications equipment and 

software will become more integrated in the future. Looking at this trend, we anticipate that, in 

addition to base stations, the market for software and virtualization technology aimed at effi-

cient network operation will develop and expand as well. In light of this, we will leverage our 

products, including those from Netcracker Technology Corp., which excels in operations support 

system (OSS) and business support system (BSS) software, to expand business in the Japanese 

and global markets.

③ Core DX

Core DX employs four strategies aimed at achieving business growth. One involves expanding 

value provision by adopting a consistent approach, from consulting, which includes activities 

conducted by ABeam Consulting Ltd., to delivery. The second involves enhancing our IT 

common platform technology and offerings. The third would have us strengthen competitive-

ness through global strategic collaboration with AWS (Amazon) and Azure (Microsoft). And the 

fourth strategy achieves business growth through flagship projects for the national and local 

governments as well as for “super cities.”

  There is increasing demand among customers for comprehensive solutions that cover  

consultation to delivery. In anticipation of this situation, we acquired ABeam Consulting, which is 

best-in-class in Japan in terms of the number of consultants and scale of sales. In addition, NEC has 

launched its own strategic consulting unit in order to strengthen its approach to strategic partners. 

When we talk of “seizing the future together,” we have to demonstrate how society should change 

when a technology goes into effect, how we should keep and utilize data, and what systems will 

be necessary in response. We also need to communicate both the good and bad aspects of these 

matters. More than ever, we will be proactive toward presenting our vision for the future, offering 

up ideas for what we should do and change, delivered from the perspective of the end-user.

  NEC is also taking steps to transform itself into a platform for DX experimentation. This has 

two major benefits. One is that our own DX will increase our competitiveness as a company. The 

other is that, by using ourselves as a platform to substantiate cutting-edge DX, we can become a 

strong -use case for customers. To promote these potential benefits, we established a 

Transformation Office under my direct supervision and will carry out a corporate transformation, 

which includes business processes, aimed at completion in three years’ time. With these efforts, 

NEC will become a world-class global company at the forefront of DX, both in name and practice.

  What is more difficult than creating IT systems themselves is transforming business processes 

and maintaining a data registry. This is due to the fact that the business processes that the 

 systems are based on, and by extension, the workstyle and approach for each process as well as 

the data, for which entry methods vary for each system, need to be arranged neatly. This will 

take time, but we will take steady steps forward to accomplish this goal.

  Over the past year and a half, we have neared completion of our blueprint for transformation 

and have begun rolling it out into the field.

④ Creation of Future Growth Businesses

As part of the Mid-term Management Plan 2025, we will work to create future growth businesses, 

which will help realize the ideal environment, society, and life laid out in the NEC 2030VISION. 

We will leverage 10 years of cultivated know-how and methods related to new business develop-

ment to promote commercialization of NEC’s disruptive technology.

NEC Integrated Report 202112

Message from the President

  We can refer to specific examples in the healthcare and life science businesses and in businesses 

related to carbon neutrality. The target we have set for NEC’s healthcare and life science businesses 

is a business value of ¥500 billion by fiscal 2031, with efforts that include AI-based drug discovery 

and endoscopic image analysis as well as life support solutions that utilize visualization of health 

conditions. For businesses related to carbon neutrality, our goal is to contribute to a decarbonized 

society through more efficient and optimal energy management, made possible by developing 

products for decarbonization management solutions and by commercializing circular economies.

  When evaluating these businesses, we will use internal rate of return (IRR) as an indicator to 

assess the return on our investments and will also determine the pros and cons of individual 

investments. At the same time, we will continue to manage our investments while bearing in 

mind the scale of risk for a new business area. One cannot evaluate a new business with the 

same indicators that measure a stable, already established business. For new areas, we will set 

both qualitative and quantitative indicators and keep watch over their progress while using these 

areas to improve NEC’s business value.

Financial Strategy: Maximizing Long-Term Profit and Optimizing Short-Term Profit

Our financial strategy involves continuously generating cash, both as a source for sustainable 

growth and as a means to improve corporate value further. To these ends, we will shift from 

conventional profit and loss (P&L) management to management that emphasizes capital 

efficiency and conduct capital allocation focused on business growth. 

  For our financial measurement methodologies, we balance business growth in response 

to market expectations with maintenance and improvement of financial soundness. For non-

financial measurement methodologies, we promote management that supports sustainability 

through efforts made under the Mid-term Management Plan 2025. To guide these efforts, we 

have set KPIs and formulated materiality from the perspective of ESG, with “E” representing the 

environment; “S” which stands for society but also represents security, AI and human rights, 

and diversity; and “G” representing corporate governance, supply chain sustainability, and com-

pliance. Our goal is to remain a part of ESG indices used for ESG investment, and to do so, we are 

building up non-financial initiatives rooted in materiality and providing highly transparent infor-

mation disclosure. Inclusion in ESG indices is not only a testament to the trust society and the 

capital markets have in a company, it also fosters pride and motivation in employees.

I

   For more information on NEC’s financial strategy, please refer to the CFO Message on page 30.  

For more information on materiality, please refer to the Materiality section on page 28.

Human Resources and Culture

To create social value in the coming times, we need highly capable human resources and the 

ability to attract such human resources. I believe that the key to having both is a corporate culture 

that allows people to play an active role. Providing an open organization and environment that 

allows people to see outside their circle as they work is an important part of acquiring human 

resources. Thanks to the various measures implemented under the previous mid-term management 

plan, the employee engagement score at NEC has increased dramatically. Currently, we are making 

solid efforts to enhance the level of internal communication. I believe it is important to bridge the 

gap between management and employees by providing opportunities for both sides to meet face 

to face and engage in two-way communication. As part of this effort, we are holding online town hall 

meetings, and this year we have already held 12 such meetings, not only for employees in Japan 

but employees overseas as well. I believe that establishing a flatter and more open organizational 

environment is an important part of making the organization stronger.  

NEC’s Past, Present, and Future13

We will implement strategic and  

cultural measures steadily in order to 

create new social value, with Purpose-

driven Management as our compass.

  We cannot forget our pool of human resources. While continuing to enhance recruitment from 

outside the Company, we will promote diversity from within in the form of women, foreign 

nationals, young people, and everyone in between, actively looking to hire talented and highly 

motivated people. In doing so, we will transform our company and live up to the motto of our HR 

policy: “NEC, for those who seek challenge.”

I

   For more information on NEC’s human resources,  

please refer to “NEC, for Those Who Seek Challenge” on page 40.

Venturing Toward New Growth
After reaching the target set under the previous mid-term management plan in fiscal 2021 of an 

operating margin of 5%, we assessed that we had managed to establish a solid foundation for 

improving our financial standing and facilitating business growth. The Mid-term Management 

Plan 2025 is now meant to serve as a new beginning. It has been formulated to help us realize our 

ideal vision for the Company and strikes a balance between devising future strategies for compet-

ing in the global market, making aggressive investments for growth, and creating new markets. 

As one of the leading figures in formulating the plan, I personally think that we have created 

something grounded and feasible, thanks to having crafted it in collaboration with the officers who 

will be in charge of each of its important measures. As for the human resources who will make this 

strategy a reality, we intend to take the cultural reforms advanced in the previous mid-term  

management plan and push them one step further. When we achieve best-in-class in employee 

engagement globally, every aspect of these employees—their creativity, productivity, competitive-

ness, the list goes on—will manifest itself in a drastic leap in the Company’s competitive strength. 

  By implementing our measures related to both strategy and culture in a steady fashion, we will 

create social value, which will lead us to reaching the financial and non-financial targets laid out 

in the Mid-term Management Plan 2025. This in turn will allow NEC to realize its Purpose. Going 

forward, NEC will continue working as a good corporate citizen needed by society, toward sus-

tainable growth aimed at realizing a better future.

NEC Integrated Report 202114

NEC’s Value Creation Journey

Nippon Electric Company, Ltd. (NEC) was established in 1899 as Japan’s first joint venture with a 
foreign-owned company. In keeping with its founding spirit of “Better Products, Better Services,” 
NEC has continued to provide services using its distinctive technologies in addition to ICT equipment 
such as telecommunications equipment and computers.

1899
Establishment of Nippon 
社会価値創造型企業への変革
Electric Company
The Founding Spirit of “Better Products, 
Better Services”

Create	customer	satisfaction	and	pleasure	by		

consistently	providing	

better	products	and	

services.

1977
C&C Announced
The Integration of Computers  
and Communications

The	aspiration	of	enabling	people	throughout	the	world	to	

connect	anytime,	anywhere,	and	with	anyone,	is	aligned	

with	the	SDGs	aspiration	to	“leave	no	one	behind.”

Founder:	Kunihiko	Iwadare

Announcement	of	
C&C	at	INTELCOM	’77

1899

1928

1964

1970

1987

2007

Network

Nippon Electric 

Company, Ltd. 

established

Transmitted scenes of 

International satel-

Japan’s first 

Started manufac-

Ultra-compact radio communica-

Imperial Accession 

lite TV broadcasts of 

satellite, Osumi

turing optical 

tions system PASOLINK secured 

Ceremony of Emperor 

the Tokyo Olympics

submarine relay 

top global market share

Hirohito

equipment

1954

1958

1974

1982

IT

Began research 

Developed the first 

The ACOS Series 77 

The PC-9801 personal 

into computers

domestically produced 

mainframe computer 

computer announced

fully transistorized 

family announced

NEAC-2201 computer

1960

1971

1984

2004

AI

Started development of optical character 

Fully automated 

Received an order in 

No. 1 in fingerprint 

recognition (OCR)

postal sorting 

the U.S. for fingerprint 

1
authentication*

system

matching services

NEC’s Past, Present, and Future15

2013
Transformation into a Social 
Value Innovator

2020
NEC Way

As	the	value	expected	by	customers	and	society	changed	

To	mark	the	120th	anniversary	of	our	founding,	in	2020	

from	our	tangible	technologies	and	products	to	the	intan-

we	defined	our	“Purpose”	within	the	NEC	Way	as	“NEC	

gible	creation	of	value,	we	responded	under	the	Mid-term	

creates	the	social	values	of	safety,	security,	fairness	and	

Management	Plan	2015	by	declaring	our	intention	to	

efficiency	to	promote	a	more	sustainable	world	where	

transform	into	a	Social	Value	Innovator.

everyone	has	the	chance	to	reach	their	full	potential.”

2010

2016

2018

2019

Asteroid explorer 

Submarine cable 

Asteroid explorer 

Began shipping base stations for 

“HAYABUSA”  

successfully 

returned to Earth

installation reaches 

HAYABUSA 2 reached 

5G networks

over 250,000km, 

the asteroid Ryugu

enough to encircle 

the Earth six times

2002

2012

2015

2020

The Earth Simulator, the 

Built ICT infrastructure for 

Contributed to 

Started quantum 

world’s fastest supercom-

multiple stadiums used in 

implementation of 

computing application 

puter system for resolv-

the Soccer World Cup held 

the Individual 

services

ing global environmental 

in Brazil

Number System

problems, completed

NEC’s 

strengths 

developed to 

date

2009

2016

2018

2019

No. 1 in facial 

authentication*

2

Biometrics solutions adopted in 

Established the 

Entered the drug discovery business 

70 countries in total

biometric authenti-

specializing in advanced immuno-

Formulated the AI technology 

brand “NEC the WISE”

cation brand 

“Bio-IDiom”

therapy using “NEC the WISE”

*1 Ranked 1st eight times in task assessment sponsored by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) *2 Ranked 1st six times in task assessment sponsored by NIST

NEC Integrated Report 202116

What is NEC

Establishment

1
Number of employees*

Approximately

2
*

1

Average age of employees*

115,000
Male 44.2 years old
Female 41.5 years old

1899

Market capitalization 

3
Revenue*

 Public Solutions Business  

 Public Infrastructure Business 

 Enterprise Business 

  Network Services Business 

 Global Business  

 Others  

14%

23%

17%

18%

15%

13%

Composition 

of Revenue

2,994.0 billion yen

Owner’s equity ratio*

4

R&D expenses*

3

Approximately

1.6 trillion yen

3
EBITDA*

billion yen

295.8 

9.9%

35.7%

*1 As of March 31, 2021  *2 For NEC Corporation on a standalone basis  *3 Actual results for fiscal 2021  *4 Actual results for March 31, 2021 

*5  Ratio of employees returning to work who started childcare leave in fiscal 2019  *6 Based on the Act on for Promotion of the Employment of Persons with Disabilities Law,  

as of June 1, 2021  *7 Ranked 1st six times in benchmark testing held by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

*8 Ranked 1st eight times in benchmark testing sponsored by the NIST  *9 Ranked 1st two times in benchmark testing sponsored by the NIST

billion yen

114.6 

NEC’s Past, Present, and Future17

Approximately

115,000

Average age of employees*

1

2

*

CDP (Climate Change, Water Security, and  
Supplier Engagement)

Number of cases of 
serious involvement 
with cartels and/or 
bid-rigging

A List

Diversity-related indicators

Ratio of male and 
female hires*

3
2
*

Ratio of female 
managers*

1

0 cases

Ratio of employees 
returning after 
2
childcare leave*
*

5

Ratio of employees  
6
2
with disabilities*
*

Male  71.2%
Female 28.8% 9.2%

98.5%

2.37%

1
Number of patents*

Technological capabilities

Facial authentication*

7

8
Fingerprint identification*

Approximately 

9
Iris recognition*

46,000

Global No. 1

NEC Integrated Report 202118

Value Creation Process

When implementing NEC’s Mid-term Management Plan 2025, NEC will provide value to its various 

stakeholders by connecting strategy and culture based on its unique tangible and intangible assets.

Additionally, NEC aims to fulfill the NEC 2030VISION, which is the specific vision for its “Purpose.”

  The direction of NEC’s Purpose and the NEC 2030VISION is identical in spirit to the SDGs’ pledge 

to “leave no one behind,” and NEC will contribute to the achievement of the SDGs through dialogue 

and co-creation with various stakeholders, taking advantage of the technologies and competence 

in implementation that it has cultivated.

Capital

Strategy

Financial
Operating	cash	flow:	1.3	trillion	yen*
*	The	fiscal	years	ending	March	31,	2022	to	2026

Manufacturing
Business	process	/	IT	establishment

Create	a	Transformation	Office

Intellectual
R&D	expenditure:

Approximately	4.0%	of	revenue

Human
Consolidated	number	of	employees

(As	of	March	31,	2021):	114,714

Social and relationship
Maintain	and	develop	deep	domain	

knowledge	based	on	long-term	

	customer	relationships

Generate	global	synergies	through	M&A

Natural
Expansion	of	renewable	energy	

installations

Purchase	of	renewable	power

NEC’s Growth Model

“Maximizing long-term profit” and 
“Optimizing short-term profit”

Non-financial measurement methodolo-
gies to underpin sustainable growth

Culture

Transformation of people and culture

Establishment of business infrastructure

Creation of shared vision for a brighter 
future with customers

NEC’s Business Model19

NEC creates the social values of 
safety, security, fairness and 
 efficiency to promote a more 
 sustainable world where  
everyone has the chance to reach 
their full potential.

NEC 2030VISION

Life

Society

Environment

Investors
Balance	business	growth	and	

improvement	of	financial	

soundness

Customers
Provide	safe	&	secure	social		

infrastructure	and	services	by		

leveraging	strengths	in	technology

Suppliers
Create	sustainable	social	value	

through	collaboration	and		

co-creation	with	suppliers

Employees
Transformation	to	a	company	that	

pursues	innovation	and	brings	

together	diverse	human	resources:	

“Employer	of	Choice”

Society / Environment
Contribution	to	climate	change	

measures	(Decarbonization)

NEC Integrated Report 202120

Review of the Mid-term Management Plan 2020

Performance Results and 
Key Management Measures

Achieve the targets for operating profit and operating profit ratio set out in the Mid-term 
Management Plan 2020 by repositioning NEC on a growth trajectory by optimizing our business 
portfolio, growing our business, and strengthening our financial foundation

FY2011

FY2014

FY2019

Made NEC Electronics Corporation, a 

Divested all of NEC’s stakes in NEC Mobiling, 

Established dotData, Inc. in the U.S.

semiconductor business and currently 

Ltd., currently MX Mobiling Co., Ltd., a mobile 

Established NEC X, Inc. in the U.S.

Renesas Electronics Corporation, into 

phone sales business

Acquired Danish company KMD 

an equity-method affiliate

FY2015

Holding ApS

Sold shares in electrode business

FY2012

Divested all of NEC’s stakes in NEC BIGLOBE, 

Made the consumer PC business into 

Ltd., currently BIGLOBE Inc., an internet 

FY2020

an equity-method affiliate

service provider, in March 2014

Sold shares of Nippon Avionics Co., Ltd.

FY2013

FY2017

FY2021

Acquired the business support system 

Consolidated Japan Aviation Electronics 

Decided to convert NEC Display 

business of U.S.-based Convergys 

Industry, Limited

Corporation

FY2018

Acquired U.K. company Northgate Public 

Services Limited

Solutions Ltd. into a joint venture

Acquired Swiss company Avaloq  

Group AG

Trends in Business Performance

 Revenue (Billions of yen)   Operating profit (Billions of yen)   Operating profit ratio (%)

3,115.4

3,036.8

3,071.6

3,043.1

2,935.5

2,824.8

2,844.4

2,913.4

2,665.0

3.7%

114.6

3.5%3.5%

106.2

4.4%

128.1

3.2%

2.4%2.4%

73.7

1.9%

57.8

91.4

1.6%

41.8

2.2%

63.9

2.0%

57.8

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Note:  Financial results were reported under Japanese Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (JGAAP) until fiscal 2015. From fiscal 2016 onward, results have been reported under 

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). 

NEC’s Business Model21

Main Initiatives and Core Objectives of the Mid-term Management Plan 2020

1

2

3

Reform of Profit Structure

Reduction of SG&A Expenses

Career transition support measures

Business Structure Reforms

Decision to stop receiving new orders in the energy business

Sale of electrode business

Joint venture for display business

▲

▲

▲

▲

Production Structure Reform

▲  

Optimization of NEC Platforms production structure,  

sale of Tsukuba Research Laboratories

Growth Achievement

▲  

Safer Cities
Acquisition of Northgate Public Services Limited (currently NEC 

Software Solutions UK Limited) in the United Kingdom, KMD Holding 

ApS in Denmark, and Avaloq Group AG in Switzerland

5G

▲  

▲  

Strategic cooperation with NTT Corporation and Rakuten Mobile, Inc.

Launch of trial tests with the United Kingdom and Germany

▲  

Digital Transformation (DX)
Establishment of digital platforms and offerings

Restructuring of  
Execution Capabilities

Strengthening of Business Development Capabilities

▲  

▲  

▲  

▲  

▲  

▲  

Establishment of dotData and NEC X with aim of monetizing new technology

Entry into drug discovery business

Transformation of NEC’s Culture

Revision of the NEC Way

Revamp of the corporate officer system, one-year terms of office

Introduction of new evaluation system that encourages innovative 

actions and challenges

Hiring and appointment of diverse talent to executive and other positions

Background to Formulating the 
Mid-term Management Plan 2020

Slump in Profitability 
(Fiscal	2017	operating	profit	ratio		

of	1.6%)

Decline of Existing Businesses 
Exceeding Expectations

Inability to  
Fully Implement

3,095.2

2,994.0

5.1%5.1%

153.8

4.1%4.1%

127.6

Initiatives for “Materiality” 

—Priority Management Themes from an ESG Perspective

Incorporate world-renowned Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) indices

E: Contribute to decarbonization through business

S:  Minimize the impact of serious security incidents, promote businesses that prioritize respect for 

human rights, transform NEC’s culture, and promote inclusion and diversity

G:  Achieve zero cases of involvement with serious cartels and/or bid-rigging, reinforce Board of 

Directors system, revise remuneration system for directors and A&SBMs, and promote initiatives 

2020

2021

(FY)

for collaborating with suppliers

S

   For more details on ESG-related goals, achievements and progress, and degree of  

completion, please refer to page 11 of Sustainability Report 2021.

NEC Integrated Report 202122

Mid-term Management Plan 2025

Mid-term Management Plan 2025

Achievement of NEC’s “Purpose”—A Combination of Strategy and Culture

The NEC Group has formulated the Mid-term Management Plan 2025, which concludes in fiscal 2026, with the aim of realizing the 

NEC 2030VISION and NEC’s “Purpose” set forth in the NEC Way. Under the Mid-term Management Plan 2025, we have set indices 

for strategic and cultural targets for promoting the management of NEC’s Purpose.

  Strategy: We will achieve growth through acceleration of global growth and transformation of domestic businesses by providing 

customer value through NEC technology. In financial terms, our financial strategy is integrated with our business strategy, with the 

first priority being to maximize long-term profit, followed by optimizing short-term profit.

  Culture: We believe that our cultural strength is the strength of people to implement our strategies and realize our purpose. We 

will aim to be a company that pursues innovation and brings together diverse human resources under the NEC Way—the NEC 

Group’s common set of values that form the basis for how the Group conducts itself.

Purpose

Strategy

Culture

EBITDA Growth Rate: 9% annual average
(FY2021–FY2026)

50% Engagement Score
(FY2026)

Accelerate global growth and business transformation  

Transform to a company that pursues innovation and  

in Japan by leveraging strengths in technology, “Maximizing  

brings together diverse people under the NEC Way  

long-term profit” and “Optimizing short-term profit”

(common values): “Employer of Choice”

Mid-term Management Targets 

(Billions of yen) 

Revenue

Adjusted operating profit

Adjusted net profit

1
EBITDA*

2

ROIC*

(Growth rate from FY2021)

(Revenue %)

(Revenue %)

(Revenue %)

FY2021 Results

FY2026 Targets

2,994.0

3,500.0

—

178.2

6.0%

165.4

5.5%

295.8

9.9%

4.7%

3.2%

300.0

8.6%

185.0

5.3%

450.0

12.9%

6.5%

*1 EBITDA = Gross profit – SGA expenses + Depreciation/amortization

*2 ROIC = (Unadjusted operating income – Deemed corporate tax [30.5%])÷(Term-end interest-bearing debt + Term-end net assets [Including minority interest])

NEC’s Business Model23

Achieve Earnings Growth through Both Growth Businesses and Base Businesses

Growth businesses are classified as digital government/digital finance, global 5G, core DX, and future growth businesses, whereas 

base businesses are all other businesses.

In growth businesses, the NEC Group will prioritize the allocation of resources in order to acquire and strengthen its competitive 

advantage, with the aim of driving growth in revenue and profits. In base businesses, given the cautious business environment, the 

focus will be on improving profitability and aiming to steadily improve profit.

Revenue

Adjusted Operating Profit

3,500.0 billion yen

300.0 billion yen

Component	
ratio	of	growth	
businesses

32.9%

Component	
ratio	of	growth	
businesses

12.7%

FY2021

FY2026

Growth businesses
DG	/	DF

Global	5G

Core	DX

Future	growth	businesses

Base businesses

Adjusted	OP	ratio

8.6%

Adjusted	OP	ratio

5.1%*

Growth businesses
Adjusted	OP	ratio

12.9%

Base businesses
Adjusted	OP	ratio

10.0%

Others

FY2021

FY2026

* Excluding “One-time profit/loss” in the statement of profit or loss

Business 
Strategies

Strategy

Digital government/  

Digital finance

•  Transform into a top-class vertical SaaS vendor in the global DG/DF market

Global 5G business

Japanese market from primarily a base station hardware provider to a full software and 

•  Aim for 20% market share in the Open-RAN market in 2030, including expansion in the 

hardware solutions provider

•  Expand our value proposition through a comprehensive approach encompassing  

consulting to delivery

•  Price strategy and gross profit improvement through common ICT platform  

technologies and offerings

Core DX business

•  Strengthen competitiveness through hybrid IT (Cloud/DC/On-Premises) alliances and 

in-house optimization

•  New business opportunities (social, enterprise transformation) 

Expand the DX domain by leveraging the implementation capabilities of technology/policy 

linkage/E2E

Future growth businesses

•  Create growth businesses that will realize the NEC 2030VISION with strong technologies  

and inbound innovation

Base businesses

•  Maintain profitability above our competitors for our high -and medium-profit base businesses

•  Improve profitability by establishing a monitoring system for low-profit businesses

Financial 
Strategies

Maximizing long-term profit and 

Optimizing short-term profit

Culture

Transformation of culture  

and how we work

•  Use continuously generated cash flow to fund sustainable growth and enhance corporate 

value through optimal capital allocation and by building robust financial and non-financial 

measurement methodologies

• Transformation of people and culture

•  Establishment of business infrastructure

•  Creation of a shared vision for a brighter future

NEC Integrated Report 2021 
24

Mid-term Management Plan 2025

Business Strategy

Digital Government and Digital Finance Business  

Mid-term Targets
(Billions of yen)

300.0

193.1

Revenue CAGR 

4%*

125.1

17%

EBITDA  
margin

4%

Adjusted  
OP ratio

FY2021

FY2026

 Total   Acquired companies

* CAGR is pro forma based.

Global 5G Business  

Mid-term Targets
(Billions of yen)

1
190.0*

We intend to expand business in digital governments and 

digital finance by promoting organic growth in the European 

market and leveraging three European companies acquired 

during the Mid-term Management Plan 2020—NEC Software 

Solutions UK, KMD Holdings ApS (KMD), and Avaloq Group AG 

(Avaloq). We will also engage in cross-sales and bolt-on acqui-

sitions toward the same goal. We are also taking steps to 

integrate and optimize our existing assets while restructuring 

our business foundation. Both of these actions will help stabi-

210.0

20%

12%

lize our business foundation.

In addition, we will increase business synergies through 

deeper integration of government and finance and other 

domains, made possible by taking advantage of cost syner-

gies, sales synergies, and greater usage of digital IDs. Another 

strategy we are planning to undertake is the creation of new 

growth areas, which involves finding new business opportuni-

ties from customers in different industries.

Acquired companies’ assets

NEC’s assets

Software

Technology	(Biometrics/AI)

SaaS	platform

Engineering	capability

Stabilization by remodeling business foundations,  
including three recently acquired companies
Earnest pursuit of business synergy and creation of new growth areas

Phase 1 of our plan for the Global 5G business, which we aim 

to complete by fiscal 2023, aims to create a series of global 

firsts in terms of commercial achievements on the back of 

alliances with NTT Corporation and Rakuten Mobile, Inc. 

Based on this strategy, we intend to take a leading position in 

overseas markets as a vendor of Open RAN, taking advantage 

of differentiated technology and considerable performance in 

terms of TCO.*

  For Phase 2, which is to be completed by fiscal 2026, we 

Revenue CAGR 

35%

1
41.7*

Adjusted  
OP ratio

FY2021
2

–31%*

*1 Netcracker is not included.

*2 Excluding strategic expenses; profit ratio above segment (Network Services) level

10%

will shift our profit focus from hardware to software licensing 

by enhancing applications and other end-to-end capabilities.  

* Total Cost of Ownership

FY2026

Phase 1 ~ 2022

Establishment of Open RAN vendor position in overseas markets

Phase 2 ~ 2025

Expansion of SW/service business segments and acquisition 

of profit sources

NEC’s Business Model 
25

by adopting a consistent approach encompassing consulting 

to delivery. This strategy relies on a combination of the 

upstream consulting strength of ABeam Consulting Ltd., 

which operates on a domestic scale of 5,000 consultants, and 

the strength of NEC’s delivery capabilities.

  The second strategy is to improve profitability and price 

competitiveness through common ICT platform technologies 

and standardized offerings. Our plan is to create a platform 

using NEC technology that will effectively facilitate effective 

DX for both companies and society with the idea that 

repeated usage will reduce costs. We also aim to improve 

price competitiveness by standardizing our solution offerings 

and setting prices based on value provided.

Core DX Business  

Mid-term Targets
(Billions of yen)

570.0

Revenue CAGR 

32%

13%

Adjusted  
OP ratio

141.0

–3%

FY2021

FY2026

  Our third strategy is intended to increase competitiveness 

We are ramping up investments in core digital transformation 

(DX) to spur transformation in our domestic IT business. Our 

goal is to improve operating profit ratio from 8% to 13% by 

moving from an individualized optimization model that is 

optimized for each industry and customer, to a model that 

utilizes DX to allow for optimization across the board. To this 

end, we will build a system more attuned toward providing 

value to customers by first creating a common platform to 

utilize NEC’s strengths in R&D and engineering, and then 

incorporating inbound technology from external sources 

through M&As and venture capital.

  We have highlighted four strategies toward transforming 

the IT business in Japan. The first is to expand value provision 

by creating a hybrid IT environment through an optimal com-

bination of cloud, data center, and on-premises functions. 

This IT environment will be optimized to meet individual 

needs through the combination of NEC’s own high-security, 

multi-cloud and global strategic collaborations with AWS 

(Amazon) and Azure (Microsoft).  

 As a fourth strategy, we will work to lead the shift in society 

with DX. To do this, we will coordinate with government 

policy and utilize our technologies, such as biometrics and AI, 

as well as our end-to-end implementation to back projects 

that will transform society. These projects involve the steady 

promotion of DX in domestic governments spurred on by the 

establishment of the Digital Agency, the construction of super 

cities, and infrastructure-collaborative mobility. 

Customized Vertical Solutions

Cross Industry Solutions

C
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4  New business opportunities 

(social, enterprise transformation)

Digital
government

Smart cities

Infrastructure-
collaborative mobility

• Individual SI
• NEC products
• Other company products
• Technology

Transformation

Core DX Business

1  From consulting to delivery

2  Common ICT infrastructure technologies and offerings
3  Hybrid IT (Cloud/DC*/On-Premises)

* DC: Data center 

R&D

Engineering
capability

Assets acquired 
through M&A
NPS/KMD/Avaloq

Inbound

1

© NEC Corporation 2021

NEC Integrated Report 2021 
26

Mid-term Management Plan 2025

Creation of Future Growth Businesses  

Looking to the future, the Mid-term Management Plan 2025 

also calls for the creation of future growth businesses, in addi-

tion to digital governments, digital finance, 5G, and core DX. 

NEC’s disruptive technology stands to upend the mainstream 

Accelerating commercialization by integrating R&D  
and business development

Disruptive technologies

Unique technologies that could disrupt current business models 

technologies of the current day. It is the basis of our efforts to 

(privacy-preserving data-analytics)

create new businesses, and we will work with forward-looking 

customers in Japan and overseas and research institutions in 

Japan and abroad to commercialize the technology, applying 

the business development know-how we have cultivated in 

Defense technologies (quantum cryptography,  

laser communication, etc.)

Inbound innovation

Overseas business models and industry-specific know-how

Collaboration with advanced customers, research institutions, and 

recent years. Our target business areas align with the layers of 

venture capitalists

the NEC 2030VISION: environment, society, and life.

New business development know-how

  We plan to create growth businesses that will help realize 

dotData, AI-based drug discovery, and other new business  

the NEC 2030VISION, using our highly capable technology, 

development achievements

overseas business models abroad, industry know-how, and 

collaborations with research institutions and venture capital-

ists as starting points. 

Business development methods* utilizing internal and external capital

* Carve-out, M&A, spin-in/spin-out, crowdfunding

Specific examples of initiatives:  

1
1) Healthcare and life-related businesses; FY2031 NEC healthcare business value: 500.0 billion yen*

Deliver healthcare 

tailored to people’s 

health conditions

Electronic medical 

records and  

ordering system

Support  

personalized  

healthcare with 

science

AI-based 
analysis of 
endoscopic 
images; sales 
launch in Japan 
and Europe

Monitoring and 
provision of 
advice based on 
gait conditions 
from insoles 
equipped with 
gait analysis

Start of clinical 
trials on 
personalized 
neoantigen 
vaccines in 
2019

Electronic 
medical 
records and 
ordering 
system

Visualization of 
health condi-
tions and 
disease risks 
from minimal 
blood protein

Design of  
vaccines  
against the novel 
coronavirus

Living life to  
the fullest

• Overcome diseases

• Prevent illness

• Lack of want

• Mental and physical wellness

Healthcare  
industry

33.0 trillion yen*

2

*1  Calculated using both the comparable company method and the DCF method based on a target for 2030 (sales 

*2  Source: Future Direction of the Next Generation 

revenue of 100.0 billion yen)

Healthcare Industry Council (published by the 

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, 2018). 

Market size is an estimate of the Japanese market  

in 2025.

Specific examples of initiatives: 2) Businesses related to carbon neutrality
I

   For more information on our businesses related to carbon neutrality,  

please refer to the section “Contributing to Decarbonization through Business.”

NEC’s Business Model27

Base Businesses  

To improve the profitability of our base businesses, we have 

individual turnaround plans aimed at improving profitability. 

set a hurdle rate for operating profit ratio and divided the 

After this, we will monitor the progress of the plan, take 

businesses into categories, and are using this rate to conduct a 

resources from businesses that do not achieve their objective, 

Group analysis, after which we will clarify policies in response 

allocate them to key areas, and take appropriate action. With 

to the analysis and formulate individual plans accordingly. For 

these measures, we expect to reap the benefits of our 

medium- and high-profit businesses, we will select benchmark 

improvement plan, complete our review of our business port-

companies and strive to overtake them in terms of operating 

folio, and raise profitability up to our target level by fiscal 2026.

profit ratio.  As for low-profit businesses, we will formulate 

Adjusted OP ratio

15.0%

10.0%

5.0%

0

High-, medium- profit 

business

FY2026

High-, medium- profit 

business

FY2021

Low-profit 

business

FY2026

Low-profit  

business

FY2021

1,000

2,000

3,000

Revenue

(Billions of yen)

Low-profit business monitoring system

FY2021 2H

● Setting of hurdle rate

Strategy formulation

● Formulation of turnaround plan

Implementation, 
evaluation

● Implementation of investments to carry out plans

● Review of business portfolio

● Exit/resource allocation from underperforming business to key segments

Reaping of results

● Achievement of target levels

End of FY2026

NEC Integrated Report 202128

Mid-term Management Plan 2025

Financial Strategy

Enhancing Cash Generation Capabilities by Building Robust Financial and  
Non-Financial Measurement Methodologies  

Under the Mid-term Management Plan 2025, NEC will shift to 

management that emphasizes capital efficiency and undertake 

Augment growth strategies

capital allocation to secure investment funds, which will underpin 

Shift from P/L management to management that also  

its medium- to long-term growth. We will also continue to build 

emphasizes capital efficiency

•  Achieve investment returns beyond the market expectations  

on our robust financial and non-financial measurement  

(capital cost)

methodologies in order to ensure sustainable growth while 

•  Continue activities to improve capital efficiency, such as CCC com-

strengthening our ability to respond to changes in our business 

pression and reduction of cross-shareholdings

environment so that we do not miss out on key opportunities. 

Capital allocation focusing on business growth

  By means of growth strategies and management founda-

tion reforms, we will continue to bolster our ability to create 

cash while pursuing a business structure conducive to con-

stantly generating adjusted operating profit of ¥300.0 billion 

by fiscal 2026. 

I

   Please refer to the CFO Message on page 30 for more details on our 

financial strategy. 

Respond to changing business environments  
without missing out on opportunities

Building of robust financial and non-financial measurement 

methodologies aimed at sustainable growth 

•  Maintain investment capability to respond to global competitors 

•  Reinforce non-financial measurement methodologies to underpin 

sustainable growth of the company and society

Reinforcing Non-Financial Measurement Methodologies to  
Underpin Sustainable Growth  

“Materiality” in the Mid-term Management Plan 2025 (from fiscal 2022)

Key Themes (Materiality)

Main Initiatives

FY2026 KPIs

Climate change
(Decarbonization)

Security
AI & human rights
Diverse human resources

Corporate governance
Supply chain sustainability
Compliance

E

S

G

1.  Acceleration of environmental management toward achieve-

ment of SBT*

1
 1.5 ºC by 2030

2.  Contribution to CO2 reduction through customer DX

1.  33.6% reduction*

2

(compared with FY2018)

1.  Development of human resources in advanced security to 

handle social infrastructure

1.  Doubling of internationally certified personnel
2.  Incorporated initiatives based on the AI and 

2.  AI provision and utilization prioritizing respect for human rights

Human Rights Principles

1.  Further improvement of transparency of corporate governance
2.  Strengthening of collaboration with suppliers from a human 

rights/environmental perspective

3.  Eradication of serious compliance incidents

2.  Suppliers agreeing to procurement guidelines: 

3

75%*

3.  No. of serious incidents: 0

*1  Science Based Targets (SBT): Corporate CO2 emissions reduction targets that are in scientific agreement with the global target of the Paris Agreement
*2 Scope 1, 2
*3 Ratio based on procurement amount

Over the course of the Mid-term Management Plan 2025, we 

  Materiality under the Mid-term Management Plan 2025 was 

will reinforce our efforts in non-financial domains with a par-

revised on the basis of material issues uncovered in fiscal 2019 

ticular focus on materiality—priority management themes 

under the Mid-term Management Plan 2020. We reviewed the 

from an ESG perspective—and disclose information in a highly 

materiality in light of changes to the demand from the busi-

transparent manner with the aim of achieving continuous 

ness environment and society, through workshops held for 

inclusion in ESG indices, which are used to determine ESG 

managers of growth business under the Mid-term 

investments. We believe that this inclusion in ESG indices will 

Management Plan 2025 and dialogues with external experts.

lead to the fostering of employees’ engagement in the 

Company and increase their motivation, in addition to earning 

S

the trust of society and capital markets.

   For more details, please refer to “Priority Management Themes from an 

ESG Perspective—Materiality” on page 8 of Sustainability Report 2021. 

NEC’s Business Model 
Transformation of Culture and How We Work

We will aim to become a company that pursues innovation 
and brings together diverse human resources under the NEC 
Way as well as a company that is the preferred choice of 
employees. To realize an engagement score of 50%, we will 
transform people and culture, establish a business infrastruc-
ture, and create a shared vision toward realizing a brighter 
future with customers. 

1. Transformation of People and Culture

We will proceed with the transformation of people and culture by emphasizing 

our key initiatives of accelerating diversity, which serves as an inspiration for 

innovation, and advancing workstyle reforms in order to provide a better work-

place environment to a diverse array of individuals. 

  To accelerate diversity, we will specifically focus on actively recruiting and 

systematically developing diverse talent, including female and non-Japanese 

employees. Our offices, which were previously used as our main work space, will now 

be utilized as a communication hub and setting for the joint creation of innovation 

through the further refinement of our NEC Digital Workplace and the realization of 

location-free productivity improvements. Through such measures, we will reform 

workstyles and mindsets with the aim of improving our engagement score. 

  We will also engage in job-based management, which aims to fill each position 

with the right person for the job at the right time and place, and human resource 

development that emphasizes the cultivation of digital talent. 

2. Establishment of Business Infrastructure 

Contrary to our previous structure through which various initiatives were carried 

out by our respective departments, our new Transformation Office has been 

established under the direct control of the CEO. The Transformation Office will be 

tasked with managing business process reforms, financial system reforms, and 

the Group-wide IT system, while serving as the nucleus for our promotion of 

reforms in the three domains of business processes, systems, and IT system. 

In regard to our IT system, we will proceed with cloud transformation of the 

NEC Group’s core system, redesign business processes and systems in unison with 

IT, and revamp our data-driven management. 

3. Creation of a Shared Vision for a Brighter Future with Customers

As a market leader, we believe that it is our responsibility to create a shared vision 

for a brighter future with customers by actively communicating our future vision to 

customers and society as a whole. By doing so, we will look to create new value. 

In addition, our Thought Leadership activities will proceed in full swing from 

fiscal 2022 toward the realization of an even better future by developing a 

common outlook toward the NEC 2030VISION based on our social/market 

insights and an in-depth awareness of our technology.  

  While strengthening our general research capabilities, which constitute the core 

of our dissemination/communication activities, we will establish an advisory 

board that draws on the insights of external experts and promote social change. 

29

Engagement Score  

FY2026 Target

*

50%

(FY2021 25%)

*  Based on the Kincentric Survey of a 50% score, which is a 

Tier 1 level and in the global top 25 percentile

Active Participation of Diverse Talent 

FY2026 Target

Women/Non-

Japanese Officers

Women  

managers

*

20%

*

20%

* Target values are for NEC HQ alone.

Initiatives under the new MTP

•  Cloud transition of Companywide mission-

critical systems (HR, procurement, etc.)

•  Integrated redesign of processes, systems, 

and IT

•  Enhancement of data-driven management 

(AI utilization, data structure optimization)

Full-scale launch of Thought Leadership 

activities

•  Refine our future vision based on social/

market insights

•  Dissemination of social system innovations 

•  Strengthen general research capability and 

collaborate with other thought leaders

NEC Integrated Report 2021 
 
30

CFO Message

Maximizing Long-Term Profit, 

Optimizing Short-Term Profit, 

and Increasing Corporate Value 

through Social Contribution

Osamu Fujikawa

Executive	Vice	President,		
CFO	(Chief	Financial	Officer)

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in fiscal 2021, 

the final year of the Mid-term Management Plan 2020, we were 

able to limit the year-on-year drop in revenue to 3.3%, thanks 

to full-scale shipments of 5G base stations and capturing 

demand under the “new normal.” Turning to operating profit, 

we were also able to meet the target set in the Mid-term 

Management Plan 2020 for operating profit ratio, 5.0%. This is 

a result of reducing unprofitable projects, which improved 

profitability, and special cost-cutting measures implemented 

in response to sudden changes in the operating environment. 

Net profit attributable to owners of the parent amounted to 

¥149.6 billion, a record high for the second year in a row, 

mainly due to an increase in operating profit as well as a 

decrease in tax expenses. In light of these results, we paid an 

annual dividend to shareholders totaling ¥90 per share, 

reflecting a ¥10 increase to the ¥40 per share year-end dividend 

announced at the beginning of the fiscal year, to ¥50 per share.

  Free cash flow decreased ¥25.4 billion, to ¥152.4 billion. 

However, if we take into account a cash outflow of approxi-

mately ¥239.0 billion, corresponding to the acquisition of the 

Swiss-based Avaloq Group AG at the end of December 2020, 

this result shows an improved ability to generate cash.

Financial Strategy

The Mid-term Management Plan 2025, announced in May 

2021, utilizes a profit cycle that takes advantage of cash gener-

ated on a continuous basis through business activities as a 

resource for growth. With proper allocation, we will maximize 

long-term profit and optimize short-term profit. These profits 

are then put toward improving corporate value.

  We have also positioned EBITDA and ROIC as indicators to 

measure achievement. For EBITDA, which measures our ability 

to generate cash, our target is set at an annual average growth 

rate of 9%, and for ROIC, which measures capital efficiency, we 

have set a target of 6.5% for fiscal 2026.

  Moreover, if we are to win against the competition on the 

global stage, we cannot just retain funds needed for invest-

ment—we must also reinforce the non-financial measurement 

methodologies that will ensure the sustainable growth of both 

Company and society. As a company that creates social value, 

NEC bears a certain responsibility to contribute to society, so it 

is highly important that, while we deliver results from our 

business activities, we must also make contributions to soci-

ety going forward. In the same vein, we will also invest in ESG 

and other non-financial areas. The effects of reinforcing non-

financial measurement methodologies may not become 

immediately apparent in numerical form, but I believe that 

fulfilling this responsibility will lead to greater corporate value 

for NEC in the long run.

NEC’s Business ModelCFO Message

Generating Cash

31

We are aiming for a cumulative ¥1.3 trillion in cash flow from 

Improving Asset Efficiency and Awareness of Capital 

operating activities from fiscal 2022 to fiscal 2026. To avoid 

Efficiency

opportunity loss, we believe that we should have an amount 

Since the previous mid-term management plan, we have 

of cash available that will allow us to make optimal invest-

been engaged in activities to improve our cash conversion 

ments at any time.

cycle (CCC) with a view toward improving asset efficiency. 

  Here, I will talk about cash generation in terms of growth 

Thanks to these activities, we reduced our CCC by 12 days 

businesses, improving profitability of base businesses, 

over a period of two years, from 72 days as of March 31, 2019 

improving capital efficiency, and asset monetization, and will 

to 60 days as of March 31, 2021.  

save the bulk of my discussion on growth businesses for 

  Although ROIC has been set as a Companywide indicator in 

when I talk about our investment strategy.

the current mid-term management plan, we believe that ROIC 

is an indicator well suited to some individual businesses 

Improving Profitability of Base Businesses

while not very well suited to others. Take growth businesses, 

Over the course of the previous mid-term management plan, 

for example. If we place too much emphasis on ROIC, we lose 

we reviewed our business portfolio and set aside generated 

our ability to invest and miss out on business opportunities 

cash for NEC’s core businesses. However, there is still work to 

as a result. We will therefore apply ROIC to businesses that 

be done regarding low-profit businesses. To determine which 

emphasize capital efficiency in their operations, starting with 

businesses should continue, we have set an operating profit 

those with stable profits, and gradually expand its application 

ratio target for each business of 7%. When businesses cannot 

as an indicator throughout the Company from there. 

reach this target, our first step will be to try to transform them 

so that they are able to achieve an operating profit ratio of 7% 

Monetizing Assets

or higher. If a business cannot reach this hurdle rate by fiscal 

In April 2019, we set guidelines for eliminating cross-share-

2026, we might have to make some pertinent decisions that 

holdings, and in fiscal 2021 we sold shares in 45 stock listings 

include reorganizing our business portfolio. But first, we will 

worth ¥96.3 billion. Shares are only held when the Board of 

set goals and timelines in order to raise overall profitability. 

Directors accepts the rationale for holding the shares, having 

clarified their strategic value and considered the returns from 

a capital cost perspective. In addition to cross-shareholdings, 

we are also actively monetizing available-for-sale non-assets.

Free Cash Flows 
(Billions of yen)

261.9

274.9

Sales of Investment Securities 
(Billions of yen)

177.8

152.4

–84.0

FY2020

–122.5

FY2021

220.0

130.0

–90.0

FY2022

(Forecast)

 Operating Cash Flows   Investment Cash Flows   Free Cash Flows

Book value

156.7

Fair  
Fair  

value 
value 

fluctuation, 
fluctuation, 

etc.etc.

125.4

Sales amount

96.3

Listed 
companies

125.2

91.3

Non-listed 
companies

31.5

34.1

(As	of	March	31) FY2019

FY2020

Number	of		
stock	listings		
(Listed	companies)

118

108

105.4

72.6

32.8

FY2021

63

NEC Integrated Report 202132

CFO Message

Capital Allocation 

Ensuring a Sound Financial Structure

licensing to software licensing and provide service-based 

We will invest strategic expenses under the Mid-term 

solutions to achieve a high level of profitability. To increase 

Management Plan 2025 to enhance corporate value. In order 

our global market share, we will invest strategic expenses into 

to keep investing strategic funds we need financial discipline. 

enhancing our development and sales structure.  

Thanks to efforts made to date, our financial structure is fairly 

  For Core DX, we will utilize ABeam Consulting’s resources 

sound, and we have improved both our ratio of equity attrib-

to capture more upstream customer demand, and expand the 

utable to owners of the parent (owner’s equity ratio) and our 

value we can provide by taking a consistent approach from 

net debt-to-equity ratio. We will continue to invest in growth 

consulting to delivery. We also plan to improve profitability by 

areas while ensuring financial soundness, using our financial 

developing platforms that draw from NEC’s technological 

structure as of the end of March 2021, which received a one-

strengths to act as common infrastructures that offer value-

notch upgrade by credit rating agencies, as a guideline for 

providing services. Furthermore, we will bolster strategic 

maintaining our financial structure over the medium term. 

collaborations with hyperscalers and offer a hybrid environ-

Shareholder Returns

ment via our own high-security cloud. We will also invest 

strategic expenses toward the transition of this business 

We have a policy of providing stable dividends and have had 

model and for developing ICT common infrastructures.

a target payout ratio of about 30% for the past five years. We 

  Turning to the Company’s business infrastructure develop-

believe that making investments to achieve growth and 

ment, we will work toward increasing the level of freedom in 

increasing profitability will increase corporate value and lead 

management not only by establishing an IT base but also by 

to greater returns to shareholders.

simplifying business processes across the Group and acceler-

ating the shift toward data-driven management.

Investing Strategic Expenses for Realizing Growth

  As for human resources, we will work to ensure diversity, 

Over the course of the Mid-term Management Plan 2025, we 

an important source of innovation, and continue making 

intend to make growth investments within cash flows from 

workstyle reforms to improve productivity. We will also invest 

operating activities and thereby expand corporate value. In 

whatever it takes to foster the next generation of leaders, who 

addition to investing in growth businesses and improving the 

will be the ones to drive future growth. These moves will help 

profitability of existing businesses, we will also actively invest 

grow the business going forward and lead us to greater returns.

in business infrastructure and human resources to support 

  By reaping the benefits of focused cash investments in 

them. This is akin to investing within the scope of financial 

areas with higher growth potential, and choosing optimal 

soundness.

investments with optimal timing, we will generate even more 

  With digital government and digital finance, we will com-

cash to invest toward our next stage of growth and establish a 

bine the software and SaaS platforms of three European 

cycle that will maximize our corporate value.

companies acquired during the previous mid-term manage-

  The basic policy behind capital allocation is to balance 

ment plan—the UK-based NEC Software Solutions UK (for-

growth investments, shareholder returns, and a sound finan-

merly Northgate Public Services), the Denmark-based KMD, 

cial structure in order to execute a business strategy that will 

and the Swiss-based Avaloq—with NEC’s technology, which 

meet market expectations and an underlying strategy to 

includes biometrics and AI, its engineering capabilities, and 

support the business strategy by maintaining and improving 

its customer base, and pursue synergies. 

financial soundness.

  As for Global 5G, our goal is to achieve a top position, with 

a 20% market share in the Open RAN market in 2030. This 

goal includes expanding our scope in the Japanese market 

from a base station hardware provider to a software solutions 

provider. By 2025, we will shift our profit focus from hardware 

NEC’s Business Model33

Profit Cycle and Capital Allocation

Sustained EBITDA growth (CAGR 9%)
・Ensure returns from proactive  

expense management

Manage CCC along with growth

Operating CF

1.3 trillion 
yen*

Shareholder 
returns

Financial 
soundness

Base 
investments

Optimization of portfolio assets 

including sale of cross-shareholdings 

(in principle, to zero)

Use of leverage within the scope of 

maintaining financial soundness

* FY2022–FY2026 total

Investment CF
Financial CF

Growth 
investments

Revenues

Expenditures

Continue stable, long-term dividends

(Average payout ratio ca. 30%)

Increase rating level

Underpin stable growth
・Improve profitability of base business

・ Business infrastructure development / 

Human resource investment

Investment pool that takes capital 

efficiency into consideration
・Digital government / Digital finance

・Global 5G

・Japan IT business (core DX), etc.

To Our Stakeholders

I have served on the front lines in the business of providing a 

people. The Company has a great many talented and highly 

variety of IT-related services and have helped commercialize 

skilled people, and these people work closely with the many 

and launch NEC’s superior technology both in Japan and 

people who have recently joined NEC, who are also talented 

overseas. I know from this experience that the roles of a CFO 

and skilled, to produce outstanding things day after day while 

are to ascertain the company’s business, manage investments 

being respectful of one another. These people are a true asset 

aimed at future growth, understand financial indicators—not 

to NEC. As a member of management, I will utilize these assets 

just the numbers, but also the conditions surrounding them—

and work with them to create greater value. There are still 

and provide timely decision-making and operational support. 

challenges ahead, but now that we have a sound financial base 

And, in order to maximize the assets of a company and realize 

and the ability to make new investments, we will create a 

greater business growth, it is also important to develop 

virtuous cycle in which the people who work for NEC do so with 

human resources who can understand both the business side 

confidence and pride, and produce results. Going forward, we 

and the finance side, and as CFO, I would like to help foster 

will leverage this virtuous cycle to increase corporate value. 

such human resources.

  Looking at NEC as a whole, I see the potential for great 

things, made possible by the abilities of the Company’s 

NEC Integrated Report 202134

R&D and Business Development

At NEC, we are aggregating the functions necessary for expediting the commercialization process 
and upgrading our R&D capabilities, in order to enhance results through co-creation with external 
business partners, realize faster commercialization, and generate technological synergies through-
out the Group. With a focus on human resources, co-creation, synergy, and commercialization, we 
will continue to develop differentiated technologies and commercialize them in a timely manner, 
thereby steering the growth of NEC forward. 

Major Areas of Research

Creating Social Value with Cutting-edge AI and ICT Platforms

Global R&D Network 

NEC Laboratories America

Development of cutting-edge core 
technologies

NEC Laboratories Europe

Creation of solutions and technology 
through EU projects and implemen-
tation activities

NEC’s Four Domestic Research 
Laboratories

Data Science Research Laboratories
Biometrics Research Laboratories
Secure System Research Laboratories
System Platform Research Laboratories

Take the central role in NEC R&D, focusing 
on AI (recognition, analysis), security, ICT 
platforms, and other cutting-edge tech-
nologies (quantum computing and 
devices, etc.)

Israel Research Center

Rapid creation of solutions that combine NEC’s 
technology with advances in technology from outside 
the Group, leveraging the world’s largest source 
of start-ups

NEC Laboratories India

Creation of core technologies to 
address the challenges of emerging 
countries

NEC Laboratories 
China

AI research and 
standardization

NEC Laboratories Singapore

Co-creation of innovative solutions 
with customers and partners, mainly 
for developed countries

NEC’s Business Model35

I

  Please refer to “AI Utilization with Respect for Human Rights as the Highest Priority” 
on page 61 for details on our policies regarding AI and human rights. 

R&D Competitiveness

AI

Network / Security*

Patents*

•  A number of papers accepted at prestigious 
academic conferences on cyber security 
→Awarded CRYPTO 2019 Best Paper Award
•  A number of papers accepted continuously 
at prestigious academic conferences on 
optical communication for over 30 consecu-
tive years

•  Ranked as a “Top 100 Global Innovator” for the 10th 
consecutive year in a global survey of the impact of 
corporate patents (2021)

•  Ranked 5th in the world in terms of the number of 

AI-related patent applications (2019)

•  No. 1 in terms of domestic patent capability in facial 

authentication (2019)

*  Security: ACM CCS, Eurocrypt, IEEE S&P, etc. 

*  Top 100: https://clarivate.com/top-100-innovators/ 

Network: OFC/ECOC, etc.

Number of AI patents: WIPO/WIPO Technology Trends 2019 

- Artificial Intelligence 

Facial authentication: Patent Result Press Release (2019) 

(Source)

An Example of NEC’s Competitiveness: Biometrics

NEC’s	biometric	solutions	are	ranked
No. 1 in the world.*

No. 1 in the World in Biometric Technology

Fingerprint 
Fingerprint 
Identification 
Identification 
No.1No.1

Facial 
Facial 
Authentication 
Authentication 
No.1No.1

×8

×6

Iris 
Iris 
Recognition 
Recognition 
No.1No.1

×2

*		Latest	survey	from	research	company	Frost	&	

Sullivan

1

© NEC Corporation 2021

NEC Group Internal Use Only

•  Ranked 7th in terms of the number of 

accepted papers at prestigious interna-
tional academic conferences on machine 
1
; ranked a strong 2nd after IBM 
learning*
among B2B enterprises; and ranked 1st 
among Japanese companies

•  Similarly ranked among the top companies 
in the world for image- and video-related AI, 
retaining its position as the No. 1 company 
in Japan

*1 NeurIPS, ICML, KDD, ECML-PKDD, ICDM

*2  AI General: IJCAI, AAAI; image recognition 

 systems: ICCV, ECCV, CVPR, etc.

Ranking among Companies for Accepted Papers 
at Prestigious International Conferences on 
Machine Learning

Rank

Company

No. of Accepted 
Papers

994

831

830

336

267

205

184

150

132

126

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Microsoft

IBM

Google

Yahoo

DeepMind

Facebook

NEC

Alibaba

Amazon

10

Tencent

Source: Internal survey 2000–2020

R&D Results

AI-powered Drug Discovery 
(graph-based relational learning)
Began trials of a cancer vaccine developed using AI in collabora-
tion with biotech company Transgene

Newborn Children Fingerprint Identification
Recognized newborn fingerprints two hours after birth with 99.7% 
accuracy. Verified results in the Republic of Kenya together with 
Nagasaki University

Optical Fiber Sensing
Began trials with Verizon. Successfully obtained traffic data using 
existing optical fiber networks as sensors

Invariant Analysis, etc.
Analyzed a variety of data from satellites, etc., with AI in partner-
ship with Lockheed Martin Space in the satellite/outer space field

High Bandwidth Optical Transport Systems
Developed technology of transport bandwidth expansion of 
optical submarine cable system. On average, 25% of bandwidth 
expansion was verified over the course of 10,000km

AI-driven Endoscopic Image Analysis
Developed AI technology for endoscopic image analysis to detect 
neoplasia in patients with Barrett’s esophagus, becoming the first 
technology of its kind to meet CE mark labeling requirements

Intellectual Property (IP) Strategy

Selected as a “Top 100 Global Innovator*” for the 10th Consecutive Year Based on IP

Building an IP Network That Takes Advantage of Global Business While Ensuring Competitive R&D
Build a strong IP network by developing a group of patents necessary to conduct overseas business in line with our business plan, as 
opposed to relying on our core group of patents

Enhancing IP Business and 5G Standard Patents
Focus on creating new businesses that utilize intellectual property, accelerate R&D co-creation, 
and strengthen cooperation with partners, which includes leveraging intellectual property

* https://clarivate.com/top-100-innovators/

NEC Integrated Report 202136

R&D and Business Development

Genealogy of Strengths

Technological strength is born from 
“the bonds between human talent.”

●  The bonds between human talent surpass time 

and location, creating superior technology.

●  The following key players involved in the 

development of AI over the course of its history 

form the genealogy of NEC Laboratories’ 

AI research: 

Yann LeCun 

Vladimir Vapnik 

Leon Bottou 

Hitoshi Imaoka

Photograph of Yann LeCun by Jérémy Barande, “Yann LeCun 

(41208595340)”; photographs of Geoff Hinton & Yoshua Bengio by Steve 

Jurvetson, “Deep Thinkers on Deep Learning”; licenses for all three 

photographs are based on CCBY 2.0.

Received ACM Turing Award (2018)

“The Godfather of AI”
Geoffrey Hinton

“The Three
AI Giants”

Yoshua
Bengio

Central Research Labs

Hitoshi Imaoka
World No.1 in
Facial Authentication

Advising
Research
Direction

Keiji Yamada

Introduced machine learning 
to pattern recognition

Atsushi Sato
Discovered and utilized
generalized l earning
vector quantization

Pioneers in Pattern
Recognition

LeCun School
Yann LeCun
AT&T Bell Lab
→NEC Labs America
→Facebook AI Lab Director

@NEC
Labs
America

Vladimir Vapnik
Joint Inventor of Support Vector 
Machine Received C&C Award (2013)

Leon Bottou
Won Test of Time Award* for works
During his tenure at NEC (ICML 2018)

Ronan Collobert
&
Jason Weston
Awarded the Test of Time Award* for 
works during his tenure at NEC 
NeurIPS 2018)

*  Test of Time Award: An award for the most important 

papers which have pioneered new paradigms in the 

last decade

Yann LeCun氏の写真はJérémy Barande氏による“Yann LeCun (41208595340)” 、Geoff Hinton氏、Yoshua Bengio氏の写真はSteve Jurvetson氏による“Deep Thinkers on Deep Learning”  いずれもライセンスはCC BY 2.0に基づく

2

© NEC Corporation 2021

NEC Group Internal Use Only

Acquiring & Cultivating Talent to Continuously Strengthen Our Genealogy
Continuously investing in our talent via fair evaluations, the creation of an environment where 
everyone strives for their best

In 2019, we introduced the “Selective Compensation 
Program for Professional Researchers” to attract 
top young researchers.

•  Considering the market value of researchers, we did not cap 

their remuneration.

•  The program began in 2019 in Japan. We also offered the pro-

gram to applicable new graduates during recruitment activities 

in the U.S.

Continuously strengthening our acquisition of 
excellent talent from overseas, including from India

•  We have been engaging in recruitment activities at India’s 

prestigious institute IIT for the last eight years, and have suc-

cessfully recruited 39 researchers.

•  Nine percent of research personnel at our Japanese labs are 

foreign nationals, and we continue to strengthen our excellent 

Young researchers participating in the program

Masafumi	Oyamada

Riki	Eto

Researchers from IIT

talent acquisition from around the world. 

Kanishka	Khandelwal

Prakash	Chaki

NEC’s Business Model37

Business Creation Initiative

Companywide Technology Synergies to Create 
Sources of New Strength

●  Utilize the unique or best-in-class technology we have offered over 

many years to specific customers in social infrastructure fields to 

enhance other business domains

●  Horizontal deployment of technology across business domains

Examples of Business Development Promoted through Open Innovation

NEC X, Inc.

dotData

AI-driven Drug Discovery

CropScope
Agricultural Support 
Solutions

Smart Wellness

BIRD INITIATIVE

Business Incubator That Takes Advantage of Silicon Valley’s Ecosystem
Since its establishment in 2018, three out of its 23 projects have become established companies (Inguo, GAZIRU, and Metabob).

A Carve-out Company Specializing in Data Analysis Process Automation Established by World-class AI Researchers
Highly capable products, peripheral businesses rooted in these products, and strong team creation

Cases of Global Innovation in Drug Discovery
Investment in, acquisition of, and joint clinical trials with biotechnology companies
• Investment in BostonGene (U.S.) • Start of clinical trials with Transgene (France) • Joint development with VAXIMM (Switzerland)
• Acquisition of OncoImmunity (Norway)

Strategic Partnerships in the Food Processing Industry and Support for Producers Utilizing AI Technology and Ecosystems
Worked with local manufacturers and producers through a strategic partnership with KAGOME to build a global ecosystem

Working with Leading Venture Capital Companies and Utilizing Crowdfunding to Verify Consumer Needs
Engaged in open innovation targeting consumers through unique combinations of the capabilities of NEC, FiNC, and Makuake

A Joint Venture with Six Participants from Industry, Finance, and Academia for Collaborative R&D
An unprecedented collaborative R&D business launched in Japan by six participants from different fields

エコシステム型R&Dの推進(昨年度IR Day発表資料より)

Promotion of Eco System-type R&D
・ Provide NEC’s technologies externally at an early phase to involve external partners and speed up R&D 

・ Open innovation of inbound/outbound integration

R&D

NEC
Cutting-edge Technologies
Security
AI

Network

Business Unit / Unit

Business
Opportunity

Case:

dotData
Established in 2018

New
Start-ups

Market Needs

Business
Knowledge

Customers

Businesspeople

1

© NEC Corporation 2021

NEC Group Internal Use Only

Field of R&D
for Real-world
Uses

Technologies
Talents

Academia

External
Fund

Provide incentives
to researchers

Partners/
Startups

NEC Integrated Report 202138

NEC’s Business Model

Roundtable: Creating Social Value through NEC’s R&D

Terumi Umematsu
Area of responsibility: Modeling human 

internal states (psychological and  

neurological) using biological signal analysis

Visiting researcher at the Massachusetts 

Institute of Technology (U.S.) from 2017  

to 2019

Masafumi Oyamada
Area of responsibility: R&D on data integration 

and machine learning systems

Principal researcher (alumnus of the first 

iteration of the Selective Compensation 

Program for Professional Researchers)

Yusuke Akamatsu
Area of responsibility: R&D related to  

biomedical signal processing
Joined the Company under the Selective Compensation 

Program for Professional Researchers

The Strengths and Merits of R&D at NEC, from a Researcher’s Perspective

Judging by your day-to-day R&D activities and your 

Do you come across any obstacles when you take on 

experience to date, what would you say are the 

challenges?

characteristics of NEC?

Umematsu  Even when you try but fail, people encourage you 

Oyamada

 Speaking broadly, NEC is quite solid when it comes 

to try your best next time. I think this is a really positive thing. I am 

to basic research, and they apply this research to the real world, 

always taking on challenges, and my hope is that people like Mr. 

and these are both appealing points. Speaking of research, when 

Akamatsu will see me try and fall short and realize that this is 

it comes to my area of databases, machine learning, AI, and other 

acceptable—and will feel like making an attempt themselves. 

similar fields, NEC is one of the best in the world. They are very 

Akamatsu 

 That’s right. When I see someone senior to me with 

aware of getting the basics right, and this is something that has 

as much passion as Ms. Umematsu, I feel like I’m in a place that 

been historically well-nurtured among researchers in Japan, of 

welcomes those who like taking on a challenge.

course, but also in North America and Europe. This has made the 

level of researchers quite high and has increased the appeal of 

NEC as a potential workplace for many top-level students. 

Mr. Akamatsu, you joined the Company in fiscal 2021, but 

 NEC has customers in various fields both in Japan and abroad, 

what drew your attention to NEC as a student?

so I think another appealing point is being able to look at a cross-

section of data, discover universal issues, and produce research 

Akamatsu 

 I was drawn in by NEC’s unique social solutions, 

results to tackle those issues.

that is, the way they would work with other companies to identify 

Umematsu  I think one strength is that we get to feel a sense of 

issues and then apply technology to solve the issues. For me, this 

responsibility for our research, from the beginning all the way to 

is what separates NEC’s research laboratory from the rest. My goal 

the end, when both we and the business divisions send our 

was to be useful to the world and have people benefit from things 

research out as business.  I would also have to say that another 

I created, so I chose a company that would allow me to achieve 

major strength is NEC’s connections to areas outside of Japan, 

this goal and see the fruits of my efforts in society. 

universities, and other companies. Also, when I want to embark on 

 Another characteristic of NEC that I have noticed since joining is 

a theme of research, the people at NEC are very sincere with their 

that there are people working in a variety of fields, and being around 

inquiries regarding it. If what you propose is logical and shows 

so many different professionals, being able to ask them for advice 

promise, you can take charge of your research on your own. This is 

and conduct research together with them is definitely appealing.

a great amount of freedom. I can do the things I really want to do, 

Oyamada

 One of the people who laid the foundation for deep 

and I can work with a dream in mind and see my efforts come to 

learning belonged to NEC Laboratories America, and I think the 

fruition in society. This is the driving force that gets me to do my 

reason that NEC is so well known among students as a research 

best every day.

institution is because of its excellent and long-standing reputation. 

39

Is there a divide between your image of NEC before joining 

reach us in real time. If your research capabilities in a certain 

and how you see it now?

technological field are not up to par with another group, that gap 

is apparent for all to see.  Therefore, if things are opening up, we 

Akamatsu 

 The biggest gap for me was that I had imagined a 

are best off taking advantage of the benefits. 

place where you conduct research focused on creating 

Umematsu  I was stationed abroad about two years ago, and 

technology—either developing technology or improving existing 

the most shocking difference for me was that researchers were 

technology—but in reality, I have had many opportunities to 

also entrepreneurs, business owners and managers, and they 

think in terms of business. One example is an approach to 

took care of people while establishing a vision for research. I was 

research I learned regarding patents. I learned that, even if the 

astonished to see these superhuman people who seemed to be 

patents and technology didn’t exist, we could discuss 

able to do it all. I felt the difference in power. But with that shock 

hypotheticals with someone from one of the business divisions 

out of the way, I feel that with NEC’s lineup of a variety of 

and begin research from there. 

professionals, we should all work to create something grand, 

Oyamada

 About seven years ago, we started promoting the 

instead of only trying to do things on our own.

idea of thinking in terms of business needs. I think this has 

Oyamada

 I had a similar experience about four years ago, 

become part of the Company’s culture.

working with people from top universities abroad, but I felt 

Umematsu  There are more and more opportunities for us to 

jealous every day. I felt disappointment in myself, seeing them 

communicate research themes to the entire Company. This is partly 

organically flow between research, capital, and business. It made 

due to communication reforms and this can lead to good 

me want to play a bigger role in society. Speaking to that feeling, 

discussions at the grassroots level where people can confirm as to 

over these past three years NEC has figured out a process for 

whether such-and-such is possible and exchange with each other. 

researchers to commercialize their research outcomes. Also, the 

Oyamada

 Things are not in vertical silos and there is no real 

Company has created NEC Growth Careers, a horizontal work 

sense of “territory,” so there are lots of discussions along the line 

transfer system. While I think there is still a ways to go, the 

of “why don’t we work together to do this?” or “why don’t we 

threshold is getting lower, and opportunities are increasing 

partner up to do that?” I think this sense of research as a holistic 

across the board. 

effort is something quite unique.

Umematsu  There are some examples of spin-out companies 

coming out of research laboratories, and having the frame of 

mind to step out of your comfort zone is a huge change 

There has been mention of in-house collaboration, but is 

psychologically and in many other ways.

there much collaboration with research laboratories abroad?

Umematsu  My impression is that there is quite a lot. There is 

What are your goals five to 10 years down the line?

no kind of threshold for us to pass through, and because of this, it 

is getting easier and easier to contact other researchers and have 

Akamatsu 

 First, I would like to focus on gaining some 

casual interactions to get information. The only difference is 

expertise. After that, I would like to propose my research, acquire 

location, but to me, it only seems like the distance between the 

a budget, and then work to be able to do something in another 

head office and the Tamagawa Plant. There has been a recent 

field, such as marketing, since I hope to build myself into one of 

emphasis on speed, meaning that if it is faster to do something 

these multi-faceted people we have been talking about. 

using assets from outside of the Company, versus sticking to 

Umematsu  I would like to create solutions that are, of course, 

in-house assets, we should choose the faster way. I feel like this is 

efficient and safe, but I also want them to be compassionate and 

a change that has taken place over the last five years. It was not 

close to the hearts of the people who utilize them in the end. To 

like that when we joined NEC, right?

realize such a lofty goal, I hope to increase my own appeal, not 

Oyamada

 You’re right. I feel like there used to be a belief that 

just in terms of skills and technical capabilities, but also as a 

everything needed to be made by us.

What sparked this change?

person, so that people will want to work with me and put their 

faith in me.
Oyamada  Now that I am working on a business that I started 

myself, I would like to get it on track. Customers say that our 

service is very convenient, but convenience does not necessarily 

Umematsu  I think we have realized that in a time when there 

guarantee profit. I would like to solve this dilemma and create a 

are complex problems all across society that need to be 

system that will keep providing value in a sustainable way, both in 

resolved—the SDGs are a good example—NEC cannot resolve 

terms of technology and business.

them on its own. The Company mindset has changed to one that 

is more open and draws from outside sources to commercialize 

and contribute to society. I think the sense of urgency and a 

feeling of impending challenge have moved the Company in a 

more flexible direction.

Oyamada

 There is a sense of urgency, no doubt about it. 

Academic conferences are held online, software is becoming 

more open sourced, and the things that happen abroad can 

NEC Integrated Report 202140

NEC, for Those Who Seek Challenge

Viewing people as its greatest management resource, NEC has been investing in its personnel by 
transforming systems and improving environments in ways that maximize the capabilities of its 
people and organization. To be an employer of choice that is always the preferred option not only 
of markets and customers but also of workers, we have been reforming our workplace environment 
and culture. The aim of these efforts is 
to ensure that each employee has a 
range of opportunities to take on  
challenges and grow and receives fair 
evaluations. Moreover, we are creating 
an atmosphere in which proactive 
employees can shine. The aforemen-
tioned reforms are based on our 
Human Resources (HR) Policy,  
“NEC, for those who seek challenge,” 
established in 2019.

Initiatives to Train Human Resources

Policy for Training Human Resources

Business 
Acumen

NEC Way

Expertise

Foundation

NEC Way
Internalizing the Code of Values as 
well as the mindset and conduct 
necessary for leadership

Business Acumen
Understanding NEC’s business 
and movements in the global 
market and learning about the 
greater business environment, 
trends, and strategies in order 
to apply them to strategies and 
measures in one’s area of 
responsibility

Foundation 
Acquiring a common set of 
capabilities required of a 
professional

Expertise 
Leading business growth by 
planning and executing mea-
sures that have never been tried 
before by learning and applying 
the latest trends and practices 
in one’s specialized field

Measures
We are striving to instill a business mindset and foster expertise, as 

well as the ability to drive transformation in each and every employee. 

Moreover, we aim to increase employees’ ability to manage and take 

ownership while enhancing individual and team capabilities. 

1
Enhance human and 
organizational management 
capabilities to succeed on the 
global stage 

1.  Boost the skills of those 
who manage people

2.  Ramp up development of 
the next generation of 
leaders

2
Pursue professional 
development to foster 
a successful business 
transformation

1.  Make necessary adjust-

ments in ways of thinking 
and behavior to adapt to 
the digital shift
2. Reskill employees

3
Enhance the mindset and 
skills that form the basis for 
stronger teams

1.  Reinforce implementation 

of the Code of Values

2.  Instill the ability to leverage 

diversity 
(Facilitation, team building, 

diversity management)

Support Learning and Career Autonomy with Digital Methods

Provide career opportunities and opportunities for personal development

Human Resource Training Platform

Industry–Academia 
Collaboration

Human Resource Acquisition

Human Resource Training

Human Resource Utilization

Human Resource Development

Repayment to 
Society

•  New initiatives in addition to 

•  Position-based and work-

hiring new graduates
•  Experienced worker 

recruitment

• Referral recruitment

specific training 

•  Training of the next genera-

tion of leaders 

• Theme-based training 

•  Enhancement of manage-

ment capabilities

•  Utilization of the right person 
at the right place and the right 
time
•  NEC Growth Careers 

(Autonomous career building)

•  Job-based human resource 

management

• Measures for further success
•  Opportunities for all ages 

(Utilization of retirees)

• Reskilling Camp

• Self-study opportunities

•  Clearly defined human 

• LinkedIn Learning
•  Cost subsidies for skill 

development
• Work experience 

• Social issue experiential 
training program

resources

Human Resources System

HR Policy: NEC, for those who seek challenge

NEC’s Business Model41

Cultural Transformation and Inclusion and Diversity

Cultural Transformation
•  Code of Values 

The Code of Values embodies the values and behaviors that all employees must 

demonstrate every day.

•  Employee surveys conducted every quarter 

Check the progress of measures and use today’s feedback to effect tomorrow

Code of Values

Look	outward.	See	the	future.

Think	simply.	Display	clear	strategies.

Be	passionate.	Follow	through	to	the	end.

Move	fast.	Never	miss	an	opportunity.

Encourage	openness.	Stimulate	the	growth	of	all.

Active Participation of a Wide Range of Talented People: Diversity and Inclusion
We believe that by creating a place where people of all genders, generations, and backgrounds 

can actively participate—a place where they can share and build upon each other’s strengths—

we can create a new world. NEC is working to bring together people with different talents from 

all over the world to create opportunities to maximize performance and foster creativity. This will 

ensure that NEC continues its development going forward.

FY2020 Target

Female/Non-
Japanese officers

Female 
managers

 20%*

 20%*

* Target values are for NEC HQ alone.

S

   For more details, please refer to the section “Inclusion and Diversity” on page 53 

of Sustainability Report 2021.

Talent Management: Human Resources Training

In order to realize NEC’s aim for a world that embraces DX, we 

absolutely must enhance the skills and talents of our human 

resources. We are also working to enhance our mid-level manag-

ers, as the human resources who manage people will play a very 

Purpose
Purpose

1  
Social Issues 
and 
Human-centered

Creating the future / 
Shared intent

important role when it comes to increasing the level of 

Competency

communication.

Specific Initiatives

• Training the next generation of leaders

• Training human resources involved with DX

Technology

Demonstrating value 
that utilizes capabilities 
unique to humans 
(analog intuition)

2  
Ways of 
Thinking 
and Behaving

Customer experience (CX)
User experience (UX)
mindset

3  
Technology

Digital technology 
training

Utilizing the Right Person at the Right Place and the Right Time with 
Job-based Management

Specific Initiatives 

• NEC Growth Careers

•  Active efforts to appoint young people and top-notch human 

resources from outside the Company through a new system that 

• Increase in mid-career hiring and referral recruitment

provides compensation commensurate with job duties

•  Establishment of NEC Life Career 

Examples:  Established post for research fellow, with no upper 

Services that help each and every employee develop their 

limit on compensation 

careers while promoting reskilling and updating their knowledge 

Established Selective Compensation Program for 

Professional Researchers, with no upper limit on 

compensation for non-managerial employees in 

an effort to acquire and develop top-level R&D talent

S

   For more details, please refer to the section “Human Resource Development and Training” on page 58 of Sustainability Report 2021.

NEC Integrated Report 202142

NEC, for Those Who Seek Challenge

Workstyle and Office Reforms with Smart Work 2.0

Moving Our Focus from Ease of Work to Improving Job Satisfaction 
We are working to implement a model that focuses on creating job satisfaction. This model loops four elements—trust, challenge, growth, 

and pride—and provides a motivating work environment where it is possible for employees to design their careers autonomously.

Initiatives to Date

Office Reforms

Office reforms

The newly established 
BASE co-working space

System Reforms

IT Transformation

Working from home/telework

Remote and on-site workspaces

Super flextime

Telework security

Teleworking ratio

Achieved 85%

Number of online 
conferences per day

31,000

Implementation 
rate of smart 
workstyles

22% 

(October 2018)

64% 

(January 2021)

Percentage 
improvement 
of operational 
efficiency

19% 

(October 2018)

41% 

(January 2021)

Vast improvement in satisfaction with workstyles according to employee survey

Initiatives to Date

Initiatives Going Forward

Ease of Work
Establishment of system, office, and 
IT-based infrastructure

Proof of concept and other 
implementation opportunities 
for employees

Job Satisfaction
Establish an environment where 
work experience can be put 
into practice

Work toward data-driven 
management

Job Satisfaction Creation Model
Work experience loop

01

Trust

Challenge

02

04

Pride

Growth

03

Office Reforms
Establish conditions that provide the optimal place and optimal time in order to elicit optimum performance

Improve quality and quantity within work experience loop

Places where people can 

concentrate on work more 

efficiently and effectively

Location free
Improve productivity

Office
Communication hubs

Places where teams 

can have more creative 

discussions

Digital workplace

Well-being by design

Security by design

Co-creation space
Places to create 

innovation

•  Workplaces that allow for seamless execution of duties that 

overcome time and space restrictions

•  Provide the experience necessary for employees to facilitate their own growth
•  Implement office reforms that foster trust and co-creation
•  Foster a work culture that encourages a diverse range of human resources 

to provide value

Places to generate innovative 

output that transcends the borders 

of organization and company

NEC’s Business Model43

CHRO Message

Hajime Matsukura

Executive	Vice	President,		
CHRO	(Chief	Human	Resources	Officer)	
and	Member	of	the	Board

Becoming 

a Company of 

Choice That Brings 

Together Diverse 

Human Resources

Continuing the drive forward to embrace the vision 
“NEC, for those who seek challenge.”

Why have we made such earnest efforts to transform our human 

words at monthly town hall meetings. In addition, members of 

resources and corporate culture? Over the past decade, there have 

management hear the voices of employees through employee 

been times when we fell short of the goals of our mid-term man-

surveys conducted once every three months. These efforts help to 

agement plan and were unable to achieve growth. One of the 

bridge the gap between management and employees and lead to 

major reasons for this shortfall was an emphasis on a defensive 

a more open, constructive culture. 

stance and a lack of ability to execute. Recognizing this, we have 

 So, the ideal human resources are those who act proactively to 

been working to “restructure our execution capabilities,” which is 

uphold the Code of Values embedded in the NEC Way. We are 

one of the management strategies laid out in the Mid-term 

trying to improve our day-to-day activities by infusing the Code of 

Management Plan 2020. The launch of Project RISE—an initiative 

Values into every aspect of our human resources system, including 

aimed at transforming human resources and our corporate culture 

hiring, the fostering of personnel, and evaluation. Ninety percent 

across the Company—sent a strong message from those at the 

of employees already take part in regular one-on-one meetings 

helm, saying simply “the top management team ourselves will 

with their supervisor, and we would like to challenge ourselves to 

change.” More importantly, though, as we put this message into 

enhance the substance of these meetings even further and include 

action, it is creating a shift in the Company culture, making it 

honest and frank feedback and serious career consultations.

known that these efforts toward change are sincere. 

 For NEC to display its potential and reach a level where it can 

 However, people tend to return to their old ways. Unless we 

win on the global stage where people, who are diverse in every 

keep our foot on the accelerator and keep going forward, we will 

way—be it by gender, nationality, experience, age, or some other 

not be able to improve our ability to adapt to the drastically 

attribute—can exchange ideas, it is from this exchange that inno-

changing external landscape, and our organization will be left 

vation emerges. This energy gets amplified when people acknowl-

behind on the global stage. To maintain our momentum, we have 

edge each other and utilize each other’s skills, as opposed to 

set a target under the Mid-term Management Plan 2025 to achieve 

simply gathering in one place. People will naturally converge on a 

an engagement score of 50%, in line with our goal to “transform 

company like this. It is important that employees take pride in 

ourselves into a company that pursues innovation and brings 

their work, take pride in NEC, and take on challenges that are 

together diverse people under the NEC Way” and to become an 

more exciting than the last challenge. When each and every one is 

“employer of choice.” To achieve this goal, every employee needs 

fully focused on achieving their dreams, these dreams intertwine 

to transform their manner of thinking and their behavior, and to 

and each becomes involved and engaged with the other—this 

take action that will lead to changes in the workplace as a whole. 

generates value that has a real impact on the world, which leads 

To that end, we have established a human resources policy titled 

us toward a stronger connection with the future. It is this shape 

“NEC, for those who seek challenge.” To carry out this policy, 

that I want to achieve.

members of top management deliver this message in their own 

NEC Integrated Report 202144

Messages from Employees

We have established an HR policy under the banner “NEC, for those who seek challenge.” 
Under this policy, we are promoting human- and culture-centric reforms to optimize employee 
potential. Here, we will share some messages from a few of our employees who are working to 
create social value.

Achieving Disruptive Innovations That Address Human Needs
Meaningful innovation addresses human needs through the removal of critical barriers to create 
entirely new markets and inspire new business opportunities. This kind of disruptive innovation is the 
core mission of industrial laboratories like NEC Laboratories America. NEC Corporation, with its long 
history of both broad and deep technological expertise, is uniquely positioned to commercialize 
these disruptive innovations on a global scale. The new NEC mid-term management plan anticipates 
the approaching technological revolution and positions NEC to lead in the creation of new technolo-
gies, new platforms, and new applications.
 Although NEC is positioned to lead, realizing these goals will require clear communication, strong 
collaboration, and relentless speed in execution. Communication with customers, with governments, 
with universities, and with ourselves about the challenges we face and the potential solutions leads 
to greater understanding, a sharper focus, and clarity of thought. Collaboration leverages NEC’s 
global workforce to tackle big, hard problems with diverse perspectives to find novel solutions for 
“impossible” problems. Finally, we need to execute end-to-end with speed and quality across all 
business and R&D stages, converting difficult challenges into novel solutions, comprehensive plat-
forms, innovative products, and ultimately happy customers.
 As a researcher, you always want your research results to make an impact. You want to work for 
companies like NEC with the perfect combination of great customers, a vision for the future inspired 
by new technologies, and a willingness to support R&D to tackle hard problems. For all of these 
reasons, I personally feel lucky to work for NEC and I am excited to see what we can achieve.

Chris White

President

NEC Laboratories America

Solving the Issues of Local Governments and Creating Safe and Secure Cities
I am involved in a project called “Kurumie for Cities” that uses a combination of dash cam* data and 
AI to automatically detect surface deterioration on roads owned by local governments. I originally 
worked on car dash cams as a tool to support safe driving, but I wanted to take up a bigger challenge 
and try something new. So, when the chance came to work on this new business, which was devel-
oped out of an existing one, I transferred to the position I am in now. 
 This solution can solve road maintenance issues facing several local governments. In the past, 
local governments had to budget a lot of time and money toward comprehensive inspections of 
roads under their management, but with our solution they can take advantage of dash cams on 
ordinary cars, as opposed to dedicated vehicles, which allows for efficient inspections and preven-
tive maintenance. We are taking on challenges every day, and our next challenge for the future is 
expanding our business into detecting deterioration on airport runways. 
 As a beneficiary, as well as someone whose family and friends use the roads and highways, it 
makes me happy knowing that they are able to enjoy the value of our service. Our goal is to create a 
safe and secure city, but we also want to grow the area where we provide this value, not just in Japan 
but all around the world.

* Dashboard-mounted CCTV system

Kaori Iwafuchi

Manager

System Platform Business Unit 

System Devices Division

NEC’s Business Model45

A Project to Create Social Value in Developing Countries with NEC’s Biometric 
Authentication Technology 
I am working with international organizations to promote a vaccination project that utilizes child fingerprints. 
The project aims to improve child vaccinations by using fingerprint authentication technology in developing 
countries that are facing difficulties in vaccination record management. Although child fingerprint authentica-
tion is extremely challenging, we have developed the world’s first child fingerprint authentication achieving 
actual utilization with NEC’s superior biometric technology.
  When I studied abroad, I saw with my own eyes many children who bore the brunt of undeveloped social 
infrastructures. I then decided to involve myself in developing projects that would reinforce social infrastruc-
tures because I thought it would enable me to create a win-win relationship for both developing countries 
and companies. Eventually, I joined NEC and am now involved in this project.
  While developing countries require funds for development, NEC, a for-profit company, needs to generate 
profit to maintain sustainable operations. We need to consider to work with governments and international 
organizations to garner the financial support to get these developing countries on the right track. My previous 
work experience in a financial institution has been useful to my current work.
  NEC creates social value through technology. We listen to people who are facing real challenges and can 
co-create solutions together. This is NEC’s strength.

Saori Tsubakino

Assistant Manager

Global Business Unit

Global Relations Division

Launching a New Business That Provides Safe and Secure Infrastructure
I joined NEC as a new employee in 2020, and I am launching a business that involves installing 5G 
transmitters on traffic lights and other structures in order to determine the situation at traffic intersec-
tions, support autonomous driving, and help prevent accidents. The hard part of our day-to-day work 
is that the path to our goals is not straightforward. As we search for this path, we need to be able to 
look ahead and reverse engineer our steps. We also need to think how we can monetize our business, 
as opposed to simply commercializing it.
 Ever since I was a student, I was interested in local revitalization and sustainability, and I joined NEC 
due to its ability to work with the national government. Before joining, I thought of NEC as a rather 
conventional company, so when I got there, I didn’t expect to see all the hustle and bustle with so 
many people actively working around me. I feel, though, that this will help me gain a lot of experience 
as I face one challenge after another. As a first step, I am working to launch this business to provide safe 
and secure infrastructure and to use collected data to further reduce traffic congestion. In the future, 
I will use the experience gained in launching this business and be involved in solving issues in fields 
such as tourism and agriculture with the aim of revitalizing local areas.

Nozomi Matsumoto

Cross-Industry Unit

Cross-Industry Business 

Development Division

Helping Customers Achieve Their Future Visions through Consulting
I joined NEC in March 2020 and have found collaboration within the Company to be much more 
active than I expected. When you look at NEC’s people and technology, the possibilities seem infinite. 
NEC continues to develop technology on its own, and for this reason, it is able to have a good grasp 
on the future, but there is a lot more that NEC could do to contribute to society and to its customers. 
I believe that the Company needs to be ready to put forth potential “hypotheses” that will help 
customers achieve success at an earlier stage, so the Company needs to deliver this value with speed, 
even if its initial proposals are not a 100% match with requirements. In this sense, the existence of 
consulting services as a part of NEC is greatly significant.
 We believe that our role is to help customers create the value that is part of their future vision and 
help them realize the fruits of their endeavors. Creating value does not only mean promoting differen-
tiation or producing added value—it also means amplifying that created value upon itself. A company 
can actualize its “reason for being” in a sustainable manner by taking advantage of digital technology, 
both to update its value and contribute to society. For example, more effective use of investment 
resources and assets can increase the efficiency of the value chain, which not only lowers costs but 
also helps reduce the loss of resources and brings us closer to carbon neutrality, all of which contributes 
toward a sustainable society. In addition, these efforts will lead to the creation and increase of added 
value for customers and, ultimately, their beneficiaries. NEC will think, together with its customers, on 
how to resolve the issues that stand in their way from realizing their vision for the future, make efforts 
to resolve them based on current technology and future possibilities, accumulate results, and then 
realize growth.

Eiki Momotani

Managing Executive

Digital Business Platform Unit

DX Strategic Consulting Division

NEC Integrated Report 202146

Living Harmoniously with the Earth to Secure the Future

“Living harmoniously with the earth to secure the future,” part of the NEC 2030VISION, includes 
three elements: decarbonization, preventing global warming, and water and food safety.  
Under this banner, we intend to utilize our business to solve and improve climate change and a 
variety of other environmental issues occurring on the earth today, and realize a sustainable society. 
Since 2018, NEC has highlighted “environmental action with a particular focus on climate change” 
as one of its materiality themes. Therefore, we are providing value in the form of mitigation-based 
(decarbonization) and adaptation-based countermeasures to climate change, more specifically, 
reducing CO2 emissions from customers and society through DX and “preparing for the various 
impacts of climate change.” By expanding provision of solutions and services that help resolve  
environmental issues, we will support the conservation of the global environment and the  
sustainable growth of both companies and society.

Environmental Initiatives for Realizing a Sustainable Society
As our response to climate change, we have set Science Based Targets (SBTs) for 2030 as part of  

our goal of reducing our CO2 emissions to effectively zero by 2050, and are working to provide solutions  

and services to contribute toward resolving environmental issues. 

2050

Course of Action for Climate Change 
Toward 2050
(Announced July 2017)

Effectively	zero	CO2	emissions	by	2050

2030
SBT* 1.5℃	(Validated	in	May	2021)
Reduce	Scope	1	and	Scope	2	CO2	emissions	by	55%	

compared	with	fiscal	2018

“
M

i
t
i
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a
t
i
o
n
”
o
f
c
l
i

m
a
t
e
c
h
a
n
g
e

Ⅱ. Achieving sustainable society by collaboration

Realizing a low carbon society 

as a goal for the planet

(Keeping global average temperature 

rise between 1.5ºC and 2ºC)

Realizing a safe, secure  

society that is resilient to 

climate change risks

Aiming for zero CO2  

Strict countermeasures 

emissions from  

against climate change  

supply chains

risks in supply chains

Ⅰ. Building sustainable management foundation

“
A
d
a
p
t
a
t
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”
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l
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2020
Create Five Times More Environmental 
Value through Business
(Announced July 2014)

Goals of Climate Change  

Countermeasures up until  

Fiscal 2021 

5.2倍

4.2倍
4.2 times 5.2 times

2.7倍
2.7 times

7.7倍
7.7 times

Target:

目標

5 times
5倍

2018
“Response	to	environmental	issues	centered	on	

climate	change”	positioned	as	materiality

2017年度
FY2018

2018年度
FY2019

2019年度
FY2020

2020年度
FY2021

適応
Adaptation

緩和
Mitigation

Contribution
貢献
Social	value	created	by	NEC

創出する社会価値

負荷
Impact
Impact	of	NEC’s	business

事業が及ぼす影響

* Science Based Targets

NEC’s Business Model 
 
 
 
 
 
47

Aiming to Reduce CO2 Emissions to “Effectively Zero” by 2050

Decarbonization

Preventing global warming

In July 2017, we formulated our climate change countermeasure guidelines up to 2050 in 

order to strengthen NEC’s sustainable management base and promote creation of a sustain-

able society together with our customers. In accordance with these guidelines, we aim to 

reduce CO2 emissions associated with NEC’s business activities (Scope 1 and Scope 2) to 

effectively zero by 2050. In 2021, NEC joined RE100 and is dedicated to procuring 100% of its 

electricity from renewable sources.

CO2 Emissions Reduction Targets

Without reduction measures

Reduction measures

1. Thorough efforts to improve efficiency

2. Expand introduction of renewable energy

3. Purchase renewable power

55% reduction

2017

2030

Effectively zero

2050

NEC’s Initiatives Toward Achieving the SBTs

Decarbonization

In 2021, we increased the stringency of our Science Based Targets for climate change 

 countermeasures from the “well below 2℃” goal to an alignment with the “1.5℃” goal, and 

we are redoubling efforts to reduce environmental footprint and risks throughout our supply 

chains. Since CO2 emissions from the supply chain account for 95% of NEC’s total emissions, 

we are making new efforts to reduce emissions from purchased goods and services through 

engagement with our suppliers. These efforts are in addition to our existing efforts to reduce 

emissions from the use of sold products.

Reducing Scope 3 CO2 Emissions from the Supply Chain

Other (excluding Category 
13, 14, and 15) 4%

Scope	1,	2
Emissions produced by the Company 

Upstream

Downstream

5%

6,485 
kilotons
(FY2021)

Scope 3 (95%)

Category 1

Category 11

Emissions from purchased goods  
and services*

Emissions from use of sold products

Fiscal 2031 Reduction Target of 33% (Compared with Fiscal 2018)

NEW

Ongoing

Reductions through supplier engagement

Reductions through  
improved energy efficiency in products

Category	1
Emissions from purchased 
goods and services

Category	11
Emissions from use 
of sold products

In addition to existing efforts to improve the energy efficiency of products, we will  

promote new emissions reduction measures that leverage supplier engagement.

53%

37%

* Comprises 35% of all Category 1 emissions

NEC Integrated Report 202148

Living Harmoniously with the Earth to Secure the Future

Contributing to Decarbonization through Business

企業のCO2排出量によるマッピングから見たNECのポジション

Decarbonization

Although NEC’s CO2 emissions are small relative to the rest of 

NEC’s Position When Mapping Corporate CO2 Emissions

the industry, with a small impact on society, industries with 

High

high CO2 emissions can take advantage of NEC’s ICT technology 

to help reduce their emissions. Therefore, we are ramping up 

efforts to make our business means toward decarbonization to 

accelerate the decarbonization process across society.

S
c
o
p
e
1
+
2

2
+
1

e
p
o
c
S

CO2 emissions (risk) 
relatively low

NEC

Note: Materials adapted from those produced by Green Pacific Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.

©株式会社グリーン・パシフィック作成資料にNECが一部加工 禁無断転載

2

© NEC Corporation 2021

Scope3

Scope 3

High

Calculation Methods for CO2 Emission Reductions

Use CO2 emissions as a metric for evaluating changes from introducing ICT (centered on seven activities concerning CO2 emissions)

Ways that introducing ICT can reduce impact

1. Human Movement

2. Use of Paper

3. Use of Object

4. Object Movement

5. Object Storage

Use	of	online	
conferencing	systems

Electronic	file	sharing,	
e-books

Use	of	network	
services

Streamlining	logistics,	
digitalized	items

Lower	storage	space	
needs	from	reduction	
in	paper	and	objects

Ways that introducing ICT can increase impact

6. Use of IT Devices

7. Use of Network 
Services

Greater	power	consumption	
from	increased	use	of	IT	
devices	for	new	systems

Greater	power	consumption	
from	increased	use	of	
network	services

Reduction effect after  

one year (calculated with 

evaluation tool)

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Before

After

Contributing to Society with Businesses Related to Carbon Neutrality

Resource aggregation business 

FY2026 business scale: 12.0 billion yen

Expansion of business

Contribution to a 
decarbonized society

NEC HQ

Self-consignment

Surplus power supply

Aggregation 
service

Price

Surplus power supply

Power companies

(Distributors)

Adjusting 
capacity

Price

Regulated supply and 
demand market
(To open in FY2022)

NEC business locations 
and NEC Group 
companies

Decarbonization  
management solutions

Circular economy

Energy management

• Uptake of renewable energy

•  Improvement of resource  

productivity of industrial sector

CO2	reduction	economic	effect:	
90.0	trillion	yen*
*  Source: Green Growth Strategy for Carbon Neutrality in 2050 

(Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, published in 2020) 

Note:  Market size is an estimate of the Japanese market in 

2030.

Other Examples
S

   Please refer to page 42 of Sustainability Report 2021 to learn about our efforts to reduce CO2 emissions in Africa with a Hybrid Energy Storage System. 

Decarbonization

S

   Please refer to page 41 of Sustainability Report 2021 to learn about our IoT-based River Water Level Monitoring System, which has been installed as a global 
warming measure and to assist with water safety.  Preventing global warming   Water and food safety

NEC’s Business Model 
49

Risks and Opportunities

Decarbonization

Preventing global warming

Water and food safety

Recognizing the impact that such environmental risks as climate change and pollution by 

hazardous substances could have on its businesses, NEC conducts risk reduction and preven-

tion activities through assessment, inspection, and education.

  For climate change in particular, we examine risks and opportunities from both a short-term 

and a medium- to long-term perspective in line with TCFD recommendations, evaluate future 

impacts, and identify assets in relation to risk countermeasures and opportunities.

Risks and Opportunities at a Glance      Climate change    Other environmental issues

Environmental Targets: NEC Eco Action Plan 2025

Decarbonization

Preventing global warming

Water and food safety

To reduce CO2 emissions to “effectively zero” by 2050, we have set a series 

of environmental targets to be achieved over the course of five years, 

based on the NEC 2030VISION and the Mid-term Management Plan 2025. 

  We have selected 11 priority activities based on the three goals.

1. Reduce own risks and footprints

2. Increase contributions through businesses

3.  Build foundations to promote  

environmental management

S

  2.3 For more details on the NEC Eco Action Plan 2025, please refer to pages 31 and 32 of Sustainability Report 2021.

1. Reduce own risks and footprints

(cid:53)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3)
(cid:38)(cid:50)(cid:21)
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(cid:54)(cid:88)(cid:83)(cid:83)(cid:79)(cid:92)(cid:3)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:68)(cid:76)(cid:81)

(cid:53)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:70)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:88)(cid:86)(cid:68)(cid:74)(cid:72)

(cid:53)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:70)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:68)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:72)(cid:80)(cid:76)(cid:86)(cid:86)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:86)

(cid:55)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:80)(cid:72)(cid:86)

(cid:53)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:70)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:87)(cid:68)(cid:79)(cid:3)(cid:72)(cid:80)(cid:76)(cid:86)(cid:86)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:86)
(cid:11)(cid:68)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:82)(cid:79)(cid:88)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:89)(cid:68)(cid:79)(cid:88)(cid:72)(cid:12)(cid:3)(cid:11)(cid:54)(cid:37)(cid:55)(cid:12)

(cid:53)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:85)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:74)(cid:92)(cid:16)(cid:71)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:76)(cid:89)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:38)(cid:50)(cid:21) (cid:72)(cid:80)(cid:76)(cid:86)(cid:86)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:11)(cid:68)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:82)(cid:79)(cid:88)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:89)(cid:68)(cid:79)(cid:88)(cid:72)(cid:12)(cid:3)
(cid:11)(cid:70)(cid:82)(cid:80)(cid:83)(cid:68)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:3)(cid:41)(cid:60)(cid:21)(cid:19)(cid:20)(cid:27)(cid:12)

(cid:44)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:76)(cid:70)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:85)

(cid:40)(cid:91)(cid:83)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:88)(cid:86)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:90)(cid:68)(cid:69)(cid:79)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:74)(cid:92)

(cid:36)(cid:80)(cid:82)(cid:88)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3)(cid:72)(cid:79)(cid:72)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:85)(cid:76)(cid:70)(cid:3)(cid:83)(cid:82)(cid:90)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:88)(cid:86)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:73)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:80)(cid:3)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:90)(cid:68)(cid:69)(cid:79)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:74)(cid:92)

(cid:53)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:70)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:38)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:74)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:92)(cid:3)(cid:20)(cid:3)(cid:72)(cid:80)(cid:76)(cid:86)(cid:86)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:11)(cid:54)(cid:37)(cid:55)(cid:12)

(cid:53)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:85)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:74)(cid:92)(cid:16)(cid:71)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:76)(cid:89)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:38)(cid:50)(cid:21) (cid:72)(cid:80)(cid:76)(cid:86)(cid:86)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:73)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:80)(cid:3)(cid:83)(cid:88)(cid:85)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:68)(cid:86)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:74)(cid:82)(cid:82)(cid:71)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:3)
(cid:86)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:89)(cid:76)(cid:70)(cid:72)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:11)(cid:70)(cid:82)(cid:80)(cid:83)(cid:68)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:3)(cid:41)(cid:60)(cid:21)(cid:19)(cid:20)(cid:27)(cid:12)

(cid:53)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:70)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:38)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:74)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:92)(cid:3)(cid:20)(cid:20)(cid:3)(cid:72)(cid:80)(cid:76)(cid:86)(cid:86)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:11)(cid:54)(cid:37)(cid:55)(cid:12)

(cid:44)(cid:80)(cid:83)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:89)(cid:72)(cid:80)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:85)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3)(cid:83)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:74)(cid:92)(cid:3)(cid:72)(cid:73)(cid:73)(cid:76)(cid:70)(cid:76)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:70)(cid:92)
(cid:11)(cid:70)(cid:82)(cid:80)(cid:83)(cid:68)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:3)(cid:41)(cid:60)(cid:21)(cid:19)(cid:20)(cid:23)(cid:3)(cid:83)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:86)(cid:12)

(cid:53)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:85)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:11)(cid:70)(cid:82)(cid:80)(cid:83)(cid:68)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:3)(cid:41)(cid:60)(cid:21)(cid:19)(cid:20)(cid:28)(cid:12)

(cid:53)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:85)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:11)(cid:70)(cid:82)(cid:80)(cid:83)(cid:68)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:3)(cid:41)(cid:60)(cid:21)(cid:19)(cid:20)(cid:28)(cid:12)

(cid:41)(cid:60)(cid:21)(cid:19)(cid:21)(cid:25)(cid:3)(cid:55)(cid:68)(cid:85)(cid:74)(cid:72)(cid:87)(cid:86)

-(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:17)(cid:25)(cid:8)

(cid:26)(cid:27)(cid:15)(cid:19)(cid:19)(cid:19) (cid:48)(cid:58)(cid:75)

-(cid:25)(cid:17)(cid:19)(cid:8)

(cid:28)(cid:19)(cid:17)(cid:19)(cid:8)

-(cid:22)(cid:17)(cid:24)(cid:8)

-(cid:23)(cid:17)(cid:27)(cid:8)

External Evaluation Regarding the Environment

Decarbonization

Preventing global warming

Water and food safety

NEC was included in the “A List” for both climate change and water security in 2019 and 2020 

consecutively. NEC was also listed on the CDP’s supplier engagement “Leaderboard,” the 

highest recognition the CDP offers for supplier engagement. 

NEC Integrated Report 202150

At a Glance

NEC Corporation and Consolidated Subsidiaries

Revenue, adjusted operating profit, adjusted net income, free cash flow, and composition of revenue are financial results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021 (IFRS).

Revenue

Adjusted operating profit

2,994.0 billion yen

Adjusted net profit

178.2 billion yen

Free cash flows

165.4 billion yen

152.4 billion yen

Public Solutions Business

Public Infrastructure 
Business

Enterprise Business

Revenue

Revenue

Revenue

425.1 billion yen

692.9 billion yen

503.1 billion yen

Adjusted operating profit

Adjusted operating profit

Adjusted operating profit

39.4 billion yen

59.4 billion yen

48.2 billion yen

Major Products and Services

Major Products and Services

Major Products and Services

••  Systems Integration 

••  Systems Integration 

••  Systems Integration 

(Systems Implementation, Consulting)

(Systems Implementation, Consulting)

(Systems Implementation, Consulting)

••  Maintenance and Support

••  Maintenance and Support

••  Maintenance and Support

••  Outsourcing/Cloud Services

••  Outsourcing/Cloud Services

••  Outsourcing/Cloud Services

••  System Equipment

••  System Equipment

••  System Equipment

Examples of Major Customers 
and Main Solutions
Public:
Firefighting Command,
Firefighting Emergency Radio Systems,
Disaster Prevention, Traffic Control,
Railroad Communication,
Local Government,
Energy Management Systems

Healthcare:
Electronic Medical Records,
Regional Healthcare Information Network

Regional Industries:
Backbone Service

Examples of Major Customers 
and Main Solutions
Government:
Social Security and Tax, Fingerprint 
Identification, Air Traffic Control, Satellite 
Communications/Earth Observation, 
Outdoor Communication, School/Education, 
Postal Tracking

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

Examples of Major Customers 
and Main Solutions
Manufacturing:
Global SCM, Product Life Cycle 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

Major Consolidated Subsidiaries

Major Consolidated Subsidiaries

NEC Nexsolutions, Ltd.

NEC Network and Sensor Systems, Ltd.

NEC Facilities, Ltd.

NEC Space Technologies, Ltd.

Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, 

Limited

NEC’s Business Model51

Note:  Figures for revenue, adjusted operating profit, and composition of revenue for the 

fiscal year ended March 31, 2021 are restated to conform with the new segments, 

which have not been audited by the accounting auditors.

Composition of Revenue

Revenue by Region

●Public Solutions Business .......... 14%
●Public Infrastructure Business ... 23%
●Enterprise Business ..................... 17%
●Network Services Business ......... 18%
●Global Business ............................ 15%
●Others ............................................ 13%

●Japan ....................................76.6%
● North America 

and Latin America ..................4.4%

● Europe, Middle East, 

and Africa .................................7.6%

● China, East Asia, 

and Asia Pacific ....................11.4%

Network Services 
Business

Global Business

Revenue

Revenue

Others

Revenue

538.8 billion yen

450.0 billion yen

384.2 billion yen

Adjusted operating profit

Adjusted operating profit

Adjusted operating profit

41.2 billion yen

7.5 billion yen

7.7 billion yen

Major Products and Services

Major Products and Services

Major Products and Services

••  Network Infrastructure: 

••  Digital Government, Digital Finance

••  Business Consulting

Core Network, Mobile Phone Base 

••  Software Services for Service 

••  Package Solution Services

Stations, Optical Transmission 

Providers (OSS/BSS)

Systems, Routers/Switches

••  Network Infrastructure: 

••  Systems Integration: 

Submarine Systems (Submarine 

(Systems Implementation, Consulting)

Cable Systems, Ocean Observation 

••  Services & Management: 
2
, Services/Solutions

1
OSS*

/BSS*

Systems), Wireless Backhaul

*1 OSS: Operation Support System

*2 BSS: Business Support System

Major Consolidated Subsidiaries

Major Consolidated Subsidiaries

Major Consolidated Subsidiaries

NEC Networks & System Integration 

OCC Corporation

ABeam Consulting Ltd.

Corporation

Netcracker Technology Corporation

NEC Platforms, Ltd.

NEC Software Solutions UK Limited

NEC Fielding, Ltd.

KMD Holding ApS

Avaloq Group AG

NEC Embedded Products, Ltd.

NEC Integrated Report 202152

Business Overview

Public Solutions Business

Social Value Goals under the Mid-term Management Plan 2025

Expand the value we provide to help realize  
prosperous local societies
•  Achieve continued growth while transforming our business model 

•  Help resolve social issues by providing value beyond existing frameworks

9.3%
(39.4	billion	yen)

About	10%

FY2021

FY2026

Estimated adjusted OP ratio target

Achievements and Issues to be Addressed under the Mid-term Management Plan 2020

Achievements

Issues

•		Improved	operating	profit	ratio	with	measures	that	included	

•		Increase	profitability	of	business	through	business	profitability	

reducing	unprofitable	projects

analysis,	followed	by	improvement	measures

•		Reviewed	and	implemented	strategies	in	response	to	sudden	

•		Help	resolve	social	issues	by	taking	on	challenges	that	create	new	

changes	in	the	external	environment	(COVID-19,	etc.)

social	value

Business Opportunities and Key Measures for the Medium to Long Term

Business Opportunities

perspective. In addition, we will utilize our extensive track record 

work to create services with true value from the consumer’s 

•		Accelerated	digitalization	due	to	lifestyle	and	workstyle	

changes

•		Increased	expectations	for	ICT	to	resolve	social	issues

●  Expanding Business Domains to Resolve Social Issues

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant changes in the 

way we conduct business and live our lives. This applies to NEC 

as well, and we are taking steps to go beyond the conventional 

boundaries of an ICT vendor and promote co-creation and 

and society’s trust in us, as well as our advanced technologies to 

tackle environmental problems and natural disasters, the latter of 

which are increasing in intensity and frequency, and help resolve 

customer and social issues. 

● Transforming Our Business Model

We aim to transform our business model to provide new value to 

customers and society while also spurring our own business 

growth. More specifically, we will utilize the know-how gained 

from promoting our existing packaging business to provide new 

offerings. As we develop assets in digital government, digital 

connection building with customers and business partners. This 

healthcare, city management, public safety and transportation, 

is part of a move to transform and create further social value.

we are developing mechanisms and systems for these assets. On 

 To that end, we will stand at the forefront of the various issues 

top of ensuring high quality in a stable manner, we plan to 

gripping Japan, such as rising social security costs and a 

increase speed of delivery, which will increase the value we pro-

shrinking labor force, and muster a firm response, leveraging the 

vide to customers and help raise business profitability. 

trust and track record we have built up to date delivering the 

latest systems in public, medical and local industry fields, as well 

as our cutting-edge technology. At the same time, we will also 

NEC’s Business Model53

Public Infrastructure Business

Social Value Goals under the Mid-term Management Plan 2025

Transform social systems
•  Contribute to a social system that allows all people to enjoy prosperity 

and convenience

•  Create public infrastructure that allows for safe and secure living

8.6%
(59.4	billion	yen)

About	10%

FY2021

FY2026

Estimated adjusted OP ratio target

Achievements and Issues to be Addressed under the Mid-term Management Plan 2020

Achievements

Issues

•		Exceeded	targets	put	forth	for	each	fiscal	year	of	the	Mid-term	

•		Increase	efforts	to	reduce	unprofitable	projects	despite	such	projects	

Management	Plan	2020

being	on	a	downward	trend

•		Achieved	horizontal	expansion	of	technological	assets	and	launched	

•		Improve	capital	efficiency	despite	maintaining	high	profitability

new	value	creation	endeavors	in	the	fields	of	government,	
education,	broadcasting,	and	security	

Business Opportunities and Key Measures for the Medium to Long Term

Business Opportunities

time. By taking on this challenge, we will transform the structure 

infrastructure, we will also work to create new value at the same 

•		Expanding	role	of	ICT	in	the	transformation	of	social	

systems	

•		Expansion	of	new	business	areas	due	to	the	promotion	

of	digital	governments

● Expanding Business in New ICT Fields

“Toward a proud society. Toward a proud future.” This is the 

vision that the Public Infrastructure Business Unit put forth during 

the formulation of the Mid-term Management Plan 2025. Our goal 

is to realize a society in which all people can enjoy prosperity. To 

this end, we will combine NEC’s technologies, products, and 

solutions and work with partner companies to create new social 

value. Over the past year, we have embarked on new initiatives. 

These include promoting OPE,* NEC’s education cloud service, 

and digital education that provides one terminal for each person. 

It also includes the development of cloud-based offerings for 

government offices to accelerate government digitalization. We 

are also looking into creating new value in the aviation industry 

utilizing data linkage. As we continue to build and operate public 

of public systems themselves, creating a society that both we and 

our customers can take pride in. 
* OPE: Open Platform for Education

● Introducing of ROIC-based Management

The Public Infrastructure Business Unit supports customer opera-

tions in sectors such as government offices, broadcast stations, 

and security by facilitating the stable operation of super mission-

critical ICT systems. We are maintaining stable revenue levels and 

stable operating profit ratios amid high technical demand and 

several large-scale projects. In a move to increase “quality of 

management” even further, the Public Infrastructure Business 

Unit, with its various characteristics, will adopt a pioneering role, 

taking on ROIC-based management from fiscal 2022. This initia-

tive will involve measures tailored to the characteristics of each 

business that, instead of only maintaining high profitability, are 

also intended to increase capital efficiency, and thereby improve 

corporate and business value in a sustainable manner.

NEC Integrated Report 202154

Business Overview

Enterprise Business

Social Value Goals under the Mid-term Management Plan 2025

 Provide value and create new business opportunities  
that will meet customer and market demand
•  Enhance efforts toward DX that will go beyond the boundaries of  

companies and industries to resolve social issues

•  Leverage NEC’s strengths and its partnerships with customers to  

promote the co-creation of growth businesses

9.6%
(48.2	billion	yen)

About	13%

FY2021

FY2026

Estimated adjusted OP ratio target

Achievements and Issues to be Addressed under the Mid-term Management Plan 2020

•		Developed	solutions	and	services	aimed	to	accelerate	DX,	and	

•		Shift	to	a	business	structure	that	is	not	affected	by	changes	in	the	

Achievements

Issues

promoted	the	creation	of	DX-related	offerings

macro	environment

•		Established	a	solid	business	foundation	that	can	maintain	a	stable	

•		Continue	to	increase	profitability

operating	profit	ratio	of	10%

Business Opportunities and Key Measures for the Medium to Long Term

● Increasing Profitability of the SI Services Business

Business Opportunities

The system integration services business is at the heart of the 

•		Greater	expectations	for	ICT	as	a	means	to	solve	a	variety	

of	social	issues,	such	as	environmental	problems,	

decarbonization,	and	labor	shortages

Enterprise Business, and we will go forward with plans to imple-

ment modeling and create new offerings for it. These measures 

will improve productivity, quality, and delivery speed; at the same 

•		More	new	business	opportunities	and	acceleration	of	ICT	

time, we will shift toward the type of business that creates value, 

use	in	markets	as	a	result	of	COVID-19

boosting profitability as a result. Along with these measures, we 

● Ramping Up Initiatives in Growth Fields

To respond to market needs in light of the rapid changes taking 

place in society, we have taken steps to develop solutions and 

services for customers in the manufacturing, retail/service, and 

financial industries. Taking this further, we plan to ramp up and 

expand efforts toward DX that will go beyond the boundaries of 

companies and industries to resolve social issues.

 Looking even further into the future, we are also promoting 

efforts to help realize a sustainable society. These efforts will not 

be done on our own. Instead, we will work with our 

customers and business partners and devise a medium- to long-

term plan that utilizes all of our strengths and, when imple-

mented, will result in the co-creation of value.

will also enhance our efforts to cultivate human resources who 

specialize in consulting necessary for business and those with a 

high level of expertise in DX.

● Improving Management Efficiency

To establish a sustainable profit growth cycle, we will set up and 

reinforce a system for monitoring business profitability while 

working to improve the asset efficiency of our business invest-

ments by reducing the number of days in our cash conversion 

cycle along with other efforts. Also, we will continue to invest 

resources generated through this process in growth businesses to 

further refine our strengths and raise our competitiveness.

NEC’s Business Model55

Network Services Business

Social Value Goals under the Mid-term Management Plan 2025

Contribute to the digital transformation of society  
as a whole by maximizing the communications-related 
value rooted in 5G
•  Promote open systems as a way to expand 5G as a form of social infrastructure 

•  Maximize value for customers by modernizing carrier operators and 

providing DX support

7.6%
(41.2	billion	yen)

About	10%

•  Contribute to the development of DX among industries by integrating 

FY2021

FY2026

networks and IT

Estimated adjusted OP ratio target

Achievements and Issues to be Addressed under the Mid-term Management Plan 2020

Achievements

Issues

•		Expanded	5G	businesses	via	a	full-scale	launch	of	commercial	5G	

•		Expand	footprint	and	portfolio	in	software	domains	(core,	RIC,	etc.)	

networks	with	domestic	carriers

in	order	to	expand	5G	business	globally

•		Maintained	profitability	by	retaining	the	top	position	in	telecom-

•		Establish	a	customer	profit	model	using	end-to-end	solutions	in	the	

related	business	

NEC	Smart	Connectivity	business

•		Developed	NEC	Smart	Connectivity	and	established	a	co-creation	

system

Business Opportunities and Key Measures for the Medium to Long Term

Business Opportunities

tions and assume a leading role in the Open RAN market, setting 

•		Expansion	of	global	opportunities	from	the	full-scale	

launch	of	the	5G	market	and	development	of	open	systems

•		Optimization	of	overall	management	for	domestic	carri-

up a system for operations that will allow the Company to lever-

age mobile telecommunications infrastructure to provide value 

globally. We will also expand our Global 5G Business, backed by 

ers	and	expansion	of	business	in	value-added	fields

two of NEC’s strengths, wireless technology and system integration. 

in the wake of 5G. NEC will take advantage of these market condi-

•		Expansion	of	business	opportunities	to	support	DX	in	

industrial	and	public	sectors

●  Optimizing Overall Management for Domestic Carriers and 

Expanding Business in Value-added Fields

In addition to our efforts to make solid business contributions 

The rise of 5G and the IoT has sped up the digital shift. DX is also 

that meet customer expectations, we are also working to opti-

accelerating on a new level as the industrial world harnesses it to 

mize overall management and expand business in value-added 

acquire new business and promote effective management utiliz-

fields. The former is rooted in our track record of supporting 

ing AI, the IoT, the cloud, and other tools. In consideration of 

commercial networks and takes advantage of our customer 

these conditions, we aim to expand business based on the follow-

engagement, whereas the latter takes advantage of modernized 

ing three pillars.

information platforms and other forms of innovation. 

●  Leading the Shift to Open Systems and Promoting the 

●  Expanding Business to Support DX in Industrial and  

Global 5G Business

Public Sectors

The current telecom carrier market demands a flexible response 

To expand business, we will integrate telecommunications with IT 

to a variety of needs, and open and virtual systems are expanding 

to get a grasp on social changes, and use NEC’s comprehensive 

into network domains, driven by IT. Telecom operators are turn-

capabilities to provide industries with end-to-end solutions cen-

ing toward investing in next-generation communications and DX 

tered on local networks and data distribution.

NEC Integrated Report 202156

Business Overview

Global Business

Social Value Goals under the Mid-term Management Plan 2025

Become a true global company through 
profitable growth
•  Become a thought leader through active investments in the growth areas of 

digital government (DG)/digital finance (DF) and submarine systems

•  Transform the Company’s organization, systems, and culture to become 

one that is truly global 

1.7%
(7.5	billion	yen)

About	11%

FY2021

FY2026

Estimated adjusted OP ratio target

Achievements and Issues to be Addressed under the Mid-term Management Plan 2020

Achievements

Issues

•		Completed	portfolio	switch,	setting	the	foundation	for	profitable	

growth

•		Expand	DG/DF	globally	and	ramp	up	optimization	of	synergies
•		Accelerate	transformation	to	a	services-	and	SaaS-based	business	

•		Improved	profitability	of	the	Global	Business	and	brought	adjusted	

model

operating	profit	into	positive	figures

Business Opportunities and Key Measures for the Medium to Long Term

Business Opportunities

major Hawaiian airports and the touchless boarding platform we 

•		Digitalization	in	government	and	finance	areas

•		Greater	demand	for	submarine	cables	due	to	increased	

global	communications	traffic

have implemented at Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport 

in collaboration with SITA. We also intend to accelerate the shift 

toward a SaaS-based business model in other public safety fields.

are the infection control solutions we have implemented at five 

●  Submarine Systems—Strengthening Business Execution 

Capabilities to Respond to Market Expansion

●  Digital Governments/Digital Finance—Utilizing Synergies 

There is an urgent need to increase transmission capacity stem-

to Accelerate Global Expansion

We plan to capture the trend toward DX in Nordic and 

Commonwealth nations, Asia, and Japan and expand into gov-

ernment services, law enforcement, healthcare, aviation, trans-

ming from the increase in video content, remote work, and online 

learning. As a result, there has been a noticeable rise in direct 

investments in submarine cables, particularly among over-the-

top (OTT) service providers. NEC will develop and enhance the 

port, education, and financial fields. To accelerate this expansion, 

functionality of new products that contribute to the expansion of 

we will leverage NEC’s superior biometrics technology as well as 

its sales network in each country. We will also utilize synergies—

product synergies that involve sharing software assets between 

three acquired companies to create a shared platform, and cost 

synergies that take advantage of NEC procurement capabilities 

and centralized software development resources. 

transmission capacity and quality improvement ahead of other 

companies, aiming to increase its share not only in the Pacific 

Ocean, where NEC has a high market share, but also in the Indian 

Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. We will also continue to increase our 

business execution capabilities, which include production, cable 

installation, and quality control, in line with the expansion of 

 The demand for solutions at airports is gradually recovering 

business scale.

after stagnating due to COVID-19. Some examples of this recovery 

NEC’s Business Model57

Relationship of Targets and Growth Businesses in FY2021 by Segment

CAGR	from	FY2021	to	FY2026

About 

0%~1%

Flat

About 

1%~5%

About 

3%~8%

About 

4%~6%

—

Public 
Solutions

Public 
Infrastructure

Enterprise

Network 
Services

Global 
Business

Others

FY2026	Targets:	Estimated	Adjusted	OP	Ratio

About 10% About 10% About 13% About 10% About 11%

—

Digital	Government/Digital	Finance

●

●

●

●

Global	5G

IT	Business	Transformation	in	Japan

●

●

●

●

●

s
s
e
n
i
s
u
B
h
t
w
o
r
G

Future	Growth	Business	Creation

●

1
 Accomplishments and Future Direction
M&A*

M&A accomplishments before FY2011 (≥10B JPY)

Recent M&A accomplishments (≥10B JPY)

2
Year / Amount*

3
IRR*

2
Year / Amount*

EBITDA Margin

Currently NEC Software Solutions UK

FY2006

30.0B JPY

2
Year / Amount*

FY2009

430M USD*

4

20%

10%

0%

20%

10%

0%

FY2018

475M GBP

(a)

(b)

3
IRR*

2
Year / Amount*

FY2019

8.0B DKK

(a)

(b)

30%

20%

10%

0%

30%

20%

10%

0%

FY2018 

FY2021

EBITDA Margin

FY2019

FY2021

*1 Other than the above 4 companies, 3 M&As were implemented from FY2005 (CSG, 2012, 227.5M AUD; A123, 2014, 100M USD; Avaloq, 2020, 2.05B CHF).

*2 Year refers to first FY; amount refers to total.

*3 Reference value (a) excludes corporate value; reference value (b) includes corporate value (computed from time of acquisition to present).

*4 430M USD for Netcracker is only for its stock acquisition cost. IRR is computed by including a loan from NEC to NC.

NEC Integrated Report 2021 
58

Risks and Opportunities

In addition to financial risks, NEC works to gain a proper understanding of non-financial (ESG) risks, 
that if realized, may cause the Company to negatively impact the environment or society. In addition 
to effective and efficient measures to mitigate these risks, NEC is taking steps to turn these risks 
into business opportunities. As part of this effort, we intend to direct our efforts according to 
 materiality, which is a set of priority management themes from an ESG perspective. These efforts 
will maximize the value provided while minimizing risk, which in turn will improve future financial 
performance and contribute to achieving the SDGs.

Risk Management Framework

The Risk Control and Compliance Committee, chaired by the 

entities, which are attended by the CEO.

Chief Legal & Compliance Officer (CLCO) and comprising offi-

  The Priority Risks are selected as those with a particularly 

cers, is responsible for overseeing Companywide risk manage-

large impact from among a pool of important risks, which are 

ment. Every year, the committee selects Priority Risks, and 

identified in terms of the need for countermeasures and the 

regularly receives reports from the divisions in charge of delib-

magnitude of impact on corporate business and society. 

erations regarding specific measures and the progress of these 

  Moreover, NEC minimizes emerging risks—namely, risks 

measures, after which the committee undertakes efforts to 

that could arise in the near future and have a long-term effect 

improve or enhance these measures if necessary. The CLCO 

on corporate management—by predicting their potential 

reports matters of particular importance to the Executive 

impact on businesses and taking countermeasures accordingly. 

Committee and the Business Progress Committee and other 

Major Risks & Opportunities and Related Initiatives

The following are major risks and opportunities that NEC is aware of and key initiatives aimed at addressing them. We will review 

these risks as necessary to facilitate a flexible response to sudden changes. 

Financial

Risks (●) and Opportunities (○)

Trends in  

Economic 

Environment and 

Financial Markets

● Impacts from economic trends and market fluctuations

● Fluctuations in exchange rates and interest rates

●  Adverse effects of infectious diseases, man-made disasters,  

and natural disasters

〇  Greater expectations for ICT as a solution to social issues

The NEC Group’s 

Management 

Policies

● Financial instability and fluctuations in revenue

●  Company acquisitions and withdrawal from businesses

● Difficulty in maintaining relationships with strategic partners

● Inability to participate in certain markets and country-related risks 

〇 New growth from implementing the Mid-term Management Plan 2025

The NEC Group’s 

● Dependence on the NEC Group’s primary customer base 

Business 

Activities

● Difficulties with respect to new businesses, intensifying competition 

〇 Increase in business opportunities

Initiatives
(Corresponding page in this report)

▲

I
  P.46  Living Harmoniously with the Earth to 

Secure the Future

P.52 Business Overview

▲   I

  P.22 Mid-term Management Plan 2025

P.30 CFO Message 

P.34 R&D and Business Development

P.40 NEC, for Those Who Seek Challenge

P.46  Living Harmoniously with the Earth to 

Secure the Future

▲  

I
  P.52 Business Overview

Management That Supports Corporate Value Creation 
59

Non-Financial

Materiality

Risks (●) and Opportunities (○)

Initiatives

● System failure from natural disasters

Contribute to reducing CO2 emissions, not only from our own 

● Increased costs related to CO2 emissions

business but also from customers’ businesses

〇 Provision of ICT solutions

Environmental Action 

with a Particular Focus

on Climate Change 

Promote thorough energy conservation and increased use of 

renewable energy based on the NEC Eco Action Plan 2025, to 

achieve SBT 1.5℃

▲  

▲  

I
  P.46 Living Harmoniously with the Earth to Secure the Future
S
  Response to Climate Change

Security to Maximize 

ICT Possibilities

AI and  

Human Rights

● Information leaks, unauthorized access, system failure

Promote information security measures in a sound manner 

〇 Development of security professionals

Provide products and services that incorporate security measures 

〇 Provision and operation of robust information systems

Develop information security professionals

▲  

▲  

I
  P.34 R&D and Business Development
S
  Information Security and Cyber Security

●  Invasion of privacy-related risks accompanying new technologies 

Promote appropriate utilization of AI, develop advanced tech-

(designated as a Priority Risk and an emerging risk in fiscal 2021) 

nology and talent, and engage with a range of stakeholders to 

〇  Strengthening competitiveness

build partnerships and collaborate with closely in accordance 

with the NEC Group AI and Human Rights Principles

▲  

▲  

I
  P.34 R&D and Business Development 

P.60 Respecting Human Rights

S
  Respecting Human Rights,  AI and Human Rights, Personal 

Information Protection and Privacy, Innovation Management

Diverse  

● Difficulty in securing and developing human resources

workstyle reforms supporting  diverse talent

● Harassment (designated as a Priority Risk in fiscal 2021)

Bolster diversity as a source of innovation, and implement 

Human Resource 

〇  Greater organizational strength through improved employee 

Development  

and Cultural 

Transformation

engagement

▲  

▲  

I
  P.40 NEC, for Those Who Seek Challenge
S
   Human Resource Development and Training, Inclusion and 

Diversity, Creating a Diverse Workstyle Environment

●  Inadequate accounting processes  

(designated as a Priority Risk in fiscal 2021)

●  Management of confidential information  

(designated as a Priority Risk and an emerging risk in fiscal 2021)

Corporate  

Governance

● Group governance

〇 Acquisition of trust from society

Further improvement of transparency of corporate governance

▲  

I
  P.6 Message from the President  

P.22 Mid-term Management Plan 2025 

P.30 CFO Message 

▲  

P.64 Corporate Governance

S
  Corporate Governance

● Environmental and human rights risks 

Promote activities to ensure that all suppliers are aware of the 

〇 Collaboration and co-creation with suppliers

Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct in Supply Chains 

Supply Chain 

Sustainability

and agree to uphold its contents

▲  

▲  

I
  P.62 Supply Chain Sustainability
S
  Supply Chain Management

● Compliance breaches (illegal acts, fraudulent acts)

Ensure all NEC Group members, from employees to officers, 

● Reputation risks

conduct themselves according to the NEC Group Code of 

● Quality of products and services, defects  

Conduct every day

Compliance

〇 Acquisition of trust from society

▲  

▲  

I
  P.58 Risks and Opportunities
S
  Corporate Governance, Compliance and Risk Management, 

Respecting Human Rights, AI and Human Rights, Personal 

Information Protection and Privacy, Supply Chain Management, 

Ensuring Quality and Safety

Note: The SDGs that are particularly impacted are listed. 

I
 :NEC Integrated Report 2021  

S
 :NEC Sustainability Report 2021

NEC Integrated Report 202160

Respecting Human Rights

As a company that operates its business globally, NEC is committed to mitigating and  
preventing any negative impacts its corporate activities may have on the rights of its stakeholders.  
In particular, by making use of ICT, including social implementation of AI and utilization of  
biometrics and other data, each and every member of the Group, from executives to employees, 
shall maintain respect for human rights and view this issue as a top priority, making it a central 
theme to the Group’s conduct and business practices.

Policy 

Embedded in NEC’s Principles is a promise for “Uncompromising 

supply products and services that are responsive to the differ-

Integrity and Respect for Human Rights.” Likewise, our Code of 

ent privacy needs of various countries and regions due to 

Conduct clearly requires that human rights be respected in all 

cultural perspectives and that are sensitive to human rights 

situations.

issues, such as discrimination. Through these means, NEC will 

In addition, NEC has specified “AI utilization with respect for 

strive not only to minimize adverse impacts on society but 

human rights as the highest priority (AI and Human Rights)” as 

also to maximize social value. 

a theme in its “materiality”—priority management themes 

  Furthermore, we consider appropriate protection of per-

from an ESG perspective. As such, in addition to compliance 

sonal information to be our social responsibility, and have 

with laws and regulations, NEC also plans to develop and 

established the NEC Privacy Policy.

NEC Group Human Rights Policy

NEC Group AI and Human Rights Principles

NEC Privacy Policy

Promoting Human Rights Due Diligence in Accordance with the UN’s Guiding Principles on 
Business (UNGPs)

NEC reports its efforts regarding human rights due diligence to the Board of Directors in a 

List of NEC’s human rights issues

timely manner.

In fiscal 2021, we utilized the human rights risk data produced by the international NPO 

Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) to compile a list of human rights issues and identified 

the three issues on the right as the most prominent.

  BSR also confirmed the specific content of business activities, management systems, and 

•  New technology and human 

rights (AI and human rights)

• Labor in supply chains

• Employee safety and health

issues directly applicable to 22 divisions at NEC, focusing on the business units in particular and doing so from a third-party per-

spective. NEC then used the results to update its list of human rights issues to reflect truer conditions.

Dialogue with Experts: Strengthening Human Rights Due Diligence in Supply Chains

In fiscal 2020, we invited Mr. Daisuke Takahashi from Shinwa Sohgoh Law Offices, Mr. Ryusuke Tanaka 

from the ILO Office for Japan, and Ms. Asako Nagai from BSR to talk with officers and field-level employees 

about “labor in supply chains,” which is one of the themes on our list of human rights issues. 

 These experts commended NEC for its speed, both in implementing its initiatives over the course of the 

year and in building a system to protect business partners and Company staff from COVID-19. They were 

also complimentary about the Sustainability Award, which shows appreciation to our business partners 

for their active efforts.   

 On the other hand, they also commented that they would like us to create a positive impact by going 

forward with efforts to find potential human rights risks, focusing on the ones that have the biggest 

impacts on the rights holders and working with business partners to take remedial measures. They also 

stressed the importance of dialogue between labor and management, as well as dialogue between the 

Company and society during times of crisis, such as what we have seen with the COVID-19 pandemic.

 Going forward, we will continue to engage in dialogue with various stakeholders, share our vision with 

our business partners, and disclose the process of our efforts to ensure transparency.

For more information, please refer to the section “Working toward Robust and Resilient Human 
Rights Due Diligence throughout Supply Chains” on page 96 of Sustainability Report 2021

Management That Supports Corporate Value Creation 
 
61

AI Utilization with Respect for Human Rights as the Highest Priority (AI and Human Rights)

We are also responding to growing concerns about adverse impacts on human rights, including violations of privacy and discrimi-

nation that have accompanied the use of AI and the IoT to enrich human life. In 2019, we announced the “NEC Group AI and 

Human Rights Principles.” 

  These principles stipulate that all individuals, from officers to employees, are to recognize respect for human rights as the high-

est priority in each and every stage of the NEC Group’s business operations in relation to AI utilization, such as social implementa-

tion of AI and utilization of biometrics, and to take appropriate action accordingly.

In	accordance	with	the	NEC	Group	Human	Rights	Policy,	we	are	committed	to	the	following	three	initiatives:

1
Ensure that all products and 

2
Continue to develop advanced 

3
Engage with a range of  

services are implemented and 

technology and talent to  

stakeholders to build  

utilized by NEC employees, 

further promote AI utilization 

partnerships and collaborate 

customers, and partners 

with respect for human rights 

with closely

appropriately

as the highest priority

Responding to the global spread of COVID-19, in fiscal 2021 we 

In addition, in fiscal 2021 we continued to hold the Digital 

have conducted timely identification and analysis of trends 

Trust Advisory Council, established in fiscal 2020, to enhance 

related to the identification and tracking of infected individu-

our ability to deal with new issues arising in AI utilization. The 

als and its impact on human rights and privacy. We reflected 

council provides valuable input from external experts with 

the balance between public health and human rights and 

specialized knowledge on legal systems, human rights, pri-

privacy in the specifications, and provided airports and stadi-

vacy, and ethics on how to use technology in a way that bal-

ums with infection control solutions at an early stage. 

ances public health, human rights, and privacy (as in the 

  NEC-led team to provide Hawaii’s airports with passenger  

screening technology

example on the left), as well as on issues to be aware of when 

using cutting-edge technology researched and developed by 

the Company.

“Thinking About AI Utilization in Harmony with Human Rights” Symposium

NEC engages in dialogues with various stakeholders on issues to be kept in mind when devel-

oping and utilizing AI, and reflects the feedback from these dialogues in its corporate activities.

In March 2021, we held a symposium titled “Thinking About AI Utilization in Harmony with 

Human Rights” in conjunction with the Keio University Global Research Institute (KGRI). As part 

of the symposium, a panel discussion was held on the status of setting global AI principles and 

approaches toward actualizing these principles featuring industry, government, and academic 

experts.

S

 For more details, please refer to the section “Respecting Human Rights” on page 17 of Sustainability Report 2021.

NEC Integrated Report 2021 
 
 
62

Supply Chain Sustainability

NEC endeavors to work not only within itself but also through collaboration and co-creation with 
suppliers to conduct business while giving full attention to its impacts on the environment and 
society as a whole. Based on this belief, we will continuously engage in initiatives toward building  
a better supply chain, as we learn together with our suppliers about critical social issues and the 
impact of business on society. In May 2021, we newly designated “supply chain sustainability” as a 
material issue. With this new material issue, we are working to further reinforce initiatives, such as 
those relating to human rights and environmental due diligence.

Promoting Initiatives in Collaboration with Our Suppliers

Sustainable procurement activities of the entire NEC Group 

are under the responsibility of the Chief Supply Chain Officer 

Six Priority Risks at Our Suppliers

(CSCO). Decisions are made by the Procurement Steering 

Committee chaired by the general manager of the Purchasing 

Human rights 

Division. International subsidiaries conduct activities under 

Occupational health  
and safety

the Global SCM Leaders Session, which meets annually, as 

Fair trade

Environment

the decision-making body. Guided by the Global SCM Leaders 

Session, we promote sustainable procurement in accordance 

Information security

Product quality and safety

with the culture and business practices of each country.

In addition, we request that our suppliers engage in 

responsible business conduct, including for transactions with 

in Supply Chains” and began to acquire signed agreement of 

upstream business partners.

“Declarations of Responsible Business Conduct in Supply 

  Specifically, at each stage of basic contracts, dissemina-

Chains” from our suppliers. As of March 31, 2021, we have 

tion, document check, and on-site assessment, we imple-

obtained declarations from over 7,000 suppliers in Japan and 

ment various measures to counter six priority risks, together 

abroad, including existing suppliers, accounting for 68% of 

with our suppliers.

the total procurement amount. Furthermore, we have made it 

In July 2020, we revised the CSR Procurement Guidelines 

mandatory to acquire declarations at the start of new 

under the title “Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct 

transactions.

Procurement Amount and Ratio by Region

The graph on the right illustrates the procurement amount and 

percentage composition by region. Japan accounts for 73% of the 

total procurement amount; Asia accounts for 12%; North America 

12%; EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) 2%; and Central 

and South America 1%.

  NEC designates critical suppliers as suppliers that account for 

a large procurement amount, suppliers of rare products, and 

suppliers that cannot be easily replaced and engages in sustain-

able procurement measures, centered on these suppliers.

中南米
Central and South America
1%
EMEA
EMEA 
2%
北米
North America 
12%

アジア
Asia 
12%

2019年度
Fiscal 2020
調達額
Procurement Amount
1.49兆円
1,490.0 
billion yen

日本
Japan
73%

1

© NEC Corporation 2021

NEC Group Internal Use Only

Scope:  NEC Corporation and  

consolidated subsidiaries

Note: Based on location of suppliers’ headquarters

※調達取引先本社所在地基準

Management That Supports Corporate Value Creation 
 
63

Document Checks and Feedback on Evaluation Results

To date, we have conducted document checks using the sus-

  We issued a feedback sheet to all of the suppliers that 

tainable procurement self-check sheets for our efforts toward 

responded, indicating their score for each inspection theme 

the priority risks of “human rights” and the “environment.” In 

and a comparison with the average score for each product 

fiscal 2021, we expanded the inspection themes of our docu-

type, and shared the evaluation results with them. In addition, 

ment checks to include occupational health and safety and fair 

regarding the 36 suppliers for which we deemed to have 

trade and increased the number of questions from 69 to 151.

potential risks, we created opportunities to communicate with 

  We received responses from 696 companies, mainly critical 

such suppliers on an individual basis and completed efforts to 

suppliers, and evaluated the status of each supplier’s efforts on 

ascertain the conditions of these suppliers and provide 

a five-point scale of A, B, C, D, and Z for each theme in light of 

improvement guidance in the first half of fiscal 2022.

the following evaluation criteria: score rate and critical points.*

*  Critical points are questions that NEC has identified as potential risks in light of the 

Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct in Supply Chains, issued by NEC in July 

2020, and other regulations, if initiatives remain unaddressed.

Evaluation 
Categories

A

B

C

D

Z

Criteria

Description

Score rate between 80% and 100%

Implemented outstanding initiatives

Score rate between 60% and 80%

Implemented standard initiatives

Score rate between 50% and 60%

Implemented initiatives but only for some issues

Score rate below 50%

Initiatives themselves are insufficient

Unable to clear critical points

Risks expected

NEC Awarded the Highest Rating for Supplier Engagement by the CDP

NEC has been acknowledged on the Supplier Engagement Leaderboard, the highest rating in the Supplier Engagement Rating* 

conducted by the CDP, an environmental NGO.

  NEC has received an A List rating for Climate Change and Water Security, which makes a total of three categories in which 

NEC achieved a top rating in 2020. We recognize that our various efforts to aim for zero CO2 emissions from supply chains 

under NEC’s long-term environmental goal, Course of Action for Climate Change Toward 2050, have been highly evaluated. 

Going forward, we will promote climate change action throughout the entire supply chain through cooperation and 

 co-creation with suppliers.

*  The Supplier Engagement Rating examines a company’s initiatives for climate change and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across the 

entire supply chain and gives a rating based on these efforts.

Responding to the Modern Slavery Acts

With approval from the Board of Directors, since fiscal 2019 NEC Corporation and NEC Europe have published a declarative state-

ment to the effect that they will report on measures in relation to the United Kingdom’s Modern Slavery Act 2015, which is aimed at 

preventing slave labour and human trafficking.

  Further, in fiscal 2021, based on the approval of the Board of Directors, NEC Australia Pty Ltd also published a declarative state-

ment of its intention to comply with Australia’s Modern Slavery Act 2018.

  NEC Group Statement on Modern Slavery Acts

S

 For more details on our supply chain management, please see page 92 of Sustainability Report 2021.

NEC Integrated Report 202164

Corporate Governance

Reliable corporate governance is essential to the continuous creation of social value and the 
maximization of corporate value. Therefore, NEC Corporation (the “Company”) 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.

Overview of Corporate Governance System

NEC Corporation has adopted the Company with the Audit & Supervisory Board Members (KANSAYAKU) (“A&SBMs”) corporate 

structure to provide a double-check process: the Board of Directors supervises business execution and the Audit & Supervisory 

Board (KANSAYAKU-KAI) (“A&SB”) audits the legitimacy and appropriateness of the Company’s decision-making and activities. 

Furthermore, we have established a hybrid structure by utilizing a corporate officer system and  Nomination and Compensation 

Committee, which we established voluntarily and comprises a majority of Outside Directors. In this way, we separate business 

execution from the supervision of management while striving to ensure management transparency, soundness, and timely 

decision-making.

 In the future, we will continue to focus our efforts on enhancements and improvements of this system in order to realize more 

effective corporate governance in response to changes in the business environment.

GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

Elect and Dismiss

Elect and Dismiss

Elect and Dismiss

Accounting
Auditors

Cooperate

Audit

Cooperate

Management /
Supervision

AUDIT &
SUPERVISORY BOARD

Audit

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

NOMINATION AND 
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE

Report

Cooperate

Supervise

CORPORATE AUDITING 
BUREAU

EXECUTIVE 
COMMITTEE

BUSINESS PROGRESS 
COMMITTEE

Discuss and report on imp-
ortant management issues

Report on the status of 
business execution

Business
Execution

CORPORATE OFFICERS

Supervise

CHIEF OFFICERS

Internal audits

Supervise

BUSINESS UNITS/CORPORATE STAFF/AFFILIATED COMPANIES

Business Execution

Purpose, Activities, and Number of Meetings

Members

Executive 
Committee

The Executive Committee discusses important NEC Group manage-
ment 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.

Number of Meetings in Fiscal 2021: 16

Around 20 
corporate officers

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 budgets adopted by the Board of 
Directors, with the aim of sharing management information and pro-
moting business execution efficiency.

Number of Meetings in Fiscal 2021: 12

Corporate officers 
and general 
managers of 
business units, 
and others

Management That Supports Corporate Value Creation65

Management and Supervision

Purpose, Activities, and Number of Meetings

Members

Board of 
Directors

The Board of Directors holds regular meetings once a month as a general rule 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.

Main Matters Discussed in Fiscal 2021 (Number of Meetings: 15)

Items Related to Governance
•  Report on internal auditing 
•  Report on the status of implementation of the 

internal control system (including Priority Risks)

•  Evaluation of the effectiveness of the Board of 

Directors

•  Candidate selection for Directors and A&SBMs
•  Sale of cross-shareholdings

Items Related to Management Policies and 
Management Strategy 
•  Proposals for the Mid-term Management Plan 

2025

•  Capital and business alliances
•  Technology and intellectual property strategy for 

business expansion

•  Acquisition-based business expansion strategy
•  Global 5G strategy
•  DX strategy for the “new normal”
•  Measures for cyber security 
•  Marketing strategy
•  Activities to promote sustainability (materiality, 
the environment, human rights initiatives, etc.)

•  Human resources strategy

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

● 7 non-executive

●  5 corporate 
officers

Outside Directors
(6, including 5 independent)

Inside Directors (6)

  Female 
Directors

Nomination and 
Compensation 
Committee

The Nomination and Compensation Committee deliberates on the nomination of Directors, A&SBMs, the 
Chairman of the Board and Vice Chairman of the Board, and the President (including succession planning for 
the President), and on the structure and level of compensation for Directors and corporate officers from an 
objective, transparent, and fair perspective, reporting the results of its deliberations to the Board of Directors.

Main Matters Discussed in Fiscal 2021 (Number of Meetings: 9)

Nomination-related
•  Nomination of Directors, A&SBMs, and important 

Focus Discussion Items
•  Succession planning for the President: Succession 

4 Directors
All non-executive

Inside Director (1)
Nobuhiro Endo

Outside Directors (3)
Kaoru Seto 
(Chairperson)
Kuniharu Nakamura
Masatoshi Ito

according to succession selection flow

•  Strengthening of the Board structure  and succes-
sion planning for Outside Directors: Discussions 
about the strengthening of the Board structure 
and role; creation of rules for succession planning 
for Outside Directors

corporate officers

•  Succession planning for the President
•  Strengthening of the Board structure

Compensation-related
•  Decision on bonus payment for Directors
•  Decision on additional trust, and monitoring of 

operations (payment status) in the stock compen-
sation system

•  Monitoring of payment amounts to Directors 

based on remuneration system

Overview of NEC’s Succession Plan

The Chairperson is appointed 
among Outside Directors.

Succession Plan for the 
President

Next candidates/Future candidates

Succession Plans for Group 
Key Position

Corporate officers/ 
General managers of business units/
Presidents of major affiliates

Personnel ranked lower than 
general managers 

Companywide Pool 
 of Human Resources 
(approx. 1,000 
personnel)

We secure human resources with high potential to form a 
Companywide pool of human resources, giving consider-
ation to diversity, including people from all social strata, 
women, foreign nationals, and young people. We select 
and train suitable human resources to be future  presidents 
and executives.

Audit & 
Supervisory 
Board 
(KANSAYAKU-KAI) 
(“A&SB”)

The Audit & Supervisory Board holds regular meetings once a month as a general rule and extraordinary 
meetings as necessary, and decides on audit policies, standards, the annual auditing plan, and other matters 
and receives status reports on audits and on other matters from each A&SBM.

5 A&SBMs

Inside A&SBMs (2)

Main Activities in Fiscal 2021 (Number of Meetings: 17)

•  Creation of audit policy and plan
•  Discussion and drafting of audit report
•  Matters related to the selection and dismissal of 

•  Receipt of oral reports on audits from the account-

ing auditor and the Corporate Auditing Bureau

•  Evaluation of the effectiveness of the A&SB

accounting auditor

•  Confirmation of establishment and implementa-

tion of internal control system

•  Exchange of opinions with the President regarding 

priority management issues

Outside A&SBMs
(3, all independent A&SBMs)

Female A&SBM

In appointing Directors and A&SBMs, when an appointee serves as a Director or A&SBM of other public companies, it is desirable that the number of concurrent 

positions does not exceed the numbers specified as follows:

•  When an appointee serves as an executive of NEC Corporation or another company: Only one company in addition to the company where the appointee serves as an executive

•  In cases other than the above: Up to four companies in addition to NEC Corporation

However, if a Director or A&SBM serves in multiple roles concurrently at group companies of NEC Corporation or another listed company, the concurrent roles within the 
group companies shall be deemed as roles in one company.

NEC Integrated Report 202166

Corporate Governance

Main Initiatives for Strengthening Corporate Governance

Strengthen Management and Supervisory Functions

2001

2010

2012

2019

2021

Established Compensation 
Committee

Ratio of Outside Directors: 45.5%

Established Nomination and Compensation 
Committee

Added one independent director 
to the Board of Directors

❶

Majority of Directors are non-executive
To ensure independence and objectivity in the Nomination 
and Compensation Committee, changed to a four-member 
structure consisting of three Outside Directors (including 
chairperson) and one non-executive Inside Director

❶  Enhancements to the Board of Directors System

In fiscal 2021, the Nomination and Compensation Committee 

independent directors among the Board and promoting deeper 

engaged in heavy deliberations focusing on measures aimed at 

discussion during Board meetings. This increases the proportion 

enhancing the structure and role of the Board of Directors in 

of independent directors, women, and foreign nationals on NEC’s 

order to improve corporate value further. After defining the career 

Board of Directors, raising its overall independence and diversity.

skills of the Board of Directors needed as a whole and evaluating 

the Board’s current composition, it became clear that it was nec-

essary to strengthen corporate governance and deepen multifac-

eted discussions on Companywide strategies at Board meetings. 

In response, we have added one independent outside director 

from fiscal 2022. This increase in the number of independent 

outside directors, who possess specialized experience and knowl-

edge in risk management, sustainability, and global management, 

is aimed at increasing the diversity and the proportion of 

Evaluation of Career Skills of the Board of Directors

Independent 

Non-executive

Female

Foreign national

36%

55%

9%

0%

After strengthening

42%

58%

17%

8%

Years served 
as Director

Corporate 
management

Technology

Global business

Financial 
accounting  
M&A

Risk 
management

Sustainability 
ESG

Marketing

Chairman of the Board

Nobuhiro Endo

Vice Chairman of the Board 
(Representative Director)

Takashi Niino

President and CEO 
(Chief Executive Officer) 
(Representative Director)

 Takayuki Morita

Senior Executive Vice President 
and Member of the Board

Norihiko Ishiguro

Executive Vice President, CHRO 
(Chief Human Resources Officer) 
and Member of the Board

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

Hajime Matsukura

Motoo Nishihara

Member of the Board

Kaoru Seto

Member of the Board

Noriko Iki

Member of the Board

Masatoshi Ito

Member of the Board

Kuniharu Nakamura

Member of the Board

Jun Ohta

12

10

5

3

4

2

3

3

2

2

1

Member of the Board

Christina Ahmadjian

—

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〇

〇

●

●

●

〇

●

●

〇

●

〇

●

●

●

●

●

〇

〇

●

〇

●

〇

〇

〇

〇

●

〇

●

●

●

〇

●

〇

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

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〇 Areas in which Director has deep insight ● Areas in which Director has extensive experience in addition to deep insight

Management That Supports Corporate Value Creation67

Strengthen Execution Structure and Revise Remuneration for Directors and A&SBMs

2011

2017

2019

Instituted Chief Officer position 
and strengthened 
Companywide strategies

Increased the ratio of performance-based remuneration 
for executive directors
Ratio of basic remuneration: bonuses: stock compensation = 5:3:2
Corporate officers appointed with one-year mandate contracts to clarify 
responsibilities and authority

❷

Introduced stock compensation system
Extended the authority delegated to the Chief Officers to strengthen 
corporate functions and accelerate the speed of decision-making

❷ Revisions to Remuneration for Directors and A&SBMs

For the purpose of continuously improving corporate value and 

remuneration levels of other companies whose business contents 

strengthening its competitiveness, NEC Corporation’s basic policy 

and scale are similar to those of the Company.

on the remuneration for Directors and A&SBMs is to set a level 

 In 2017, we introduced the stock compensation system, and in 

and structure appropriate for a global company, which enables us 

2019, we increased the ratio of performance-based remuneration 

to secure excellent human resources and serves as an incentive 

for executive directors. The ratio of bonuses and performance-

to improve performance of the NEC Group. In order to ensure 

based stock compensation is calculated based on a standard 

objectiveness and properness of the remuneration for Directors 

amount before reflecting the degree of achievement of the 

and A&SBMs, the level of the remuneration is determined upon 

performance targets.

the results of a third-party’s investigation regarding the 

Basic Remuneration

Bonuses

Stock Compensation

• Basic Remuneration

• Bonuses

• Performance-based Stock Compensation

Medium- to long-term incentive

Stock compensation is performance based and 
the payment rate is from 0% to 100%.

Indicators:

NEC Group’s consolidated revenue, adjusted 
operating profit, and adjusted net profit 
attributable to owners of the parent in the 
applicable fiscal year

• Fixed Stock Compensation

Fixed remuneration paid monthly

Short-term incentive

For some executive directors, basic remu-
neration increases or decreases based on 
performance (performance indicators 
include non-financial indicators such as 
practical implementation of the NEC Way 
and our “materiality”—priority manage-
ment themes from an ESG perspective).

Bonuses are performance based and the 
 payment rate is from 0% to 200%.

Bonuses consist of a Group-wide performance-
based component and a business-unit perfor-
mance-based component. The ratio between 
these two components is determined for each 
job title.

Indicators for Group-wide performance-based 
component:

NEC Group’s consolidated revenue, operating 
income, and free cash flows

Budget indicators for business-unit perfor-
mance-based component:

Consolidated revenue, operating income, 
and free cash flows, etc., for the business 
units overseen by each Director

Mid-term plan indicators for business-unit 
performance-based component:

Set for individual Directors

• Non-executive Inside Directors do not receive bonuses.

• Outside Directors and inside and outside A&SBMs are only entitled to basic remuneration.

• Shares from stock compensation are granted after three years from the beginning of the applicable period. 

•  Under the stock compensation system, provisions have been included that allow NEC Corporation to take action in cases where compliance breaches or inappropriate accounting 

treatment have been confirmed. In such cases, NEC Corporation may withhold all or part of the rights to receive a grant of NEC Corporation’s shares prior to the granting of NEC 

Corporation’s shares; or after the granting of NEC Corporation’s shares, NEC Corporation may demand the return of all or part of the granted shares of NEC Corporation.

For more details on remuneration for Directors and A&SBMs, please refer to NEC’s Corporate Governance Report.

NEC Integrated Report 202168

Corporate Governance

Amounts of Remuneration for Fiscal 2021

Basic Remuneration

Bonuses

Performance-Based Stock 
Compensation

Fixed Stock Compensation

Headcount

Total amount 
(in millions of yen)

Headcount

Total amount 
(in millions of yen)

Headcount

Cost posting relating 
to stock 
compensation 
(in millions of yen)

Headcount

Cost posting relating 
to stock 
compensation 
(in millions of yen)

Directors
(of which Outside 
Directors)

A&SBMs
(of which Outside 
A&SBMs)

12
(6)

6
(4)

400
(60)

96
(36)

5
-

-
-

184
-

-
-

6
-

-
-

126 
-

-
-

6
-

-
-

42
-

-
-

Among the above recipients, the following has a total remuneration amount of 100 million yen or higher.

Takashi Niino: Total remuneration amount: 134 million yen (basic remuneration: 78 million yen; bonus: 57 million yen)

Guidelines on Officer Ownership of NEC Corporation Shares
NEC Corporation has established “Guidelines on Ownership of Company Shares” for Directors (excluding Outside Directors) and corporate 

officers regarding the holding of more than a certain number of shares.

Continuing to Increase and Improve Effectiveness

NEC Corporation conducts an analysis and evaluation of the effectiveness of the Board of Directors once a year to improve effectiveness further. 

 The following is a summary of the evaluation of the effectiveness of the Board of Directors for fiscal 2021.

Procedure of the 
analysis and 
evaluation

To further increase effectiveness of the Board of Directors, the Company conducted a questionnaire and individual interviews target-
ing all members of the Board of Directors and the A&SBMs in order to elicit opinions on the items listed below. After identifying issues 
and points of improvement through this process, plans for improvement going forward were deliberated at an ordinary Board of 
Directors held in February 2021.
1) Regarding the role and functions of the Board of Directors
2) Regarding more effective use of Outside Directors’ insights and opinions
3) Regarding the NEC Group’s corporate governance system

1) Regarding the roles and functions of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors fulfills its role appropriately and performs its functions sufficiently, which include deliberations regarding 
broad, Companywide management strategies and corporate governance. The Company needs to consider improvements in line 
with such points as the use of Outside Directors’ insights and opinions and selection of themes for deliberation based on changes 
in the external environment and their impacts and risks.  

Summary of the 
evaluation results

2) Regarding more effective use of Outside Directors’ insights and opinions

While it has been useful to clarify the expected role of Outside Directors in fiscal 2020, the Company needs to consider improve-
ments such as further enhancement of information provision for Outside Directors and investigation of more effective deliberation 
formats according to themes (off-site meetings, etc.).

3) Regarding the NEC Group’s corporate governance system

The current corporate governance system was deemed appropriate overall; however, it is important for the Company to continue 
looking into optimal systems based on the ideal direction of the NEC Group. The evaluation also reflected a desire for the 
Company to consider further strengthening the Board of Directors’ supervisory functions over the medium to long term.

Initiatives going 
forward

1)  Review the management methods of the Board of Directors to better obtain the diverse opinions and advice of Outside Directors, 

which include measures involving the content and delivery method of information provided to Outside Directors.

2)  Select themes for deliberation based on the changes in the external environment and their impacts and risks related to the NEC Group.
3)  Clarify the role of the Board of Directors in building an ideal corporate governance system for the NEC Group, and strengthen the 

supervisory functions required to fulfill that role.

In addition, the Company also conducts evaluations of the effectiveness of the Nomination and Compensation Committee 

and the A&SB.

For more details on evaluations of the effectiveness, please refer to NEC’s Corporate Governance Report.

Management That Supports Corporate Value CreationMessages from Outside Directors

69

Kuniharu Nakamura

Outside Director

Christina Ahmadjian

Outside Director

Pursuing the Ideal Way for Companies to 
Foster Human Resources from a 
Long-term Perspective 

Emphasizing Diversity and Working to 
Maximize Corporate Value 
as a Common Goal

This past year has been one of great change in the business 

I have spent a lot of time researching corporate governance, 

environment. As digital transformation gains traction and 

business administration, and organizational theory. Looking 

businesses abroad develop further, I feel that the way a 

specifically at organizational reforms for companies, I have also 

company handles human resources needs to be reframed.

conducted training regarding organizational reforms at 

  To build a connection between a company and its human 

Japanese and Western companies. From this experience, I have 

resources, the company needs to make its direction clear and 

learned that for a board of directors to be effective, it needs to 

create the sense of a common mission. It also needs to ensure 

focus on diversity while making sure its members are working 

that its business contributes toward a sustainable society and 

to maximize corporate value as a common goal. To make this 

that the employees who carry out this business can attach their 

possible, the board needs to think from a long-term perspec-

own goals and dreams to their efforts. What we need to keep in 

tive, utilizing the individual characteristics of each member, 

mind when thinking about fostering human resources is what 

thinking of what actions to take going forward, and what issues 

we want NEC to achieve and become in 10 to 15 years’ time, 

may arise. The board also needs to ensure mutual respect and 

and what qualities and capabilities its human resources need 

shared values to achieve sustainability.

to realize these goals. This is something we are always discussing, 

  As for the directors that make up the board, just having 

from both the viewpoint of the Company’s strategy and its human 

some kind of managerial experience is not enough. When you 

resources. When fostering human resources, it is important to 

look at global tech companies you find examples of women, 

clarify what kind of work a person needs to do and what kind of 

people of different nationalities, entrepreneurs in their 30s, 

experience a person needs to have in order to acquire these 

young tech experts, and other kinds of people flourishing as 

capabilities. It is also important that candidates for leadership 

directors, which goes to show that companies need a set of 

are taken from a diverse pool of human resources and are 

human resources with a wide range of attributes. In Japan, 

chosen based on whether they have the necessary qualifications, 

there are many companies that conduct businesses globally 

regardless of age, gender, or nationality, whether their 

but whose boards of directors are fully composed of Japanese 

qualifications were developed inside or outside the Company, 

nationals. With this common scenario, it is necessary to 

or what field they come from. By securing a breadth of 

increase the number of members with different backgrounds, 

experience, the Company can develop a good set of human 

not only Japanese with overseas experience.

resources and build itself into a place where everyone can 

  What is more, although there are cases where women and 

support each other. There are many excellent people at NEC, 

foreign nationals are truly included, in many more cases, the 

but NEC’s business could be even bigger if these people could 

old ways of working do not really change and the only people 

step outside of their own areas of responsibility and 

who are truly accepted are those who fit that traditional mold. 

understand what is going on in other divisions, and then 

It will be difficult to bring in diverse human resources unless 

prompt the various fields involved to compound upon 

companies review this approach and make drastic changes. 

elements of each other. This is no easy task, but you need to 

Japanese companies need to put in the effort in order to 

work with this sort of plan.

achieve this goal of true diversity and inclusion. This requires 

  NEC’s businesses are changing and will continue to change. 

the proper amount of time to develop people from younger 

I expect that in combining NEC’s superior technologies more of 

generations and expand the future pipeline of talent.

its human resources will share in a common vision, and that 

  As a new director, I intend to direct my efforts toward dis-

they will reach across borders to play an active role in achieving 

cussing methods to this end during meetings of the Board, 

this vision. All of this will allow NEC to grow even more. 

providing useful information and training Board members.

NEC Integrated Report 202170

Directors and Audit & Supervisory Board Members

(As of July 1, 2021)

Directors

Nobuhiro Endo

Chairman of the Board

Takashi Niino
Vice Chairman of the Board 

(Representative Director)

Takayuki Morita
President and CEO (Chief Executive Officer)  

(Representative Director)

Mr. Endo served NEC as President 
(Representative Director) from 2010 and as 
Chairman of the Board (Representative 
Director) from April 2016. Since June 2019, 
he has served as Chairman of the Board 
(Non-executive Director).

After being engaged in the management of the 
financial solutions business and the NEC Group’s 
management strategies, Mr. Niino was appointed 
as President (Representative Director) in 2016, and 
appointed as Vice Chairman of the Board 
(Representative Director) in April 2021, where he 
continues to be engaged in the management of NEC. 

After being engaged in the management of NEC 
Group’s global business, accounting and finan-
cial strategies, management strategies and M&A 
as Senior Executive Vice President and CFO 
(Representative Director), Mr. Morita was 
appointed as President and CEO 
(Representative Director) in April 2021.

Kaoru Seto
Member of the Board 

Special Adviser,  

Noriko Iki
Member of the Board  

Masatoshi Ito
Member of the Board  

President, Japan Institute for Women’s 

Executive Officer & Chairman of Company, 

YAMATO HOLDINGS CO., LTD.

Empowerment & Diversity Management

Ajinomoto Co., Inc.

Mr. Seto has extensive experience and deep 
insight as a manager of a logistics service 
company.

Ms. Iki has abundant experience and deep 
insight in the fields of administration and 
diplomacy.

Mr. Ito has extensive experience as the manager 
of a manufacturing business and deep insight 
into marketing and corporate strategy.

Attendance at meetings of the Board of Directors: 
15 out of 15 
At meetings of the Nomination and 
Compensation Committee: 9 out of 9 
(Appointed in June 2018)

Attendance at meetings of the Board of Directors: 
14 out of 15
(Appointed in June 2018)

Attendance at meetings of the Board of Directors:
14 out of 15
At meetings of the Nomination and 
Compensation Committee: 5 out of 6
(Appointed in June 2019)

Directors and Audit & Supervisory Board Members

Isamu Kawashima

Nobuhiro Odake

Taeko Ishii
Audit & Supervisory Board Member

Audit & Supervisory Board Member (full-time)

Audit & Supervisory Board Member (full-time)

Attorney at Law

Mr. Kawashima has experience as the person 
responsible for accounting and financial affairs 
of the Company for many years.

After many years of handling NEC’s supply 
chain strategy, Mr. Odake, as a Member of the 
Board of a Group company, has been supervis-
ing its business units and he has a wealth of 
experience and an extensive track record 
related to the Group’s business.

Ms. Ishii has a great deal of experience and 
deep insight as an attorney at law in the fields 
of personnel affairs, labor, and other areas.

Attendance at meetings of the Board of Directors:
15 out of 15
At meetings of the Audit & Supervisory Board:
17 out of 17
(Appointed in June 2018)

Management That Supports Corporate Value Creation 
 
 
Directors

Directors and Audit & Supervisory Board Members

71

Norihiko Ishiguro
Senior Executive Vice President 

and Member of the Board

Hajime Matsukura
Executive Vice President, CHRO (Chief Human 

Motoo Nishihara
Executive Vice President, CTO (Chief Technology 

Resources Officer) and Member of the Board

Officer) and Member of the Board

Mr. Ishiguro has extensive experience and a 
track record relating to industrial policy and 
trade policy through his work at the Ministry of 
Economy, Trade and Industry. In addition, he 
has been in charge of global business strategy 
and external relations as Senior Executive Vice 
President since October 2016.

After being engaged in the management of 
corporate strategies at corporate departments 
and in the NEC Group’s operational reforms, 
Mr. Matsukura is now in charge of transforming 
the NEC Group’s culture and human resources 
strategy.

After being in charge of R&D as a corporate 
officer, Mr. Nishihara is now responsible for the 
NEC Group’s R&D, business development, and 
technology strategies.

Kuniharu Nakamura
Member of the Board  

Jun Ohta
Member of the Board 

Christina Ahmadjian
Member of the Board  

Chairman of the Board of Directors,  

Director President and Group CEO,  

Professor, Graduate School of Business 

SUMITOMO CORPORATION

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc.

Administration, Hitotsubashi University

Mr. Nakamura has extensive experience and 
deep insight, including in global business as the 
manager of a general trading company.

Mr. Ohta has extensive experience and deep 
insight from his years of service in bank 
management.

Ms. Ahmadjian has extensive experience and 
deep insight relating to global corporate  
strategies, corporate governance, and diversity.

Attendance at meetings of the Board of Directors:
15 out of 15
At meetings of the Nomination and 
Compensation Committee: 9 out of 9
(Appointed in June 2019)

Attendance at meetings of the Board of Directors:
12 out of 12
(Appointed in June 2020)

(Appointed in June 2021)

Excepting special circumstances, each Director and A&SBM aims to 
have at least 75% attendance at meetings of the Board of Directors 
in a single fiscal year, and each A&SBM aims to have at least 75% 
attendance at meetings of the A&SB in a single fiscal year.  
“Attendance” refers to the number of meetings held by the Board of 
Directors, A&SB, and the Nomination and Compensation Committee 
that were attended for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021.
Inside Directors, whose attendance is not listed, attended all of the 
meetings of the Board of Directors; Inside A&SBMs, whose 
attendance is not listed, attended all of the meetings of the Board 
of Directors and all of the meetings of the A&SB; and Inside 
Directors on the Nomination and Compensation Committee, 
whose attendance is not listed, attended all committee meetings.

NEC has notified the Tokyo Stock Exchange of its five independent 
Directors and three independent Audit & Supervisory Board 
Members (“A&SBMs”).
Independent Directors: Mr. Kaoru Seto, Ms. Noriko Iki,  
Mr. Masatoshi Ito, Mr. Kuniharu Nakamura, and Ms. Christina 
Ahmadjian; Independent A&SBMs: Ms. Taeko Ishii, Mr. Nobuo 
Nakata, and Mr. Masami Nitta

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

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

Audit & Supervisory Board Members (KANSAYAKU)
https://www.nec.com/en/global/about/executives/auditors.html

Nobuo Nakata
Audit & Supervisory Board Member

Attorney at Law

Masami Nitta
Audit & Supervisory Board Member

Certified Public Accountant

Mr. Nakata has extensive experience and deep 
insight as an attorney at law in the field of 
corporate law, including M&A.

Mr. Nitta has experience in corporate manage-
ment and professional insight as a Certified 
Public Accountant.

Attendance at meetings of the Board of Directors:
14 out of 15
At meetings of the Audit & Supervisory Board:
17 out of 17
(Appointed in June 2019)

Attendance at meetings of the Board of Directors:
12 out of 12
At meetings of the Audit & Supervisory Board:
13 out of 13
(Appointed in June 2020)

NEC Integrated Report 202172

Cross-Company Corporate Strategy Promotion Framework

(As of July 1, 2021)

NEC Corporation has introduced a chief 

officer system and is working to solve 

challenges from a Companywide 

perspective. Since 2019, the term of 

office for corporate officers has been 

set at one year and we have been 

reforming our management system, 

seeking to establish mission clarity and 

greater responsibility for results. By 

having corporate officers work with a 

sense of urgency to complete their 

respective missions, we aim to increase 

NEC’s execution capability.

Norihiko Ishiguro
Senior	Executive	Vice	President

Akihiko Kumagai
Senior	Executive	Vice	President

Atsuo Kawamura
Executive	Vice	President

Chikara Nakamata
Executive	Vice	President

President	of	Network	Services	Business	Unit

Chief	of	Domestic	Sales

Noritaka Taguma
Executive	Vice	President

Fumiaki Matsubara
Executive	Vice	President

President	of	Public	Infrastructure	Business	Unit

President	of	Enterprise	Business	Unit

Kunikazu Amemiya
Executive	Vice	President

Yutaka Ukegawa
Senior	Vice	President

President	of	Public	Solutions	Business	Unit

President	of	Cross-Industry	Unit

Management That Supports Corporate Value Creation73

Kazuhiro Sakai
Senior	Executive	Vice	President,

CDO	(Chief	Digital	Officer)

Chikara Ishii
Executive	Vice	President

Hajime Matsukura
Executive	Vice	President,

President	of	Digital	Services	and	Engineering	Unit

CHRO	(Chief	Human	Resources	Officer)

Chairman	of	the	Board,	ABeam	Consulting	Ltd.

Masakazu Yamashina
Executive	Vice	President

Hiroshi Kodama
Executive	Vice	President,

CIO	(Chief	Information	Officer)	

Motoo Nishihara
Executive	Vice	President,

CTO	(Chief	Technology	Officer)

and	CISO	(Chief	Information	Security	Officer)

President	of	Global	Innovation	Unit

Osamu Fujikawa
Executive	Vice	President,

CFO	(Chief	Financial	Officer)

Toshifumi Yoshizaki
Executive	Vice	President

Kazunori Sudo
Executive	Vice	President

President	of	Digital	Business	Platform	Unit

President	of	System	Platform	Business	Unit

Makoto Enomoto
Senior	Vice	President,

CMO(Chief	Marketing	Officer)

Shinobu Obata
Senior	Vice	President,

Shigeki Shimizu
Senior	Vice	President,

CLCO(Chief	Legal	and	Compliance	Officer)

CSCO(Chief	Supply	Chain	Officer)

NEC Integrated Report 202174

Financial and Non-Financial Highlights

Revenue
International revenue
International revenue ratio (%)
Operating profit

Adjusted operating profit
Adjusted operating profit ratio (%)

Net profit (loss) attributable to owners of the parent

Adjusted net profit

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

R&D expenses

Number of patents

Capital expenditures (property, plant and equipment)
Depreciation (property, plant and equipment)

Per share data (in yen):
Net profit (loss) attributable to owners of the parent

Cash dividends
Dividend payout ratio

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

Number of employees

Ratio of female managers(%)
Ratio of female managers(non-consolidated, %)

Employee engagement index (%)

Improvement in energy efficiency of products (%)
(Reduction of total CO2 emissions when products are used 
(compared with FY2014))
Greenhouse gas emissions(Scope 1 + Scope 2)(thousand tons)
2
)(thousand tons) 
Greenhouse gas emissions(Scope 3*

FY2011

FY2012

FY2013

JGAAP

FY2014

¥3,115.4
479.3
15.4
57.8
—
—
(12.5)
—

33.7 
(146.2)
(112.6)

¥3,036.8
481.5
15.9
73.7
—
—
(110.3)
—

83.9 
(49.7)
34.2 

¥3,071.6
483.1
15.7
114.6
—
—
30.4 
—

143.7 
(101.7)
42.0 

¥3,043.1
569.2
18.7
106.2
—
—
33.7 
—

94.1 
(38.9)
55.2 

176.5
Approx. 68,000
52.9
62.1

162.0
Approx. 64,000
42.0
53.3

151.7
Approx. 65,000
45.6
51.2

142.7
Approx. 68,000
98.7
45.2

(4.82)
0.00 
—

2,628.9
757.1
(1.6)
28.8
675.8
0.89

115,840
-
4.7
—

—

-
-

(42.44)
0.00 
—

2,557.6
657.0
(15.6)
25.7
692.7
1.05

109,102
-
4.9
—

—

-
-

11.71
4.00 
34.2

2,581.0
710.7
4.5 
27.5
603.5
0.85

102,375
-
4.9
—

—

-
-

12.99
4.00 
30.8

2,505.3
695.9
4.8 
27.8
575.2
0.83

100,914
-
5.1
—

—

-
-

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.

Revenue
Billions of yen 

Adjusted Operating Profit / Adjusted Operating Profit Ratio
%
Billions of yen 

3,500

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

(FY)

200

150

100

50

0

10

7.5

5

2.5

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

(FY)

0

Revenue

Adjusted operating profit     Adjusted operating profit ratio

Approx. 65,000

Approx. 53,000

Approx. 53,000

Approx. 51,000

Approx. 49,000

Approx. 47,000

Approx. 46,000

FY2015

FY2016

FY2017

FY2018

FY2019

FY2020

FY2021

¥2,935.5

¥2,824.8

¥2,665.0

¥3,095.2

¥2,994.0

IFRS

¥2,844.4

740.2

¥2,913.4

689.1

586.8

20.0

128.1

—

—

—

57.3 

87.9 

(47.5)

40.4 

134.2

37.4

48.5

22.05

4.00 

18.1

2,620.7

823.7

7.5 

31.4

520.8

0.63

-

5.2

—

—

-

-

603.1

21.4

91.4

—

—

—

75.9 

97.8 

(32.2)

65.6 

123.6

36.3

50.5

29.22

6.00 

20.5

2,528.9

769.8

9.5 

30.4

479.5

0.62

-

5.4

—

-

-

-

571.0

21.4

41.8

—

—

—

27.3 

92.5 

6.4 

99.0 

109.3

31.5

49.9

10.51

6.00 

57.1

2,684.0

854.3

3.4 

31.8

466.9

0.55

-

5.5

—

17

350

7,410

26.0

63.9

72.5

2.5

45.9 

50.4

130.0 

(14.2)

115.8 

108.1

45.4

63.8

176.54*

1

1

60*

34.0 

2,821.4

880.8

5.3 

31.2

520.7

0.59

-

5.8

—

35

338

7,606

23.7

57.8

69.9

2.4

39.7 

47.0

64.2 

(76.7)

(12.4)

108.1

62.7

64.4

152.75*

1

1

40*

25.8

2,963.2

858.9

4.6 

29.0

552.5

0.64

7.8

5.9

14

74

329

7,585

752.0

24.3

127.6

145.8

4.7

100.0 

111.2

261.9 

(84.0)

177.8 

109.8

67.4

123.4

385.02*

1

1

70*

18.2

3,123.3

910.7

11.3 

29.2

675.4

0.74

7.8

6.4

20

71

373

6,996

703.2

23.5

153.8

178.2

6.0

149.6 

165.4

274.9 

(122.5)

152.4 

114.6

57.6

122.8

557.18*

1

1

90*

16.2 

3,668.6

1,308.2

13.5 

35.7

702.9

0.54

9.2

7.2

25

65

327

6,158

98,882

98,726

107,729

109,390

110,595

112,638

114,714

Corporate Data 
 
¥3,115.4

¥3,036.8

¥3,071.6

¥3,043.1

JGAAP

FY2014

Approx. 68,000

Approx. 64,000

Approx. 65,000

Approx. 68,000

Net profit (loss) attributable to owners of the parent

(12.5)

(110.3)

Revenue

International revenue

International revenue ratio (%)

Operating profit

Adjusted operating profit

Adjusted operating profit ratio (%)

Adjusted net profit

Cash flows from operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities

Free cash flows

R&D expenses

Number of patents

Capital expenditures (property, plant and equipment)

Depreciation (property, plant and equipment)

Per share data (in yen):

Net profit (loss) attributable to owners of the parent

Cash dividends

Dividend payout ratio

Total assets

Owner’s equity

Return on equity (%)

Owner’s equity ratio (%)

Interest-bearing debt

Debt-equity ratio (times)

Number of employees

Ratio of female managers(%)

Ratio of female managers(non-consolidated, %)

Employee engagement index (%)

Improvement in energy efficiency of products (%)

(Reduction of total CO2 emissions when products are used 

(compared with FY2014))

Greenhouse gas emissions(Scope 1 + Scope 2)(thousand tons)

Greenhouse gas emissions(Scope 3*

)(thousand tons) 

2

479.3

15.4

57.8

—

—

—

33.7 

(146.2)

(112.6)

176.5

52.9

62.1

(4.82)

0.00 

—

2,628.9

757.1

(1.6)

28.8

675.8

0.89

-

4.7

—

—

-

-

481.5

15.9

73.7

—

—

—

83.9 

(49.7)

34.2 

162.0

42.0

53.3

(42.44)

0.00 

—

2,557.6

657.0

(15.6)

25.7

692.7

1.05

-

4.9

—

—

-

-

483.1

15.7

114.6

—

—

—

30.4 

143.7 

(101.7)

42.0 

151.7

45.6

51.2

11.71

4.00 

34.2

2,581.0

710.7

4.5 

27.5

603.5

0.85

-

4.9

—

—

-

-

569.2

18.7

106.2

—

—

—

33.7 

94.1 

(38.9)

55.2 

142.7

98.7

45.2

12.99

4.00 

30.8

2,505.3

695.9

4.8 

27.8

575.2

0.83

-

5.1

—

—

-

-

115,840

109,102

102,375

100,914

FY2011

FY2012

FY2013

FY2015

FY2016

FY2017

FY2018

FY2019

FY2020

FY2021

IFRS

(Billions of yen)

75

¥2,935.5
586.8
20.0
128.1
—
—
57.3 
—

87.9 
(47.5)
40.4 

¥2,824.8
603.1
21.4
91.4
—
—
75.9 
—

97.8 
(32.2)
65.6 

¥2,665.0
571.0
21.4
41.8
—
—
27.3 
—

92.5 
6.4 
99.0 

¥2,844.4
740.2
26.0
63.9
72.5
2.5
45.9 
50.4

130.0 
(14.2)
115.8 

¥2,913.4
689.1
23.7
57.8
69.9
2.4
39.7 
47.0

64.2 
(76.7)
(12.4)

¥3,095.2
752.0
24.3
127.6
145.8
4.7
100.0 
111.2

261.9 
(84.0)
177.8 

¥2,994.0
703.2
23.5
153.8
178.2
6.0
149.6 
165.4

274.9 
(122.5)
152.4 

134.2
Approx. 65,000
37.4
48.5

123.6
Approx. 53,000
36.3
50.5

109.3
Approx. 53,000
31.5
49.9

108.1
Approx. 51,000
45.4
63.8

108.1
Approx. 49,000
62.7
64.4

109.8
Approx. 47,000
67.4
123.4

114.6
Approx. 46,000
57.6
122.8

22.05
4.00 
18.1

2,620.7
823.7
7.5 
31.4
520.8
0.63

98,882
-
5.2
—

—

-
-

29.22
6.00 
20.5

2,528.9
769.8
9.5 
30.4
479.5
0.62

98,726
-
5.4
—

-

-
-

10.51
6.00 
57.1

2,684.0
854.3
3.4 
31.8
466.9
0.55

107,729
-
5.5
—

17

350
7,410

1

1

176.54*
60*
34.0 

2,821.4
880.8
5.3 
31.2
520.7
0.59

109,390
-
5.8
—

35

338
7,606

*1  The amounts reflect a share consolidation (with a ratio of 10 shares to 1 share) that took effect on 

October 1, 2017.

*2  Scope 3 emissions from fiscal 2018 to fiscal 2020 have been adjusted to reflect a revision of the 

coefficient for Scope 3 Category 1 emissions.

1
152.75*
1
40*
25.8

2,963.2
858.9
4.6 
29.0
552.5
0.64

110,595
7.8
5.9
14

74

329
7,585

S

1
385.02*
1
70*
18.2

1
557.18*
1
90*
16.2 

3,123.3
910.7
11.3 
29.2
675.4
0.74

112,638
7.8
6.4
20

71

373
6,996

3,668.6
1,308.2
13.5 
35.7
702.9
0.54

114,714
9.2
7.2
25

65

327
6,158

   For more detailed non-financial data, please refer 
to the section “Data Collection” in Sustainability 
Report 2021.

Employee Engagement Index
%

Ratio of Female Managers(Non-Consolidated)
%

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

2019

2020

2021

(FY)

10

8

6

4

2

0

2019

2020

2021

(FY)

NEC Integrated Report 202176

Corporate Overview

Company Name 

NEC Corporation

Organization Chart

Address 

 7-1, Shiba 5-chome, Minato-ku, 

Tokyo 108-8001, Japan

President

Board

Established 

July 17, 1899

Number of Employees 

 114,714 (NEC Corporation

(As of March 31, 2021) 

and consolidated subsidiaries)

Total Number of Shares Issued 
(As of March 31, 2021) 

272,849,863 shares 

Stock Exchange Listing 

Tokyo (Securities Code: 6701)

Shareholder Register 

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Limited 

Administrator 

1-4-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 

Classification of Shareholders (Shareholding Ratio)

(As of March 31, 2021)

Number of 
Shareholders:

153,072

● Japanese Government 

and Local Governments .......... 0.00%

●Financial Institutions .............31.57%

●Securities Companies .............. 2.44%

●Other Corporations .................. 7.01%

●Foreign Investors ....................39.57%

● Japanese Individuals 

and Others ...............................19.41%

Major Shareholders (Top 10)

 (As of March 31, 2021)

Name of Shareholders

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

Custody Bank of Japan, Ltd. (Trust Account)

NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION

STATE STREET BANK WEST CLIENT – TREATY 505234

Sumitomo Life Insurance Company 

Custody Bank of Japan, Ltd. (Trust Account No. 7)

NEC Employee Shareholding Association

GOVERNMENT OF NORWAY

Custody Bank of Japan, Ltd. (Trust Account No. 5)

Custody Bank of Japan, Ltd. (Trust Account No. 4)

Cross-Industry	Unit

Global	Business	Unit

Regional	Headquarters	(RHQs)

Public	Solutions	Business	Unit

Branch	Offices

Public	Infrastructure	Business	Unit

Enterprise	Business	Unit

Network	Services	Business	Unit

Digital	Services	and	Engineering	Unit

Digital	Business	Platform	Unit

System	Platform	Business	Unit

Global	Innovation	Unit

Corporate	Staff

Number of Shares Held
(Thousands of shares)

Shareholding Ratio
(%)

24,945

16,606

13,023

5,649

5,600

5,381

4,231

4,158

3,895

3,604

9.14

6.09

4.77

2.07

2.05

1.97

1.55

1.52

1.43

1.32

Corporate Data 
77

Investor Relations

Sustainability

https://www.nec.com/en/global/ir

https://www.nec.com/en/global/csr/

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 its disclosure on this website.

Division in Charge
Investor Relations Office, Corporate Finance & Global Treasury Division

The above link offers further details of NEC’s approach to management for 
sustainability based on ESG, Sustainability Report 2021, and related 
information.

Division in Charge
Sustainability Promotion Division

Evaluation by External Parties (As of July 2021)

NEC is included in world-renowned ESG indices.

Internet IR
最優秀賞
2020

Internet IR
最優秀賞
2020

Dow Jones Sustainability Indices(DJSI)

FTSE4Good Index Series

MSCI ESG Leaders Indexes

Daiwa Investor Relations Internet IR 

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.

Euronext Vigeo World 120

STOXX Global ESG Leaders Index

ISS ESG Corporate Rating

Grand Prize 2020

Internet IR
Grand Prize
2020

Internet IR
Grand Prize
2020

Nikko Investor Relations

2020 Overall Ranking of Corporate 

Websites for Listed Japanese 

Companies 

Internet IR

最優秀賞

2020

Internet IR

Grand Prize

2020

CDP (Climate Change, Water Security, 

EcoVadis

and Supplier Engagement)

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 the 
Company 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:

・ adverse economic conditions in Japan or internationally;
・ foreign currency exchange and interest rate risks;
・ changes in the markets in which the NEC Group operates;
・ the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus;
・  potential inability to achieve the goals in the NEC Group’s medium-term 

management plan;

・ fluctuations in the NEC Group’s revenue and profitability from period to period;
・  difficulty achieving the benefits expected from acquisitions, business 

combinations and reorganizations and business withdrawals;

・  potential deterioration in the NEC Group’s relationships with strategic partners or 

problems relating to their products or services;

・ difficulty achieving the NEC Group’s growth strategies outside Japan;
・  potential inability to keep pace with rapid technological advancements in the 

NEC Group’s industry and to commercialize new technologies;

・ intense competition in the markets in which the NEC Group operates;
・ risks relating to the NEC Group’s concentrated customer base;
・ difficulties with respect to new businesses;
・ potential failures in the products and services the NEC Group provides;
・ potential failure to procure components, equipment or other supplies;

・ difficulties protecting the NEC Group’s intellectual property rights;
・ potential inability to obtain certain intellectual property licenses;
・ the NEC Group’s customers may encounter financial difficulties;
・ difficulty attracting, hiring and retaining skilled personnel;
・ difficulty obtaining additional financing to meet the NEC Group’s funding needs;
・ potential failure of internal controls;
・ potentially costly and time-consuming legal proceedings;
・ risks related to regulatory change and uncertainty;
・ risks related to environmental laws and regulations;
・ information security and data protection concerns and restrictions;
・  potential changes in effective tax rates or deferred tax assets, or adverse tax 

examinations;

・ risks related to corporate governance and social responsibility requirements;
・  risks related to natural disasters, public health issues, armed hostilities and 

terrorism;

・  risks related to the NEC Group’s pension assets and defined benefit obligations; and
・ risks related to impairment losses with regard to goodwill.

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.

Note: In this presentation, the accounting periods of the fiscal years for March 31, 2021 and 2022 were referred as FY21/3 and FY22/3 respectively.  Any other fiscal years would be referred similarly.

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

NEC Integrated Report 2021NEC Corporation

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Phone: +81-3-3454-1111

ISSN 1345-8655

©NEC Corporation 2021

Printed in Japan