Social Contribution Activities


Basic approach

The Hodogaya Chemical Group believes that as corporate citizens contributing to the sustainable development of the community is an important activity in carrying out its business. We are engaged in various community contributions including the nurturing of children through chemistry, environmental conservation activities in the regions where the Group’s plants are located, and the provision of tangible and intangible objects that are useful for the rich lifestyles of people.
In addition, if a disaster is designated as a major disaster by the Cabinet Office, where one of our key bases is located, and the damage to the area around the base is severe, we donate a certain percentage of the previous fiscal year’s earnings to the impacted prefecture. When Koriyama City sustained damage from Typhoon Hagibis (October 2019), and it was designated a major disaster, we donated money to Fukushima Prefecture to support reconstruction.

— Collaborating and co-creating with local communities, connecting to the future —
Contributing to regional revitalization through corporate hometown tax donations

With the aim of returning to society a portion of the profits earned by its OLED materials business, the Hodogaya Chemical Group has donated to a corporate hometown tax program. Manufacturing those OLED materials, our Koriyama Plant is located at the east exit of JR Koriyama Station in Fukushima Prefecture, and donating to the prefecture’s corporate version of the hometown tax—named Project to create a sustainable local agricultural model in collaboration with Fukushima University—aids in its recovery. The decision was made for two other reasons: In the hope of countering the misinformation surrounding agricultural products and to thereby contribute to their promotion and, as stated under Hodogaya Chemical’s management philosophy, to contribute to the creation of an environmentally conscious society.
To contribute to the regional revitalization of Fukushima Prefecture, to which we are indebted on a daily basis, the Hodogaya Chemical Group will continue to collaborate with all local residents while striving for sustainable regional development.


Volunteer Weeding for Niida Honke

Koriyama Plant Asuka Hara

Starting this year, Koriyama Plant personnel volunteered to take part in volunteer weeding for Niida Honke.
A sake (rice wine) brewery in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, Niida Honke brews and sells sake and fermented foods that include Niida Shizenshu, a 100% pure sake made from brewer’s rice grown without the use of any pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
On the day of the volunteer event, 21 people from the Koriyama Plant took part and borrowed Nakano-type weeding implements to weed three rice fields.
A Niida Honke staff member taught us directly how to use the weeding implements and provided us with details of how sake is made. It was very refreshing and fun to work in a rice field for the first time and talk directly with local people. Through this volunteer work, we were able to interact with local people. It was also a valuable opportunity to experience nature and Japanese culture. I would like to continue to actively participate in activities that are of benefit to the local community and to society as a whole.




Tree planting activities in the Minamisoma distri

Koriyama Plant Takeshi Nemoto

In 2020, the Koriyama Plant participated in the Corporate Afforestation initiative, and from FY2021, started tree-planting activities aimed at regenerating ‘coastal disaster prevention’ forests in the Minamisoma district. This activity is a five-year plan, in which 750 black pine trees were planted in the first and second years, and a total of 3,750 black pine trees will be planted over 0.75ha of land over the remaining three years. In the first year, 30 personnel from the plant participated, and in the second year, 16 personnel participated. Over the course of two days, we planted trees and cleared undergrowth as part of the afforestation activities.
I participated in both the first and second years and carefully planted each tree. I believe that we were able to contribute to environmental conservation through our tree planting activities. I would like to continue to undertake activities that contribute to the environment and society.




Shedding light on the Honeybee Friendship Project

Yokohama Plant Taizo Osanai

The “Honeybee Friendship Project” is an activity for cultivating flowers with the objective of protecting honeybees and other flower-visiting insects. Starting with the Yokohama Plant, it is being expanded to vacant lots and flowerbeds at the Koriyama Plant, Nanyo Plant and Tsukuba Research Laboratory (total cultivation area: about 600m2).
We started with making flower beds while researching on the internet, watching gardening programs, and referring to the well-maintained sidewalks. We were thinking of how much fun it would be to have so many flowers in bloom that you could feel the different seasons. While growing plants from seeds, there are types that can grow well even when planted directly in the soil, and types that are grown in nurseries and transferred to soil when their roots and leaves become firm. Some of the seedlings were damaged by mold in the nursery, but we had a fun time plowing the soil and weeding the plants.
Many trucks go in and out of the Yokohama Plant every day. I hope it will become a place where those truck drivers will look forward to seeing the flowerbeds and say, “Ah! The flowers are in full bloom again today.”


— Protecting forests with the power of chemistry —
HODOGAYA AGROTECH Co., Ltd.’s role in smart forestry*

Accounting for two-thirds of Japan’s land area, forests contribute greatly to people’s lives, including by recharging sources of water, conserving the country’s land, mitigating the effects of global warming, and supplying timber and forest products. Cyclic use is made of man-made forests in a cut, use, and plant sequence, but there is a serious shortage of forestry workers to take on this work, and securing a workforce is becoming a major problem. For several years after planting, it is a battle against weeds and trees that hinder the growth of the seedlings. Mechanization having not progressed that far, clearing weeds under the scorching sun in midsummer can be said to be the most difficult task.
Engaged in the manufacture and sale of agricultural chemicals, HODOGAYA AGROTECH Co., Ltd. has established a new technology that sprays herbicides developed for use in forests by drone. Devised to save labor, this development has led to an improvement in the working environment by freeing workers from a sweaty, physically draining task. Also protecting seedlings from wild animals by supplying repellents and seedling protection materials, we are working to support sustainable forestry with the power of chemistry.

* The term smart forestry refers to forestry that utilizes digital management and/or information and communication technologies (ICT) as well as to forestry by means of safer, more efficient automated machinery. (Forestry Agency)

Taking on the challenge of revitalizing Satoyama with the power of chemistry

Hodogaya Chemical, in collaboration with Utsunomiya University and the Satoyama Ogisu wo Aisuru Kai (Association for Lovers of Satoyama Ogisu), is participating in the Satochi/Satoyama Revitalization Project (approved by the Cabinet Office).
This is an industry-government-academia initiative that utilizes the Corporate Version of Hometown Tax system in Nasukarasuyama City, Tochigi Prefecture.
The Ogisu district, the target of the project, has beautiful traditional Satoyama scenery.
However, as in other mountainous regions in Japan, the natural environment has become overgrown with weeds due to the declining birthrate, aging population and depopulation, as well as the increase in idle farmland and the deterioration of forests. Weed management by residents has already reached its limits, and the weed problem has become the largest concern in the community.
Through this project, which was launched to solve such problems through industrygovernment- academia collaboration, Hodogaya Chemical aims to contribute to the revitalization of Satochi and Satoyama, as well as to local communities and society, through a demonstration test that utilize its own chemicals and technologies.

Biodiversity Conservation

Hodogaya Agrotech Co., Ltd. (HAT), a group company that manufactures and sells agricultural chemicals, received a request from Nagano Prefecture to protect rare plants with the HAT diet repellent “Rantekuta” in 2016. Nagano Prefecture, Kirigamine Nature Conservation Council, Daido Shoji Co., Ltd. and HAT signed a “Biodiversity Conservation Partnership Agreement” and conducted a demonstration test of sika deer measures at Kirigamine Plateau.
As a result of three years of continuous testing, it was confirmed that the number of Nikkoukisuge increased approximately three times at the Nikkoukige test site in Kirigamine Plateau. Since there are rare plants, such as Fireweed, Thistle, Gymnadenia conopsea, and Gipsy rose on the Utsukushigahara Plateau, we extended the agreement for three years at the request of Nagano Prefecture, and started demonstration tests for precious plants also on the Utsukushigahara Plateau. At the Utsukushigahara Plateau, we are working on the test with the cooperation of the Utsukushigahara Kogen Museum of Art.
“Rantekuta” is a pesticide based on whole egg powder used as a raw material for pasta, cakes, puddings, etc.
Utilizing the technology cultivated over many years by HAT, we cooperate and support environmental conservation activities in Kirigamine / Utsukushigahara Plateau.

Visiting classes at an elementary school

【FY2020】

Koriyama Plant Yuriko Takahashi

Many of the events that we participate in every year, including Lake Inawashiro Clean Action in spring, Uneme Festival in summer, and Koriyama Expo in fall, were suspended in FY2020 because of the COVID‑19 pandemic, making it impossible to conduct community contribution activities as we wanted.
Even in FY2021, most of the events were suspended, but we conducted visiting classes at a local elementary school after fully implementing measures to prevent infections.
We limited participants to the smallest number possible and conducted hands‑on experiments using water‑based pens and liquid nitrogen, which probably communicated the appeal of chemistry to the participating children.
Using the fence around the plant, we also displayed the entries that won the grand prize and merit prize at the Fire Prevention and Home Fire Alarm Painting / Poster / Slogan Competition, which was put on by the Koriyama Fire and Disaster Prevention Association, and this contributed to raising awareness of fire prevention in the local community.
I would like to continue to undertake activities that contribute to the development of the local community and society.




【FY2019】

Koriyama Plant Noritoshi Suzuki

During FY2019, we conducted visiting classes at two nearby elementary schools as one of the Koriyama Plant’s CSR activities. In these classes, we explained and demonstrated experiments, and had the children actually try the experiments for themselves. They experienced an experiment employing the liquid nitrogen that we usually use for analysis, as well as making a bookmark by recycling waste paper to learn about the bleaching action of hydrogen peroxide, a Hodogaya Chemical Group product. They also experienced a color-related experiment to learn about dyes and colors.
 The children listened enthusiastically to our explanations and appeared to enjoy doing the experiments. The same experiments sometimes appear on television programs, but I think that actually seeing and doing the experiments in real life was more surprising and left a deeper impression.
 I want to go on making use of visiting classes and the KORIYAMA EXPO to convey to local children how interesting chemistry can be.




【FY2018】

Koriyama Plant Ryota Sano

Koriyama Plant held visiting science classes for 6th graders at Nishida Gakuen Elementary School in Koriyama City. We kept the theme “colors,” a feature of the Hodogaya Chemical Group, and let the 6th graders learn about the colors around them through experiments. Specifically, the children observed how colors changed using things found at home under two topics: light’s three primary colors and the mechanism of recognizing colors, and the change in blueberry juice’s color using acid/alkali. Although the students had recently learned about acids and alkalis in class, they had very few chances to practically conduct experiments. Thus, they thoroughly enjoyed conducting these experiments.
Going forward, as a chemicals manufacturer, we would like to continue such activities to instill a keen interest for science among children in the community.




【FY2017】

We held visiting science classes for 4th graders at Fukugawa Elementary School in the vicinity of our Nanyo Plant. For this second session, we decided that the theme should be relevant to the technologies and products of the Hodogaya Chemical Group, and the mechanism of laundry detergents was selected as the theme for FY2017.
As an experiment, we washed cloths stained by food with the detergents and observed how detergents help mix water and oil better. Many children expressed their opinion when the experiment results were presented.
We think the children realized that there are many opportunities around us to study science, and that experiments can enhance our learning. We also spent some time introducing our company, and explained the location of Nanyo Plant and the products we manufacture, which was a good opportunity to provide a sense of familiarity and to establish amicable relationships with the local residents.
We will continue with our activities in order to prosper together with the local community and society.




Participated in Dream Chemistry 21

Yokohama Plant Keigo Naito

We have been participating in the Summer Holiday Children’s Experiment Show sponsored by the Dream Chemistry 21 Organizing Committee since 2015. In 2018, with the cooperation of the Head Office and Tsukuba Research Laboratory, the Yokohama Plant mainly took an initiative to provide children who would lead a future with the opportunity to have an exciting hands-on experience and develop an interest in chemistry. The theme for the year was “sparkling.” We had made bookmarks until 2017, and this year we dyed card cases which had a big dyeing range. Children thoroughly enjoyed decorating dyed card cases with seals. We were glad that children enjoyed coming into contact with chemistry. For the next time as well, we would like to offer children an opportunity to have a safe hands-on experience with chemistry while having fun at the same time.




Exhibited at KORIYAMA EXPO 2018

Koriyama Plant Seiya Hirayama

The fourth KORIYAMA EXPO was held on October 5 – 7, 2018 at BIG PALETTE FUKUSHIMA. The objective of KORIYAMA EXPO AWARD is to hold a comprehensive exhibition bringing together the commercial, industrial, agricultural, tourism, and welfare communities of Koriyama to imagine and create the next generation together, thereby communicating and promoting the local industries.
As our first exhibit, our Company set up an interactive exhibit booth consisting of a corner to make an original bookmark using aluminum coloring dyes and a corner exhibiting our products. The exhibition ended with great success, having over 200 visitors wanting to experience bookmark making. We received many comments from the visitors, that they learned that there are many products of Hodogaya Chemical around them and that they wanted to come to the experience corner again next year. We also won the second prize in the KORIYAMA EXPO AWARD contest that awards companies and groups presenting advanced exhibits.
Aluminum coloring dyes are produced at the Yokohama Plant, but recently we constructed a facility to expand production within the Koriyama Plant and began production.




Coexistence with local communities

Contributing to safe, secure cities by installing lighting

At the Nanyo Plant, we put up Christmas lights along the fence that faced Fukugawa Station in December 2020.
To express our appreciation to medical practitioners giving their all to care for those with COVID‑19 and send a message of hope for the end of the pandemic to the local community, we continued to turn on the lights until February 7, 2021, the day that the state of emergency was initially expected to be lifted.
After the Christmas lights came down, we strung up LED lights along the city streets, which drew positive comments from local residents, including, “it is really nice that the streets are lit up.” We naturally broke out in smiles when we heard those comments.
As a company within a local community, I would like to continue to think up endeavors that bring even more smiles to people’s faces.


Allowing the local community to use company-owned land

As a private-sector company that believes in doing what it can to cooperate with the local government and community, Hodogaya Chemical offers use of land on its plant premises free of charge.
At its Koriyama Plant, parts of the site are provided free of charge for Koriyama Station’s east-west connecting passageway, and for a bicycle parking lot run by the city authority, among other purposes. At the Nanyo Plant, parts of the site are provided for purposes including the Shinnan-yo Stadium.
In October 2019, we concluded trilateral agreement concerning evacuation of buses during a disaster with Koriyama City and the Koriyama branch of Fukushima Transportation Inc. For evacuation of buses when a disaster occurs, we offer part of the premises of our Koriyama Plant as an evacuation place. The land was put to use straight away, helping to reduce the number of buses damaged when Typhoon Hagibis (Typhoon No. 19) occurred that same month.

Forest maintenance volunteering

Nanyo Plant Yuta Sato

In October 2019, the Agriculture and Forestry Office of Shunan, Yamaguchi Prefecture held its Community, Forest, and Water Volunteering Event in the Fureai-no-Mori Forest, located on woodland owned by the city of Shunan. The event is held annually to promote greater understanding of the forests’ capacity to preserve water resources and prevent global warming, both of which are indispensable to both daily life and corporate activities. The Nanyo Plant has participated in the event since it was first held in 1996.
 The actual location of the event was on such steep slope that it seemed hard to believe that the volunteers would really undertake forest maintenance work in such a place. Once the participants were in the forest, however, they adapted physically, and were able to work while enjoying refreshing views that they would never usually have the chance to see.
 We feel now that we want to incorporate the experience we gained from this volunteering into our daily life and retain our awareness of nature.




Green Festa

Nanyo Plant Yuki Matsunami

Nanyo Plant and its affiliate K.K. Jasper (“JSP”) hosted a thanksgiving festival named Green Festa in April 2019 with the aim of showing their gratitude to the local people again, the second time after the first festival held in FY2018.
Green Festa offered various events such as tossing rice cakes and the free use of the driving range for children and parents, and introduced the companies’ products. With the support of restaurants around the Plant, there were also food booths aiming to further vitalize the local community. During the event, new employees including myself were in charge of recreational activities for children and parents such as blowing bubbles, giant jump rope, and stilts, providing an opportunity to interact directly with many people from children to adults. We were happy to hear comments from visitors that they had a good time and wished to come again..
I think the local residents got a sense of closeness with Hodogaya Chemical through Green Festa..
We will continue to undertake various activities that will lead to the development of and contribution to the local community and society.




Cooperating in Big Tree Pageant

The Big Tree Pageant Festa in Koriyama that illuminates the front of Koriyama Station has expanded the area from the West Exit to include the East Exit of the station on the occasion of the 13th festival. The Koriyama Plant cooperated by using its fences that extend from the East Exit of Koriyama Station to the main gate of the Plant.
We designed a motif between the curtain of lights installed, and offered a photo-shooting spot for the residents to enjoy.

J-Village

The Hodogaya Chemical Group supports the “Restart of J-Village” which is positioned as a symbol of restoration of Fukushima Prefecture.
Since J-Village opened in the towns of Naraha and Hirono of Futaba County in Fukushima Prefecture as Japan’s first national training center for soccer in 1997, the facilities were used by many people as a base to promote sport and energize the local region. However due to the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011 and the subsequent nuclear power station accident, the entire village halted operation and has been used as an operational base for dealing with the nuclear power station accident.
Fukushima Prefecture, home to our Koriyama Plant, launched the J-Village Restoration Support Project under the motto of“ connect the power of sports to restoration,” restored the green fields, and reconstructed the facilities for people to gather and share the joy of sports.
On July 28, 2018, J Village restarted, and on September 8, an all-weather practice area opened. And on April 20, 2019, it has been fully reopened as a “sacred place for football”.
The domestic torch relay for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will start from J Village.

Sponsored the Yamaguchi Flower Expo

The Hodogaya Chemical Group sponsored the 35th National Urban Greening Yamaguchi Fair (Yamaguchi Flower Expo) held from September 14 to November 4, 2018.
Yamaguchi Flower Expo was held as a core event of the “Yamaguchi Mirai Ishin,” the Meiji Restoration 150th anniversary project. The venue consisted of eight unique zones blooming with 10million flowers and welcomed 1,360,000 visitors.

Supporting the 69th National Tree Planting Festival

The National Tree Planting Festival is a national land afforestation campaign held every year between April and June hosted by the National Land Afforestation Promotion Organization and the prefectural government of the venue. The 69th Festival was held in Fukushima Prefecture in 2018 for the second time since 1970. On June 10, the first day of the Festival, five venues were set up including the site in Shidoke district of Haramachi in Minami-soma City where the ceremony was held with the attendance of the Emperor and Empress, and other satellite sites and PR sites. The ceremony was broadcast live and the entire prefecture got into the spirit.
Having had its primary plant in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture for over 100 years since 1916, the Hodogaya Chemical Group also actively sponsored and supported this year’s Tree Planting Festival. On March 11, 2018, seven years after the disaster of the Great East Japan Earthquake, 11 young employees from the Koriyama Plant planted 250 saplings of Japanese black pine at the coastal disaster prevention forest in Shidoke district.
We hope that these trees will grow in the next 10, 20, and 50 years to form a grand disaster prevention forest as Fukushima continues its tireless recovery efforts.

100th Anniversary Concert

In 2016, Hodogaya Chemical celebrated the 100th year of its founding. In the same year, our Koriyama Plant also commemorated its 100th anniversary. Koriyama City declared itself as “Music City Koriyama” and makes great efforts on promoting music. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Hodogaya Chemical, we held an anniversary concert in Koriyama City as part of our efforts to contribute to the society through music.
The junior and senior high school students in the brass band clubs and chorus clubs in Koriyama City (about 330 persons) were invited to the concert. Excellent musical performance received immense applauds, and the conductor responded to the calls for an encore by special grace.