[NOK Corporation] NOK sponsors the Kumamoto Groundwater Foundation’s “Paddy Owner System” and 35 people, including Kumamoto Plant employees, participate in rice harvesting
NOK Corporation Press release: October 24, 2024 NOK sponsors Kumamoto Groundwater Foundation’s “Paddy Owner System” and 35 people, including Kumamoto Plant employees,
participate in rice harvesting Nursing local groundwater through rice cultivation ~ Contributing to recharge of groundwater equivalent to approximately 4.5 tons *1 ~
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Representative Director, President and Executive Officer, Group CEO: Masao Tsuru; hereinafter referred to as “NOK”) is a member of the Kumamoto Groundwater Foundation, a public interest incorporated foundation. Since 2019, we have been supporting the Paddy Field Owner System. As part of this year’s activities, on Saturday, October 12th, a total of 35 employees of the NOK Kumamoto Plant (Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture) and their families visited rice fields in Otsu Town, Kikuchi District, Kumamoto Prefecture to raise money from local producers. We harvested rice together with local residents and enjoyed harvesting rice grown in the region’s rich soil and abundant water. Currently, the lack of water resources is a problem worldwide, and effective use of water resources is required to realize a sustainable society. The NOK Group assesses water risks in each country and region where we have production bases, and promotes water resource
conservation activities tailored to the characteristics of each country and region. The Kumamoto Groundwater Foundation’s “Paddy Ownership System” allows producers who own rice fields in groundwater recharge areas*2 and companies and organizations that have an ownership agreement to grow rice together, allowing water stored in the rice fields to permeate underground. , an activity that promotes groundwater recharge. Every year, the NOK Kumamoto Plant becomes the owner of a 737 square meter rice field in Otsucho, Kikuchi District, and helps with some of the farm work. Approximately 150 kg of rice harvested this year will be donated to a food bank in Kumamoto City. Additionally, around November, a “Certificate of Rechargeable Amount” will be issued that indicates the amount of groundwater cultivated through rice cultivation. This year’s recharge amount, calculated according to the area of rice fields, is expected to be
approximately 4.5 tons (4,495 m3), which is equivalent to last year’s result. *1 Recharge: Rainwater permeates into the soil and is stored as groundwater in an aquifer. *2 Rehabilitation area: Land where water easily permeates, such as fields and forests. ■ Participate in rice harvesting under the “paddy field owner system” Every year, we recruit people from our employees and their families who wish to participate in the rice growing experience, and in June of this year, 49 people participated in the rice planting and 35 people participated in the rice harvesting. It was a clear autumn day on the day of rice harvesting, and after learning how to use a sickle and harvest from the farmers, the participants spent about an hour experiencing the process of harvesting and threshing. Many of the participants had also participated in the rice planting and were looking forward to today’s harvest, and they could be seen looking at the ripening rice ears with great emotion over time. They also spent a fulfilling autumn day leisurely admiring the countryside and interacting with farmers. Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/96493/71/96493-71-77d772b0426de6be1eed87b2ad93ca01-2590×1727.jpg Rice harvesting
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/96493/71/96493-71-b69afc56d14d464e2e6016746537f64c-1035×690.jpg Rice planting that took place in June this year
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/96493/71/96493-71-65154ba09d551a64937427235202d2ab-1910×2700.jpg “Certificate of Recharging Amount” (2023) ■ Participants’ comments ・NOK Kumamoto Plant, IT Headquarters, IT Management Department, System Section 5, Nobuyuki Umezaki The children harvested rice for the first time, saw a combine harvester for the first time, and learned a lot about how to harvest rice. The children also picked up some of the gleanings and said, “I wonder if it would make enough for a bowl of rice,” so they seemed to have learned about how our rice is produced. This was my first time participating, but I plan to participate again next year. ・NOK Kumamoto Plant Precision/O-Ring Division Production Technology Department System Development Section Yoshifumi Kogai This is the second time this year that I have experienced rice harvesting. It felt good to keep my feet on the ground and work all morning. We had a great time surrounded by the scent of harvested rice. After the experience, I ate a meal, feeling very tired, and thanking the rice and its producers. ・NOK Kumamoto Plant Precision/O-Ring Division Operations Department Haruka Tsurusaki I was able to show my 3-year-old son a close-up of rice and let him touch it, and when I told him, “There’s rice in these tiny grains,” he stared at it in disbelief. Also, since he loves cars, he was also very interested in combine harvesters, and even at home he was happy to be given a ride on a combine harvester. I also found it refreshing to move my body in nature. ■ About sustainability activities through sponsorship of the “Paddy Ownership System” The NOK Group uses high-quality water in the manufacturing process of its products. The NOK Kumamoto Plant, located in Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture, is located in an area blessed with water resources, and the water essential for manufacturing seal products is pumped up from groundwater and used as industrial water. In order to conserve the water resources that support local life and industry, as 80% of tap water in Kumamoto Prefecture is groundwater, the NOK Kumamoto Plant continues to carry out community activities that lead to groundwater conservation, such as cleaning lakes. I’ve been here. However, in recent years, factories that consume water resources have begun to accumulate in the region, and more proactive conservation of groundwater has become an important issue for the region. Therefore, since 2019, we have been supporting the “Rice Rice Field Owner System” to help conserve groundwater. We work with producers who share the blessings of water to make effective use of fallow fields and maintain paddy fields, which are devices that generate underground water.We also support rice cultivation, which is a local industry, and help communities where there is a lack of agricultural workers. We will also contribute to solving problems. We will also strive to preserve the wonderful landscape of Aso’s Satoyama. NOK Kumamoto Plant will continue to work together with the government, local environmental conservation organizations, and citizens to conserve groundwater, which is a local asset. ■ Kumamoto Groundwater Foundation “Paddy Owner System” Overview of rice harvesting in which NOK Kumamoto Plant participated ・Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024 ・Place: Paddy field in Maki district, Otsu-machi, Kikuchi-gun, Kumamoto Prefecture ・Participants: NOK Kumamoto Plant employees and their families, 35 people in total ■ About the Kumamoto Groundwater Foundation “Paddy field owner system” ・Business entity: Kumamoto Groundwater Foundation ・Content: This is an initiative to participate in the conservation of rice fields and groundwater through rice cultivation. Companies and organizations sponsor the event as owners and participate in rice planting and harvesting. After harvesting, you will be given a “Certificate of Rechargeable Amount” that shows the amount of rice that was cultivated according to the cultivated area and the amount of groundwater that was cultivated through rice cultivation. ■ Other environmental conservation and community contribution activities by NOK Kumamoto Plant NOK Kumamoto Plant actively participates in local environmental conservation activities. Employees volunteer to clean up Lake Gotsu organized by the Kumamoto Prefecture Environmental Conservation Council and burn fields conducted by the Wilderness Association, as well as
organizations such as the Kumamoto Prefecture Aso Grassland Support Company Supporter, Aso Green Stock Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, and the Ministry of the Environment’s Nature Restoration Project. We are a supporting member of the organization and support the environmental conservation activities of the government and citizens. – Sponsoring the Kumamoto Prefecture Environmental Conservation Council, cleaning activities at Lake Etsu to protect groundwater resources (around November every year) ・Through Food Bank Kumamoto, rice harvested through the Kumamoto Groundwater Foundation’s “Paddy Owner System” will be donated to those in need (Around November every year) ・Participate in field burning organized by the Aso City Wilderness Association to maintain Aso’s grasslands and maintain biodiversity (every February or March) – Sponsoring Kumamoto’s summer tradition, the Hinokuni Festival and Oteyan Soodori (every August). ・Promoting grassland maintenance activities in Aso as a certified business operator of the “Aso Grassland Support Company Supporter System” (from 2022) • Inquiries regarding release NOK Corporation CEO Office Corporate Affairs Corporate Communication Department TEL: 03-5405-6372 Mail: mb_nok_corporate_affairs＠jp.nokgrp.com • About NOK Group The NOK Group advocates “Essential Core Manufacturing – manufacturing that plays a central role in society” and supports the “safety” and “comfort” that form the basis of a prosperous society. With approximately 38,000 employees and 93 group companies located in 15 countries and regions, we develop products based on accumulated basic research and achieve high-quality, high-volume, stable production. We continue to provide technology and products to all industrial fields, including mobility such as automobiles, electronic equipment such as PCs and smartphones, office automation equipment, medical and healthcare equipment, industrial robots, and artificial satellites. • About NOK Corporation Kumamoto Plant NOK’s Kumamoto Plant produces O-rings, which are sealing products that seal gases and liquids, and are one of NOK’s main products. These seal products are used in a variety of places, including automobiles, construction machinery, agricultural machinery, and housing equipment. Location: 2089 Nagakusa, Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture