The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced today that it decided in April to use some five million yen in anonymous donations received by the company to fund its social contribution activities. In addition to supporting Yokohama Rubber’s activities in support of reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami disaster, the company plans to use the funds to defray costs related to the various company-approved volunteer activities of its employees.

Presently planned usages of the donated funds are as follows:
(1) Provision of tires to the local fisheries cooperative that welcomed company employees who volunteered to support disaster recovery efforts on Oshima Island in Kessennuma, Miyagi Prefecture
A total of 60 Yokohama Rubber employees participated in disaster recovery support volunteer programs* on Oshima Island in Kessennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, in 10 separate sessions between October 2011 and February 2012. In January 2014, Yokohama Rubber donated studless tires to enable the fisheries cooperative that had received assistance from the company’s employees to transport oysters during the winter season.
* The volunteer programs were organized by the Global Compact Japan Network, an organization comprising Japanese companies that have signed the United Nations Global Compact.

(2) Mie Plant employees’ disaster recovery activities in Onagawa-cho, Miyagi Prefecture
In the days immediately following the Great East Japan Earthquake, employees of Yokohama Rubber’s Mie Plant rallied in support of the severely affected town of Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture, personally delivering sorely needed supplies to the town and engaging in other disaster recovery support activities. The Mie Plant employees continue to provide support for Onagawa-cho, through monetary donations and continued participation in on-site restoration work.

(3) “Heisei Forest” tree planting in Otsuchi-cho, Iwate Prefecture
Iwate Prefecture’s Otsuchi-cho is one of many communities that suffered extensive damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake and ensuing tsunami. As part of its disaster restoration plan, the town is creating a protective green belt, called the “Chinkon no Mori” to mitigate damage from future tsunamis. In support of this project, Yokohama Rubber held a tree-planting event in the town in 2011. This year, on April 19, Yokohama Rubber held its third tree planting event in Otsuchi-cho (now called the “Heisei Forest” tree planting).

(4) Volunteer activities of Yokohama Rubber employees
In addition to the above activities in support of ongoing Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami recovery efforts, Yokohama Rubber employees participate in a wide variety of volunteer activities, including nursing care support for the aged and disabled, assistance for child welfare organizations and foreign residents of Japan, beautification of the environment and preservation of nature, and other disaster recovery support programs.