Communication with Stakeholders
We have established a number of consultation systems for our employees and will continuously work on establishing appropriate mechanisms to ensure people have access to remedy when needed. Employees, customers, and other stakeholders can bring to our attention their concerns through our branches, head office, call centers, designated telephone lines, and via our website.
We place emphasis on engagement with our stakeholders and strives for transparency and responsiveness.
Grievance Mechanism
Clients
Mizuho has a grievance mechanism through our branches and headquarters. Mizuho Bank, Mizuho Trust and Banking, Mizuho Securities have designated telephone lines shown on website. Mizuho Americas also has its own grievance system on website to receive comments from stakeholders. In responding to consultations and complaints received on website, we guarantee the anonymity and confidentiality of our clients.
Furthermore, Mizuho has disclosed the grievance mechanisms in the Human Rights Report 2025.
Human Rights Report 2025 "Grievance Mechanism for External Stakeholders" (PDF/3,234KB)
Contact
Specialized forms for those who are hearing or speech impaired
Employees
To address internal issues, we have established a number of consultation systems, including a regulatory compliance hotline, Mizuho's human rights helpline, and an employee consultation office. We are making every effort to provide a system that guarantees anonymity and confidentiality while maintaining impartiality and protecting the rights of employees when addressing concerns or responding to complaints.
Mizuho's human rights helpline
Outline
Mizuho's Human Rights Helpline was established in accordance with relevant laws, regulations,1 and guidelines as an internal consultation system for issues of harassment and reasonable accommodation for employees with disabilities.
- Relevant Japanese laws and regulations are as follows: The Equal Employment Opportunity Act (regarding sexual harassment and maternity-related harassment); the Labor Measures Comprehensive Promotion Act (regarding abuse of authority ("power harassment")); the Childcare and Caregiver Leave Act (regarding harassment related to maternity, paternity, and family caregiving); and the Act to Facilitate the Employment of Persons with Disabilities (regarding employees with disabilities).
Availability
Mizuho's Human Rights Helpline is available to all employees of Mizuho Financial Group, Mizuho Bank, Mizuho Trust & Banking, and Mizuho Securities (including employees seconded to group companies and other related companies).
Consultation methods
Telephone, email, written document (general postal mail, internal postal mail, etc.)
Throughout the value chain
In July 2023, Mizuho joined the Engagement and Remedy Platform provided and operated by the Japan Center for Engagement and Remedy on Business and Human Rights (JaCER) to receive complaints concerning human rights violations from stakeholders across its value chain. This platform complies with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, is both professional and impartial, and JaCER accepts reports of human rights violations related to Mizuho, notifies Mizuho of such reports, and provides support and promotion for complaint handling. JaCER is an organization that provides a non-judicial platform for redress of grievances based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and receives human rights complaints relevant to Mizuho. It informs Mizuho of such complaints and support/promote its grievance mechanism. In addition to the grievance mechanisms for clients and employees described in above, Mizuho accepts human rights complaints from all stakeholders through this external professional platform. By using this platform, Mizuho will build an equitable engagement and remedy process and respond appropriately to complaints and whistle-blowing while ensuring the anonymity of the complainants and the confidentiality of information.
JaCER's grievance application form
Suppliers
We communicate Human Rights Policy to our business partners and express our expectation that they uphold a standard of respect for human rights commensurate with this policy.
Disclosure and compliance with various laws and regulations
Publication of Human Rights Report
Mizuho has been publishing the annual Human Rights Report since 2022, which summarizes details of initiatives related to respect for human rights. The report is based on the United Nations Principles Reporting Framework to enhance transparency.
Australian Modern Slavery Act 2018
In accordance with the Commonwealth Modern Slavery Act 2018, Mizuho Bank publishes a Modern Slavery Statement (PDF/555KB) and reports our actions to prevent or mitigate negative impacts on human rights related to modern slavery risks, in both our own operations and our supply chains.
UK Modern Slavery Act 2015
In accordance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the London Branch of Mizuho Bank publishes an Anti–Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement, and reports on its efforts to mitigate risks in its own business and supply chain.
Others
We strive to be proactive in two–way communications on human rights and environmental issues with various stakeholders, including equity holders, investors, media, and NGOs, in order to benefit from their advice to further strengthen our efforts to respect human rights.
Through our involvement in the Equator Principles Association, we carry out discussions with international NGOs and continue to promote the Equator Principles.
Contribution to Financial Inclusion
Financial assistance
| Category | Description |
| Assisting low-income women entrepreneurs | Grameen America is a certified U.S. Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) dedicated to helping low-income entrepreneurial women build businesses to gain financial mobility. In 2024, Mizuho Americas provided USD 5 million in debt capital to Grameen America and its microlending program as part of the firm's ongoing commitment to CDFIs and financial inclusion. With the facility, Grameen hopes to disburse over 900 loans assisting low-income women entrepreneurs. |
| Finance for MSMEs and individuals | Supporting Financial Inclusion in India Kisetsu Saison Finance (India) Pvt. Ltd. (Credit Saison India), a subsidiary of Credit Saison in which we invested in FY2023, provides financial services to underserved segments in India. In FY2024, through finance offerings for MSMEs and individuals, the company supported small business owners and individuals, who previously lacked access to adequate financial services, by offering loan products that help promote financial independence and business growth.
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| Elderly people, individuals with a health condition or impairments | Guardianship support trusts Mizuho Trust & Banking offers guardianship support trusts with the main objective of helping monetary asset management by users of the adult guardianship scheme due to senile dementia or disabilities. Linked to the adult guardianship scheme under Japanese law, the product is only available to users of the scheme (although actual subscription is performed by the adult guardian appointed by the family court). The monies entrusted to us are not only transferred periodically for the benefit of the users under the (written) instruction of the family court but also used for incidental payments, also under the instruction of the family court. We thus ensure timely and appropriate payments while preserving the precious assets of the users.
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Non-Financial assistance
| Category | Description |
| Financing for NPOs engaged in affordable housing development in the U.S. | Mizuho Bank (USA) provides financing for community development organizations focused on affordable housing preservation, rehabilitation and creation; primary healthcare facilities development and management; small businesses; and other community reinvestment needs. During FY2024, Mizuho committed a USD 20 million line of credit to the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), a leading national community development financial institution. LIIF reports that Mizuho's facility directly supported the creation of approximately 593 affordable housing units, and approximately 233 new seats in K-12 schools as well as 17 new childcare seats. As a result, over 2,480 people benefited, with 92% identified as low-income. |
| Providing technology training and professional skills to young adults | Genesys Works connects high school students from economically-disadvantaged communities with internships, empowering them through training and meaningful work experiences in New York City. Students start the program by completing eight weeks of rigorous business technology training, gaining essential skills in the areas of information technology, business operations and professional development, and are then placed in 20-hour per week paid internships at a company partner site during the US school year. Students also receive guidance, counseling and financial education in support of college and career planning. During FY2024, Mizuho hired 3 high school interns, and 3 college students who are alumni of the Genesys Works program to work every weekday afternoon. This represents over USD 40,000 in wages. Mizuho has been a corporate partner of Genesys Works NYC since 2019, and between September 2019 and March 2025, Mizuho has hired a total of 27 high school interns and 7 college interns (many who have worked multiple years), or over USD 400,000 in total wages. Mizuho has provided support in other ways, with annual grants from the firm's affiliated corporate foundation. The Mizuho USA Foundation provided Genesys Works with a grant of US USD 40,000 in FY2024. |
| Financial and economic education for persons with disabilities | In view of the fact that financial and economic education is still inadequate at special schools, we worked with experienced special school teachers and a Group company hiring persons with disabilities (Mizuho Business Challenged) to develop teaching materials to help the participants understand how to earn, save and use money among high school students enrolled in special schools aiming for self-management of personal finance or work opportunities. The teaching materials have been used for financial literacy training on financial complaints, cashless payments and how to use banks (training provided for 20 students at one school in FY2024). |
| Pro bono services | Consistent with Mizuho's strong volunteer community service ethos, the Mizuho Americas Legal Pro Bono Program was established to directly engage with and support our local communities by providing pro bono (free) legal services to New York City's underprivileged. Americas Legal partners with the City Bar Justice Center (CBJC), a well-regarded pro bono services organization affiliated with the New York City Bar Association. The CBJC's mission is to "increase access to justice for New Yorkers struggling with poverty and systemic socioeconomic barriers by leveraging the volunteered time and expertise of the New York City legal community." Mizuho also is a proud financial sponsor of the CBJC. Since the launch of the Pro Bono Program in May of 2020, Legal department volunteers have worked with the CBJC's Veterans Assistance Project to provide disabled, low-income veterans with much-needed legal assistance on issues related to their claims for benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Our volunteers have also worked extensively with the CBJC's Immigrant Justice Project, whose mission is to assist "individuals seeking humanitarian protection and other forms of relief." To that end, we have staffed three significant clinics in which we helped victims of a human trafficking and other crimes who already have valid visas convert those visas to green cards and assisted with the reunification of families for immigrants with legal status who, for example, have been granted asylum. During these clinics we have partnered with bilingual staff members from Mizuho's UNIDOS ERG, who served as translators for Spanish-speaking clients. We have also participated in the Neighborhood Entrepreneurial Law Project to provide advice to microentrepreneurs of limited economic means who seek to achieve financial stability through entrepreneurship, advising on areas such as business entity formation and contract drafting. Approximately 14 Mizuho volunteer attorneys provided approximately 256 total hours in pro bono legal services in FY2024 through the City Bar Justice Center. |