Leading GRC Company NAVEX Releases '2026 Whistleblowing & Incident Management Benchmark Report' — Japan's Web Reporting Rate of 76% is More Than Double the Global Average, with Prominent Harassment Reports

NAVEX, a global leader in Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) software (Headquarters: Oregon, USA, CEO: Andrew Bates), has released the "2026 Whistleblowing & Incident Management Benchmark Report" (download the English version here). This report, boasting one of the industry's largest whistleblowing datasets, analyzes 2.37 million individual reports from over 4,000 organizations worldwide, covering approximately 77 million employees.

According to 2025 data, while the number of whistleblowing reports globally reached a record high, the Japanese market has met international standards in "report quality" and leads the world in digital utilization. However, it also faces serious challenges: a "low volume of reports" and "prolonged investigations."

■ 'Global Gap' in Reporting Culture:

Japan's Reporting Culture Evolves, but Overlooking Potential Risks is a Challenge

As a global trend, the use of whistleblowing systems has advanced more than ever, with the median number of reports per 100 employees reaching a record high of 1.65 globally. Organizations headquartered in Japan have also seen steady improvement, from 0.44 cases in 2024 to 0.63 in 2025. However, there is still a significant gap compared to the global average, and this discrepancy suggests a major challenge for Japanese companies. In other words, cultural barriers or systemic deficiencies may be hiding potential risks, with misconduct and issues that should be reported not coming to the surface.

■ 76% Web Reporting Rate: Accelerated Digitalization Balances Anonymity and High Engagement

Amid the global shift to digital channels, Japan's digitalization is progressing at a speed far exceeding international adoption rates. The web reporting frequency for organizations headquartered in Japan has reached 76%, an extremely high level more than double the global rate of 34%. This digital preference is closely linked to a strong need for anonymity, with Japan's anonymous reporting rate remaining high at a median of 64%. Notably, web reporting serves as a powerful source of concrete and actionable information. The follow-up rate by anonymous reporters in Japan increased from 38% in the previous year to 41% in 2025, highlighting that reporters are more actively involved in the investigation process while maintaining their anonymity.

■ Trends Specific to the Japanese Market: 'Harassment' and 'Retaliation' Become Governance Focal Points

A striking feature of the Japanese market is that the frequency of 'Harassment' reports (Japan: 15.90%, Global: 4.62%) is overwhelmingly high, while the frequency of 'Retaliation' reports (Japan: 0.58%, Global: 1.20%) is significantly lower than the global rate.