Tokai Social Insurance Labor Consultant Corporation and Japan Corporate Defined Contribution Pension Center Co., Ltd. Jointly Acquire Certification for METI's "Business Continuity Enhancement Plan" to Strengthen BCP Support System for SMEs

Tokai Social Insurance Labor Consultant Corporation (Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture; Representative: Katsuya Kuno) and its group company, Japan Corporate Defined Contribution Pension Center Co., Ltd. (Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture; Representative Director: Katsuya Kuno), are pleased to announce that they have received certification for the "Business Continuity Enhancement Plan (Jigyo-kei)" from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Both companies work closely in promoting and supporting the introduction of "HR labor" and "Defined Contribution (DC) pensions," which form the management foundation for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). With this certification, they will strengthen their own disaster countermeasures and further solidify their Business Continuity Plan (BCP) support system for client companies, ensuring the protection of employees' lives and rights (salaries and retirement benefits) even in emergencies.

Background of Acquiring "Business Continuity Enhancement Plan" Certification

For Japanese SMEs, business continuity during natural disasters and infectious disease outbreaks is an urgent issue. In particular, the social insurance labor consultant's work, which manages "salary payments" for employees, and the DC introduction support work, which is responsible for "future asset formation (retirement benefits)," are critical infrastructures that must not be halted even in emergencies.

Both companies formulated a plan based on the following three pillars and received certification:

1. **Establishment of Business Continuity System**: Continuation of salary calculation and procedural work during disasters through cloudification and distributed bases. 2. **Ensuring Employee Safety**: Development of safety confirmation systems and establishment of rapid evacuation and rescue systems. 3. **Protection of Customer Assets and Information**: Preservation of customer data and pension-related information through advanced security measures.

Responsibility as Professionals

Tokai Social Insurance Labor Consultant Corporation and Japan Corporate Defined Contribution Pension Center Co., Ltd. have worked together to improve the welfare and labor environment of many SMEs. The purpose of this certification is for the companies to set an example, conveying to client companies the importance of not only "proactive management (enrichment of welfare benefits)" but also "defensive management (disaster prevention and mitigation)," thereby contributing to the stability of the regional economy.

Moving forward, leveraging the strengths of both companies, they will contribute to the sustainable development of SMEs by also considering the provision of BCP consulting from a professional perspective, such as "development of labor regulations to protect employees and their families during disasters" and "preservation of retirement benefit systems."

**Tokai Social Insurance Labor Consultant Corporation**

Location: Meieki TK Building 5F, 5-2 Ushijima-cho, Nishi-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 451-0046 Established: November 2011 Representative: Katsuya Kuno Website: https://www.tokai-sr.jp/ Phone: 052-433-7280 Contact: info@tokai-sr.com

**Japan Corporate Defined Contribution Pension Center Co., Ltd.**

Location: Ultimate Meieki 1st 3F, 3-4-10 Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Established: January 2018 Representative Director: Katsuya Kuno Website: https://ndc-center.jp/ Phone: 050-3645-9040 Contact: info@ndc-center.com