STEPWORLD Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the “Company”) will respond appropriately as an organization to customer harassment in accordance with the following basic policy and will widely communicate this policy both internally and externally.

Introduction

Under the concept of “Bringing beauty and wellness from Japan into everyday life across Asia,” the Company conducts an integrated range of activities centered on the beauty and health fields, from product and brand planning and development to e-commerce and direct sales, as well as distribution in Japan and overseas. In order to deliver safe and reliable products and services to customers and develop brands that will be loved for many years, we sincerely listen to opinions and requests from customers, business partners, and other stakeholders, and strive to improve our products and services and enhance quality. At the same time, verbal abuse, threats, violence, unreasonable or excessive demands, and other conduct that harms the dignity of employees and damages the work environment have become social issues. To protect the human rights and safety of each employee and to ensure a work environment in which employees can perform their duties with peace of mind, the Company has established this “Basic Policy on Customer Harassment.”

Definition of Customer Harassment at the Company

Based on the “Corporate Manual for Customer Harassment Countermeasures” issued by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Company defines customer harassment as the following conduct:

“Words or actions directed at employees by customers, business partners, or other persons related to the Company’s business, where the subtance of the demand or the means or manner of the words or actions exceeds what is socially acceptable and harms the employee’s work environment.”

Not all legitimate opinions, requests, or complaints received from customers, business partners, and others constitute customer harassment. As before, the Company will sincerely consider legitimate opinions and use them to improve its products and services and enhance quality. In addition, we will further strengthen employee education to ensure that our employees do not engage in customer harassment toward our partners.

Examples of Conduct Covered (the following are examples and are not exhaustive)

• Physical attacks, such as assault, causing injury, or throwing objects
• Psychological attacks, such as abusive language, insults, slander, or defamation
• Intimidation, threats, or coercive words or conduct
• Remarks that deny an employee’s dignity or discriminatory words or conduct
• Forcing excessive forms of apology, such as demanding that an employee kneel in apology or submit a written apology
• Detaining or restraining employees through excessively long phone calls, refusing to leave, remaining on the premises, or similar conduct
• Repeatedly and persistently making the same inquiries or demands
• Demands without legitimate grounds for returns, exchanges, refunds, monetary compensation, provision of products, or similar remedies
• Demands for responses that significantly exceed the scope of the products or services or the terms of the contract
• Demanding, without reasonable grounds, the dismissal or punishment of an employee, a change of the person in charge, or similar action
• Designating a specific employee without reasonable grounds, or demanding a visit to a private residence or an in-person response
• Photographing, audio-recording, or video-recording employees without permission
• Posting or publishing on social media or the internet content that damages the reputation of the Company or its employees, or employees’ names, images, or other personal information
• Sexual harassment, SOGI* harassment, or other harassment directed at employees
• Stalking employees, lying in wait for them, persistently contacting them, or similar conduct
• Other conduct that harms employee safety or the work environment

* “SOGI” is an acronym formed from the initial letters of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.

Response to Customer Harassment

＜Internal Response＞

• If customer harassment occurs, we will give top priority to ensuring employee safety and providing physical and mental care.
• We will establish consultation and reporting systems for customer harassment and respond as an organization so that employees are not left to deal with such matters alone.
• We will provide employees with necessary education and training concerning knowledge of customer harassment, criteria for judgment, and response methods.
• We will establishthe facts and, as necessary, prepare and retain records of our response.
• For malicious or serious cases, we will maintain systems that enable coordination with the police, attorneys, and other external specialists.
• We will not subject employees to disadvantageous treatment because they consulted or reported customer harassment.

＜External Response＞

The Company will seek to resolve opinions and requests from customers, business partners, and others through reasonable and sincere dialogue.
However, if the Company determines that conduct constitutes customer harassment, it may take necessary measures to protect employees, including discontinuing its response, ending communication by telephone, email, or other means, or changing the point of contact for future communications.
If the conduct continues or is determined to be particularly serious, the Company may refuse to provide products or services or may decline to conduct business. In addition, as necessary, the Company will coordinate with the police, attorneys, and other external specialists and respond firmly, including through legal action.