Community Involvement
Guided by our corporate philosophy of “Contribution to Society,” we actively support the development of local culture and education
Community engagement
Hioki Festival
Every year since 2000, we've opened our company to the community during the Hioki Festival. Planned and orchestrated by employees, the event offers all employees a chance to become hosts and welcome area residents. In addition to a Kids’ Plaza and stalls manned by more than 40 local businesses, the popular festival includes dance and musical stage performances as well as events like electricity-related craft-making sessions and company tours.
Recitals and public lectures
At our headquarters, Hioki Hall (seating capacity: 750) hosts recitals and public lectures. The recitals are held in conjunction with the Hioki Festival and feature performances by some of Japan’s leading musicians. For the public lectures, we invite speakers from a wide range of fields, including business and the humanities. We also host annual health seminars to raise awareness of wellness and healthy living.
These events, which are open to the general public, are enjoyed by local residents.
Youth programs
Hioki supports the local community through sports in order to foster healthy youth and deepen exchanges with residents.
Managing a Little League team
In 1991, Hioki established the Ueda Minami League, a youth hardball baseball league based at the baseball diamond on Hioki’s Forest Hills campus, to foster healthy development among young people and promote community engagement. The league is divided into four classes: Farm (3rd grade and below), Minor (4th and 5th grade), Little (6th grade to the 1st year of junior high school), and Senior (2nd and 3rd years of junior high school), and it operates with great energy and enthusiasm. Hioki employees volunteer as coaches, helping not only to improve the players’ baseball skills but also to instill essential values such as respect, teamwork, and a strong sense of purpose. A parents’ organization also supports the league, assisting with officiating games and other operations to create opportunities for deeper connections among families. Hioki also supports international exchange through sponsored overseas games in South Korea and Taiwan as a way to encourage young players to broaden their horizons.
Minami Junior Sports Club
Separate from the Little League, Hioki also administers the Minami Junior Sports Club for first and second graders. Founded in 1997, the club was created to help children discover the joy of playing outdoors and the fun of sports. Hioki employees participate as staff, creating meaningful opportunities for intergenerational interaction and shared growth alongside the children.
Greenification activities
Local Forest Creation program
In 1988, employees began planting trees at Hioki Forest Hills in an effort to create a forest on the Hioki's campus. Since 1995, Hioki has been promoting greening efforts through its Local Forest Creation initiative, which involves donating and planting saplings at local schools and public facilities in collaboration with community members. By 2024, Hioki had planted a total of 87,600 saplings across 51 locations in Nagano Prefecture. Hioki hopes to create a rich natural environment where diverse lifeforms can thrive alongside local residents and to pass this legacy on to children 100 years into the future. In 2005, Hioki established the Hioki Scholarship and Greening Foundation to further support tree-planting and greening activities.
Scholarship for students at science-oriented colleges
To foster the talented individuals who will become future leaders of science and technology and to promote academic advancement, Hioki provides scholarships to students from Nagano Prefecture who have graduated from high school and are enrolled in science and engineering programs at four-year universities. Guided by the desire to help create an environment where students can focus on their studies with peace of mind and to support students who are striving to realize their dreams and goals, the foundation offers scholarships with no repayment obligation. Each year, 20 to 30 students are selected as scholarship recipients to receive financial support for four years. Scholarships are also provided to students who go on to pursue master’s or doctoral degrees.
Hioki began offering scholarships in 1989 through the establishment of the Forest Hills Scholarship Fund. To expand this initiative, the Hioki Scholarship and Greening Foundation was founded in 2005. Today, the fund operates as a public interest incorporated foundation.
Internship and company tour programs
Each year, Hioki invites about 20 students from colleges and vocational high schools to participate in a workplace experience program that lets them work with engineers for a period of time ranging from two weeks to four months. We also welcome a few junior high school students from the local community annually to participate in hands-on training activities such as soldering and assembling testers. In recent years, we’ve expanded our efforts through partnerships with local junior colleges and high schools, including through a Learning Consortium Agreement, to support career education through company tours and internships. Additionally, we participate in an Ueda city program that offers company tours to students and their parents, providing opportunities to learn about electricity and measuring instruments.
Opening facilities to the public
In addition to various company buildings, Hioki’s headquarters campus is home to a number of sports facilities that are open to use by members of the surrounding community for exercise, refreshment, and training.
Baseball diamond with night lighting
Tennis court
Track
Indoor baseball practice facility