measures to address unmet medical needs as a strategic social  contribution activity. From now on, it will be crucial to strategi- cally implement social contribution activities based on clearly  defined goals. Ms. kuroda:  When actually addressing the needs of developing  countries, there are many achievements that cannot be mea- sured solely by economic performance indicators. It may be  helpful, for instance, to establish social performance indica- tors, such as the number of lives saved by a CSR activity. astellas:  This reminds us that when making decisions to  implement or continue R&D projects targeting unmet medical  needs, we need to be aware that we must make a compre- hensive decision that encompasses not only economic value  but also social value, as well as consider partnerships with  other organizations. products and those partners in regions where there is a  higher risk of human rights infringements and so forth. dr. aikawa:  Considering the characteristics of the pharmaceu- tical business, society is strongly interested in how pharma- ceutical companies and medical professionals establish and  maintain sound relationships. First and foremost, I believe that  it is important to develop and maintain these relationships in  a transparent manner. astellas:  Besides fulfilling our legal responsibilities, we need  to raise our awareness of the demands placed on the  Company, namely the need to carefully address “soft law,”  to be aware that the scope of a company’s responsibility  extends beyond the confines of the organization to include  all partners from upstream to downstream, and to develop  relationships with transparency. * Soft law: Refers to non-legally binding international guidelines and principles,  as well as standards and other rules (e.g., ISO 26000 and OECD Guidelines for  Multinational Enterprises) Mr. Goto:  The important point to consider when looking at  social responsibilities in business processes is to think about  how to address the so-called “soft law*,” while addressing  “hard law” as a matter of course. Recently, stronger demands  have been placed on companies to recognize that the scope  of their social responsibilities extends across the entire value  chain, from upstream to downstream, including suppliers, and  not just the company itself. Ms. kuroda:  When implementing CSR activities in the supply  chain and the rest of the value chain, it is important to clearly  think about how to approach the key partners in the value  chain, rather than try to cover all partners comprehensively. It  is essential to examine CSR activities in a clear-cut manner by,  for example, prioritizing those partners involved with key  dr. aikawa:  Overseas, it is no longer unusual for women to  serve as leaders of corporations or heads of state. Therefore,  Astellas must recognize that non-Japanese investors see  Astellas from a different perspective. Mr. Goto:  Astellas is a global enterprise. From the viewpoint of  diversity, it should regard the appointment of women and  non-Japanese human resources in management positions as  an important issue. Going forward, I believe that Astellas must  steadily implement a human resources portfolio strategy from  a long-term point of view. Ms. kuroda:  It is no easy feat to promote diversity in Japan,  because this requires changing social values and customs.  Even so, companies can gradually change the awareness of  their employees by taking the initiative to establish diversity  policies and targets. In doing so, the thinking and awareness  of families and society at large will gradually change. For this  reason, I believe that companies must steadfastly work to  promote diversity from a long-term perspective. astellas:  Until now, we have formulated and implemented  medium-term human resources management policies. As for  long-term growth strategies, we have so far considered  mainly research and development and business areas. Based  on what the experts have talked about today, we are strongly  aware that we must now consider our human resources  portfolio strategy from a more long-term perspective. Kenji Yasukawa 34 Astellas Pharma Inc.  _ Annual Report 2014 I believe that companies should be strongly aware  of their social responsibilities in business processes.  What specific points should companies pay  attention to? How should Astellas implement CSR activities  utilizing the human resources underpinning business  operations? huMaN rESOurCES MaNaGEMENT frOM a lONG-TErM pErSpECTivE ENSuriNG rESpONSiBlE BuSiNESS dEvElOpMENT