Phillip Morris Japan Ltd. has been awarded Equal-Salary Certification, in recognition of the company's efforts at salary equality between men and women.
To date, 19 companies have received the certification and the Japanese unit of the multinational tobacco giant was the first company outside Switzerland recognized by the Swiss nonprofit organization Foundation Equal-Salary.
"It's important to be awarded with this certificate in Japan because it's something we can lead the industry in," Phillip Morris Japan President Paul Riley said. Equal pay is "becoming very relevant in Japan," he added.
Foundation Equal-Salary Founder & CEO Veronique Goy Veenhuys said the NPO would search for companies deserving the certificate outside Switzerland from now on, while praising Phillip Morris Japan for the accomplishment.
To receive the certification, companies must pass various qualifications, such as a gender wage gap of less than 5 percent and a management commitment to achieve equal salary.
The foundation's screening process involves analytical methods developed by the University of Geneva.
