UNIQLO’s parent company, Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., hosted a media conference in Tokyo to mark World Refugee Day on June 20. In cooperation with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Koji Yanai, Group Senior Executive Officer at Fast Retailing, detailed the company progress and global initiatives to support refugees worldwide, aiming to foster refugees and to foster hope and self-reliance for displaced individuals in their new homes.
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| Fast Retailing Marks World Refugee Day with New Initiative in Tokyo & Updates on Global Refugee Support |
In support of these aims, Koji Yanai also unveiled a new initiative in partnership with the social welfare organisation - Support21. Supported by the Fast Retailing Foundation, Support21 will operate an Educational Support Center for Refugees in inner Tokyo, providing refugees with guidance and consultation to help them navigate the daily challenges of building a new life in Japan.
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| Koji Yanai, Group Senior Executive Officer at Fast Retailing |
Speaking at the event, Koji Yanai said, “Fast Retailing has been collaborating with UNHCR since 2006 to support refugees and internally displaced individuals worldwide. Leveraging our global clothing business, we started by donating clothing to those displaced by conflict or disaster. Over time, we have expanded our support, developing programmes that promote self-reliance through education, vocational training, and employment at our stores. The private sector has a significant role to play in addressing the problem of the increasing number of displaced people globally. As a global partner of UNHCR, Fast Retailing is committed to continuing our support for refugees through further contributions in the future.”
In a video message to participants, Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, highlighted that over 120 million people are now displaced by war, violence, or persecution. “It is a record number that should have never been broken, a number that risks overshadowing the individuals behind these figures, their stories, their resilience, their power,” Grandi said. “Fast Retailing is a strong advocate for refugees within the private sector. Through its actions, it has shown its commitment and provided an example of how businesses can play a crucial role in creating pathways for refugees to thrive and to succeed,” he added.
Fast Retailing Group’s Refugee Support Activities:
• 2001: Donated 12,000 Air Tech jackets to refugees in Afghanistan through an NPO.
• 2006: Began working with UNHCR, visiting refugee camps and providing clothing support.
• 2011: Concluded a unique global partnership with UNHCR.
• 2011: Began hiring refugees at its UNIQLO stores. In addition to 60 people employed at UNIQLO, GU, and other Group companies in Japan as of April 2024, Fast Retailing has been working to hire refugees at UNIQLO stores around the world.
• 2022: Launched a self-reliance initiative for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. 3.4 million sanitary napkins and shorts were produced and distributed to more than 110,000 refugee women in 14 refugee camps by the end of 2023.
• 2022: UNIQLO started its PEACE FOR ALL charity T-shirt project. By April 2024 over 4 million T-shirts have been sold, with donations for humanitarian organizations including UNHCR exceeding 1.2 billion yen.
• 2024: Launched a new initiative with Support21 - through the Fast Retailing Foundation. Support21 will open an Educational Support Center for Refugees in Tokyo.
Fast Retailing will continue its support through initiatives to foster self-reliance for refugees, including education, livelihoods projects, and other training and opportunities.
More information about Fast Retailing Marks World Refugee Day with New Initiative in Tokyo & Updates on Global Refugee Support, please visit
Supporting Refugees
www.uniqlo.com/jp/en/contents/sustainability/society/refugees/
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