Why it matters

As a company that supports the vital infrastructure of a digitalized society, the NTT Group believes one of its responsibilities is to make use of technology to keep people safe and secure from the major threats of this century: epidemics, natural disasters, and digital disasters like cyber-attacks.

What can be accomplished

As a company that supports the vital infrastructure of a digitalized society, we will make full use of technology to keep people safe and secure from epidemics, natural disasters, digital disasters like cyber-attacks, and achieve a more resilient society.

Future vision

The NTT Group is committed to contributing to the development of society by acknowledging diverse cultures, and thus we will contribute to solving social issues by connecting people, goods, and cultures, including communities, nations, and society, while promoting high ethical standards, diversity, and inclusion in fair and equitable ways, and work towards creating a better workplace through powerful and new digital technologies.

Business Activity　19
Ensuring the stability and reliability of services

Our commitment

As a company underpinning the vital infrastructure of a digitalized society, we will make full use of technology to keep people safe and secure from natural disasters while simultaneously endeavoring to bolster networks to safeguard against large-scale network failures, and will proceed to achieve a more resilient society.

Our objectives

Policies and Concepts

As a corporate group with the mission of serving society by sustaining telecommunications infrastructure in normal times, the NTT Group is committed to building highly reliable telecommunications networks that connect people anytime, anywhere. Since telecommunications takes on a greater importance in the event of a disaster, we endeavor to secure the means of communication necessary for maintaining public order and for rescue and restoration operations at times of disasters, and for emergency communications, such as 110, 118, and 119. Japan is a country particularly prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons. The importance of telecommunications networks was reaffirmed by the devastating Great East Japan Earthquake. Facing the possibility of an earthquake directly underneath Tokyo or the Nankai Trough off Japan's southern coastline, there is a pressing need for society to prepare for such potential disasters while ensuring the stability and reliability of its telecommunications infrastructure.

The NTT Group has defined three key themes for disaster countermeasures: securing critical communications, prompt restoration of telecommunications services, and improving network reliability. We have been strengthening efforts based on these themes since the Great East Japan Earthquake. We have also included Disaster Countermeasure Initiatives in our medium- term management strategy and are making a focused effort to further reinforce the communications infrastructure, seek proactive disaster response, and adequately provide information to the affected people.

Organization for Implementation

We are also taking measures in normal times to improve the reliability of our telecommunications infrastructure. To ensure that our telecommunications services operate without interruption at all times, we employ transmission trunk line multi-routing, have enacted blackout countermeasures for telecommunications buildings and base stations, and are making telecommunications buildings more quakeproof. In addition, we are expanding the assortment of power supply vehicles and other disaster response equipment that we have positioned throughout Japan and are repeatedly conducting training to prepare for major natural disasters. We are making a daily effort to secure the necessary emergency and critical communications.

Main Initiatives

Securing Critical Communications

A major disaster could also lead to social disorder, such as the disruption of transport systems. In such an event, we would consider the overall situation, including whether other telecommunications carriers have put restrictions on mobile and fixed line phones and, if necessary, offer the use of public phones for free.* We will not charge carriers for which we have set call fees and will not settle payments between carriers for which we have set connection fees. For the specific names of carriers, please refer to the following websites.

Providing Services for Easy Safety Status Checking and Information Gathering When Disaster Strikes

The NTT Group launches and provides the following services to enable people to confirm the safety of relatives and friends in areas hit by a major disaster that has disrupted phone connections.

When we launch these emergency services in the event of a disaster or other contingency, we promptly inform our customers through the mass media, website, and other means.

By integrating the Web 171 Disaster Message Board with the Disaster Message Board Service for mobile and PHS phones (i-mode/sp-mode), we have also made it possible to conduct one-stop searches spanning both services from the companies providing those services. There are additional functions for notifying designated contacts by e-mail or voice when safety status information is posted.

We are continuing to make improvements, such as by offering support in English, Chinese, and Korean for the Web 171 Disaster Message Board, and in English for the Disaster Message Board Service (i-mode/spmode), increasing the number of messages that can be posted and extending message storage time.

With regard to the Web 171 Disaster Message Board, NTT East, and NTT West agreed to collaborate with the disaster message boards operated by NTT DOCOMO, KDDI, and SoftBank to allow users to check each other's messages left with these carriers since August 2019.

Securing the Stability and Reliability of Telecommunications Services

Damage from natural disasters is becoming increasingly common in recent years as climate change causes more frequent instances of heavy rains, frequent typhoons, and other natural disasters. As a result, there is a growing risk of water and lightning damage and power outages, which now threaten to cause extensive damage should they occur.

The NTT Group is devoted to early restoration of telecommunications services by deploying and enhancing the functions of mobile power supply vehicles, portable satellite equipment, and other mobile equipment as well as participating in disaster drills held in the respective regions.
The NTT Group endeavors to build disaster-resistant communications infrastructure and maintain and operate it in a way that ensures its proper functioning at all times by conducting regular safety patrols, replacing devices as a preventive maintenance measure, and other such means, in an effort to develop disaster-resilient communication networks and equipment.

Ensuring the Disaster Resistance of Telecommunications Equipment

We also strive to enable telecommunications equipment housings, pylons, and other facilities to withstand contingencies such as earthquakes, storms, flooding, fire, and power outages in accordance with predetermined design standards.

Increasing the Resilience of Equipment and Speeding Up Our Response

Main initiatives related to acceleration of restoration response

Reinforcement of support for disaster-afflicted customers

Providing Stable Telecommunications Services in Normal Times

To consistently provide secure telecommunications services to our users, the NTT Group operates a system for monitoring its telecommunications networks, implements measures for preventing accidents and failures, and works to enhance the skills of personnel responsible for network maintenance and operations.

Operation of mobile phone base stations and terminals (NTT DOCOMO)

For more than 60 years, research has been conducted worldwide on the impact of radio waves on the human body. As a result, standards and systems have been put in place for the safe use of radio waves not only in Japan, but around the world, too.

In 1990, Japan's Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (presently the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications) established its own Radio Radiation Protection Guidelines for Human Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (RRPG) as a set of reference values for the safety of radio waves on the human body based on the results of research conducted over the preceding 40 years both inside and outside Japan. The reference values of these guidelines are the same as those recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Radio waves below these reference values are recognized internationally as having no adverse effects on health.

Mobile base stat ions and terminals of NTT DOCOMO are operated at levels lower than the reference values of the RRPG. Services are provided in compliance with related laws and ordinances incorporating the RRPG, which ensures DOCOMO mobile phones can be safely used.

Social Contribution Coordination Agreement with KDDI

Employment support for the Employment Ice Age Generation

The employment support initiative developed by NTT together with KDDI provides support for employment such as training related to remote work and ICT skills from March 2021, to applicable people whose employment has been significantly affected due to sudden changes in the social environment such as the employment ice age and the increasing number of infections of novel coronavirus infections in recent years.
The second stage of this initiative provided employment support for the employment ice age generation, leading to 248 successful employees from both companies.

Countermeasures for Earthquakes, Fires, and Floods

NTT's communications buildings and towers are designed to be sufficiently earthquake-resistant to avoid collapse even in the event of an earthquake with a seismic intensity of 7, and were built to our own strict standards to be able to withstand the worst disasters Japan has ever experienced.
For fires, communications buildings and other buildings were made noncombustible and fireproof, fireproof shutters and doors were installed in communication machinery rooms, and fireproof sealing was applied to through holes.
To prepare for tsunamis and floods, we have taken location-appropriate measures to prevent communications buildings from being flooded, such as replacing building doors with flood doors, closing windows and other openings, and reinforcing walls with concrete to withstand the water pressure from a tsunami.

Blackout Countermeasures at Communications Buildings and Base Stations

Communications buildings and wireless communications base stations are equipped with batteries, engines, and other auxiliary power supplies that can be used as a prolonged source of electricity in the event of a blackout.
Moreover, we are enacting the lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake by implementing blackout countermeasures for engine generators and having batteries available for use around the clock at its roughly 1,900 base stations in important areas, such as those where municipal disaster response headquarters or city offices are located.
In addition, mobile power supply vehicles and portable power generators are deployed in each area as backup to provide support over a wide area to disaster-stricken regions as the situation requires.

Transmission Trunk Line Multi-Routing and Distributed Location of Important Communications Buildings

Our nationwide network of trunk lines has been designed to secure communications and prevent disruption of services over the network as a whole by automatically diverting transmission through other routes when a certain route is damaged. Meanwhile, if communications buildings (important communications buildings) fitted with transit switches suffer disaster damage, communications via such buildings may be severed. Distributing important communications buildings in different locations helps avoid the risk of multiple buildings suffering disaster damage at the same time.

Prompt restoration of telecommunications services

Should a disaster strike, swift action will be taken to restore service via the utilization of mobile disaster response equipment and the use of drones to confirm the situation.

Disaster Response Equipment

Disaster Site Confirmation with Drones

When damage to roads or other conditions prevent us from reaching base stations, drones will be deployed to confirm the status of the site and facilitate the quick restoration of service thereafter.

Initiatives for Maintaining Stable Telecommunications Services

Initiatives aimed at boosting resilience of networks based on occurrence of large-scale failures, etc.

From the failures experienced by NTT West Japan in August 2022 and NTT DOCOMO in December 2022 to that experienced by NTT East Japan and NTT West Japan in April 2023, the NTT Group has been the victim of multiple large-scale network failures.

Up to this point, based on our purpose of speedily and precisely recovering service upon large-scale failures caused in the NTT Group as well as making absolutely sure both the originating company and other Group companies never cause them again, we have investigated the causes of failures at an early stage and endeavored to conduct total inspections of manifested risks and prevent their reoccurrence across the Group.

Starting up the "System Failure Reoccurrence Prevention Committee" to discuss reoccurrence prevention measures and the ideal nature of networks over the medium term

Seeing the large-scale network failure experienced by other communications providers in July 2022 as something that could have easily happened to itself, the NTT Group used that occurrence as a springboard to commence examinations of (1) the need for new measures in the NTT Group, (2) the ideal nature of roaming for emergency reporting upon a large-scale failure and (3) the ideal nature of more resilient network architecture and operation. Amid that situation, given the large-scale failure caused by NTT West Japan in August 2022, we decided to further elevate the level of our efforts with the establishment of the "System Failure Reoccurrence Prevention Committee" through which we would bring together CDO/CTO-level members from Group companies NTT East, NTT West, NTT DOCOMO and NTT Communications to engage in repeated discussions of reoccurrence prevention measures and the ideal nature of our networks over the medium term.

With the System Failure Reoccurrence Prevention Committee, based on the large-scale failures occurring in recent times and events taking place outside the NTT Group as well as the premise that the unforeseen is bound to occur, we arrived at the decision to take action from the three standpoints of (1) Preventing the occurrence of human error and providing operational support, (2) Preventing service failures before they occur and (3) Minimizing impact upon failure with the aim of realizing more resilient networks.

(1) Preventing the occurrence of human error and providing operational support

This first system is for preventing the occurrence of human error. We centrally consolidate various forms of information within networks, visualize the status of those networks and form a grasp of failures and the status of their impact on our service accurately and early on. Furthermore, we control the occurrence of human error by identifying suspected areas with AI and conducting simulations of safe switchover using digital twin technology. We also aim to realize the likes of automated restoration measures and autonomous resource expansion and switchover.

(2) Preventing service failures before they occur

The second system is for preventing service failures before they occur through means such as system redundancy and resource expansion. Through actions such as securing network detours and augmenting equipment for converged systems that affect service, we elevate traffic fluctuation resistance to keep service failure from occurring. Additionally, based on the fact that past large-scale failures also involved events in which congestion occurred due to a large influx of resending signals, we also intend to implement the likes of mechanisms for keeping traffic from spreading to other providers when such large influxes of traffic arrive from a specific provider.

(3) Minimizing impact upon failure

The third system is for minimizing impact when a failure occurs. No matter how many measures are taken in order to prevent service failure, unforeseen events are bound to keep happening in the future. It is impossible to completely reduce the number of failures to zero. Accordingly, we minimize impact upon failure by splitting areas and service. At the same time, splitting all converged equipment involves enormous cost. As we believe that the duty to keep providing service to customers at affordable rates also rests with the NTT Group, we intend to continue our splitting efforts with a particular focus on equipment and system that are difficult to restore while considering the balance between reliability and economy.

In closing

With full recognition of the responsibility it has in providing communications services, which constitute vital living infrastructure, the NTT Group will continue endeavoring to provide those services with certainty and stability as well as keep similar events from reoccurring in order to fulfill its social responsibility.

Business Activity　20
Strengthening information security and personal information protection

Our commitment

The NTT Group works together with its partners to resolve social issues through its business operations toward a zero-trust & cloud connected age. Based on this approach, we are contributing to the healthy development of a digital economy and remote society by exercising our responsibility as a supplier of safe and secure ICT infrastructure to guarantee effective information security.

Our objective

Reinforce information security

Policies and Concepts

With the progressing digitalization of society and the economy and changes in international circumstances, security threats are becoming more serious and sophisticated, particularly cyber-attacks. It is the duty of the NTT Group to safeguard ICT service infrastructure and the basic rights, freedoms and information assets of its customers and provide a sound foundation aimed at the growth of the digital economy amid these circumstances. For security as well, we have defined our mission as the building and development of a free, open, and safe ICT platform for supporting the infrastructure of the digital economy. Additionally, we have made it our vision to realize the digital transformation of both customers and NTT itself, and for that reason, we will be chosen by customers.

With a view to the realization of this mission and vision, we continue to tackle our pillars of tackling R&D and service development that leverages our scale, realizing superior early detection and rapid response capability, endeavoring to develop human resources who share the values of sincerity and advanced skills, and transcending profit-focused principles to transmit pioneering knowledge to society. Based on the medium-term management strategies that we formulated in 2023, the role that security will play is envisioned to grow even larger. We will continue to tackle the realization of our vision.

As a member of the global community building the digital society, NTT Group will contribute to solving social issues through our security business.

The concept of cybersecurity is no longer just an aspect of crisis management that reduces negatives to zeroes, but is now entering an era in which it is a positive driving force that offers stabilizing support for the prosperity that technology provides. As we progress through the era of Zero Trust and Next Zero Trust, NTT Group will continue to investigate the value of security as we confront never-ending cyber risks.

NTT Group's Security Governance Goals

NTT Group enforces information security management under the charge of the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), and is thorough in its information security management. We have also established a Group CISO Committee, and are working to formulate Group information security management strategies, plan and implement related measures, undertake human resources training, and otherwise engage in activities in collaboration with companies across the Group. We are also advancing efforts to maintain and improve security defenses within the Group based on the idea of a "three-line organization."

Security Initiatives Supporting the Medium- Term Management Strategy

The revision of our medium-term management strategies contains three pillars. Among them, security is a particularly crucial element that will underpin "NTT as a Creator of New Value and Accelerator of a Global Sustainable Society."

Main Initiatives

Systemization of information security

We conducted a total revision of our information security regulations to accommodate Zero Trust security measures based on the premise of free work styles with no limits on work location. To have all NTT Group employees, not just those in information security functions, elevate their sensitivity to security, we eliminated ambiguity in our regulations, made them more readable, and remade them into regulations that can be conformed to without fail.

Strengthen Service Security

Information communication services are an important social infrastructure and a foundation for the digitalization of society and the economy, so to provide these services in a safe and secure manner, we are working to strengthen the security of telecommunications equipment, IT service environments, and all services provided by smart cities, smart buildings, and the like.

Global Cooperation within the NTT Group

We are advancing global partnerships in the security field in order to enhance competitiveness in global business under One NTT. This NTT Group cooperation includes many businesses and regions and in- corporates an approach to risk-based management, the introduction of a framework that acts as a shared language, and the setting of standards that should be met by all Group members in regard to identification, defenses, detection, response, and recovery.

Incident response drills

Once a year, we carry out drills to verify response when an incident occurs by preparing a disaster occurrence scenario incorporating the most recent threats and having all CSIRT in the Group participate. Because external communication is also a key factor when an actual incident takes place, our public relations-related departments have also been taking part in these drills in the last several years.

NTT Group Information Security Policy https://group.ntt/en/g_policy/

TOPICS

Information Security Training

Each Group company seeks to raise information security literacy by organizing training for all employees as well as the employees of partner companies. Training is offered through e-learning, and all employees are obliged to participate in the course once a year. Looking ahead, we are considering unifying training content throughout the Group to provide employees with a standard level of knowledge on information security required in their business operations. By doing so, we will seek to enhance the security capabilities of the NTT Group and reinforce its human resources to deliver safe, secure services for our customers and society at large.

Overhaul of Security-related Regulations

From FY2021 to FY2022, we proceeded with a company- wide overhaul of security-related regulations. We are taking steps to prepare not just for the zero-trust era, but beyond.

NTT Group CSIRT Activities

Management of CSIRT

The NTT Group established NTT-CERT in 2004 to function as a computer security incident response team (CSIRT). This team collects information regarding security incidents associated with the Group. It then offers support for addressing these incidents, formulates measures to prevent recurrence, develops training programs, and provides security-related information.

As a central element of the NTT Group's security initiatives, NTT-CERT provides a reliable venue for consultations regarding information security. The team also collaborates with organizations and specialists inside and outside the NTT Group to offer support for detecting and resolving security incidents, minimizing damages, and preventing occurrence. NTT-CERT is thereby contributing to better security for both the NTT Group and societies that are permeated by information networks.

Moreover, NTT-CERT coordinates with the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (USCERT*1) and the Japan Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center (JPCERT/ CC*2) and is also a member of the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams ( FIRST) and the Nippon CSIRT Association*3, which enables it to coordinate with domestic and overseas CSIRT organizations. This coordination makes it possible for NTT-CERT to share information on relevant trends and response measures. In addition, NTT-CERT participates in the cross-industry drills held by the National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity (NISC) to share expertise and gather information. NTT-CERT also plays a role in promoting the establishment of CSIRTs at Group companies and helping improve their response capabilities.

NTT-CERT will expand its collection of information on vulnerabilities and attacks to cover areas including the dark web and will strengthen its information analysis platform and further automate and enhance its response to cyber threats in order to continually respond to threats as they change.

^※1US-CERT: An information security preparedness organization under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

^※2 JPCERT Coordination Center: An organization that collects reports inside Japan, supports responses, monitors situations, analyzes entry points, and reviews and provides advice on measures for preventing reoccurrences from a technical standpoint with regard to computer security incidents such as intrusions through the Internet or service interruptions

^※3 NTT-CERT founded the Nippon CSIRT Association

Personal Information Protection

Policies and Concepts

Every year, the importance of ensuring the protection of personal information and the comprehensive management of information around the world continues to grow. The NTT Group has been entrusted with a considerable quantity of personal information, ranging from data on individual customers to that of corporate customers, and as such ensure that personal information is handled appropriately in accordance with the laws and regulations of each country, such as Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information and the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Under these circumstances, personal information leakage could have various repercussions for the NTT Group in the operations of its businesses, including damage to its corporate value and loss of customers, which makes it essential to rigorously manage personal information as the NTT Group's top priority.

Organization for Implementation

Under the NTT Group Information Security Policy, we disclose on our website specific policies for protecting the personal information of customers and shareholders and policies for protecting personally identifiable information re- quired by Japan's Social Security and Tax Number System. In this policy, we also define how we respond to requests for disclosure, correction, and suspension of use related to the personal information retained by the NTT Group.

We have also put in place a security management system that ensures thorough and rigorous security practices, with the Chief Information Officer (CISO) placed in charge (see page 054).

Main Initiatives

NTT has systematic security control measures, human security control measures, physical security control measures, and technical security control measures in place for handling our customers' personal information.

Each domestic company in the Group has established a personal information protection system in line with its business and based on the Protection of Personal Information. We are consistently pursuing initiatives to protect information, including stringent measures on the physical and systems aspects of security and appropriate supervision of outsourcing contractors. Management of information is being further enhanced, as personal information acquired by group companies in Japan via individual or household services like cell phones and internet access will be retained and accessed from within Japan after May 2021.

Main Initiatives of Domestic Group Companies

Establishment of Contact Points on Personal Information

NTT has set up the Customer Contact Point on Personal Information, and similar contact points for services related to personal information have been set up at each NTT Group company. Since NTT is a holding company that does not directly provide telecommunications services, inquiries regarding personal information related to services are redirected to the contact points of the operating companies concerned.

Additionally, inquiries regarding the handling of personal information under laws and regulations are redirected to the person responsible for information security at the operating companies concerned.

Business Activity　21
Promoting a decentralized society based on remote work

Our commitment

Shifting toward new work styles centered on remote work, by upgrading IT environments and reviewing systems, in addition to advancing DX projects and work reforms with an eye on the postpandemic world

Our objective

Policies and Concepts

The NTT Group recognizes that remote work will play a key role in society even after COVID-19 subsides. Based on this recognition, we will make active efforts as an ICT company to improve DX and other environments that allow for more opportunities for remote work. We believe these initiatives ensure the Group's sustainable growth, enhance its corporate value, and eventually help find solutions to social issues.

In light of this background, the NTT Group is currently rolling out various specific initiatives such as (1) Making "general improvements" by rolling out cloud based systems/zero-trust systems, (2) "Promoting DX" to enable remote work for automating and making operations more efficient, and (3) Re-examination of systems for promoting work styles based on remote work. Remote work systems and remote work allowances will be established as part of promoting work styles required for remote work, and thereby offering a greater choice of "work time" and "work location" for employees.

Different to "work-life balance" that aims to separate and create a balance between work and private life, we are considering the promotion of "work-in-life (health management)" where employees can select and design their own work style by viewing work as part of the lifestyle of each and every employee. In addition to flexibility with "work time" and "work location," flexibility with regard to "residence" is also considered important, so remote work systems are being revised to develop work styles centered around remote work.

Decentralization of the Organization
(Including Head Offices and Back-Offices)

Promotion of a decentralized society and work-in-life (health management) through the workplace-residence proximity

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  NTT DOCOMO

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  NTT Communications

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  NTT EAST

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  NTT WEST

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  NTT DATA

Group Companies