Contributions and Donations

Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. donated 300,000 euros (about 39 million yen) to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in humanitarian aid for those affected by war in Ukraine and those who have fled to neighboring countries.

Since 2013, Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. has been supporting the lives of women and girls in developing countries by donating a portion of sales of the CITIZEN XC to Plan International, an international NGO. The company will continue its efforts to support girls around the world.

In recognition of this donation initiative, Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. received the Medal with Dark Blue Ribbon from the Cabinet Office in 2020.

In FY2024, to help international efforts to reduce the incidence of early marriage and pregnancy, the company participated in Plan International’s "Eliminating Child, Early, and Forced Marriage in Laos" project by financially aiding the NGO in its activities, with the aim of establishing a girl-friendly school environment at local middle schools and enhance awareness of gender equality among local people.

The entire CITIZEN Group supports UNICEF’s Children's Rights and Business Principles (CRBP) through the Japan Committee for UNICEF and engages in activities aimed at avoiding child rights violations in our operations and promoting the realization of children’s rights.

• Campaign Details (in Japanese)

Plan International

This is an international NGO working in more than 70 countries to promote children’s rights and realize societies free of poverty and discrimination. Girls and women in developing countries are often bereft of opportunities for education, being compelled to do housework from an early age. In addition, many girls are forced to marry in their teens, and some lose their lives due to pregnancy and childbirth at a too early age. Plan International endeavors to provide educational opportunities for girls and women in difficult circumstances, thereby addressing the global problem of poverty.

• Plan International

Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. donates wristwatches to be presented in the Sudachi ("Leaving the Nest") Project conducted by Bridge for Smile, an NPO that helps children leave children’s homes. The Sudachi Project holds seminars for senior high school students living at children’s homes, who will leave the homes upon graduation from senior high school and live on their own, to share with them the knowledge they need to succeed in society. The donated CITIZEN watches are presented as gifts to the seminar participants.

Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. has launched Q&Q SmileSolar, a cost-effective, functional watch with a colorful design, and donates a portion of its sales to TABLE FOR TWO International. Since the product’s launch in 2013, the company has continued to make donations and received a letter of appreciation from TABLE FOR TWO in 2022. Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. will continue its donation activities to make a meaningful contribution to society and enhance the value of SmileSolar.

Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. launched a tactile wristwatch model for people with visual impairments in 2020, adopting an inclusive design approach to ensure that all people can use it comfortably. Specifically, visually impaired people, people with low vision, and other kinds of expected users, including those with normal vision, were involved in the creation of the product from the planning and development stages. The company donated 100 tactile wristwatches to the School for the Blind and the Blind with Multiple Handicaps Lopburi in Thailand, which had cooperated in the development of this product. Since then, the company has continued to support this school, for example, by donating the product to its graduates every year.

Moreover, in 2021, Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. EUROPE G.M.B.H. donated 50 tactile wristwatches to the Education Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Hamburg.

• Website "Tell the time by touch" introducing the wristwatch for people with visual impairments

As a participant company in the United Nations Global Compact, The CITIZEN Group is working to eradicate poverty around the world. Just as in previous years, in 2024, the Group company executives and employees participated in activities held by Hello Alson, which conducts free dental care in slums in the Philippines, by collecting 3,508 toothbrushes, as well as towels and stationery, and sending them to the Philippines.

CITIZEN ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. donated 50 UV sterilization air purifiers equipped with its UVC LED modules to Fujiyoshida City, with the hope of safeguarding the health of citizens and bringing about an early end to the COVID-19 pandemic, which the world was facing at that time.

Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. and CITIZEN WATCH COMPANY OF AMERICA, INC. have become members of 1% for the Planet and launched an initiative to give back to the earth 1% of annual sales of CITIZEN brand products in Japan and 1% of sales from direct e-commerce sales in the U.S. and Canada.

1% for the Planet is an NPO dedicated to encouraging businesses to contribute to the conservation of the natural environment. It was founded in 2002 by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, Inc., and Craig Mathews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies, Inc. Its members, both companies and individuals, can help protect the natural environment by donating 1% of their annual sales to nonprofit environmental organizations dedicated to environmental conservation.

• Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. has been a 1% for the Planet member since April 1, 2023.
• Sales at CITIZEN's official online store in Japan and CITIZEN Flagship Stores Tokyo and Osaka

• CITIZEN × 1% for the Planet (in Japanese)
• CITIZEN × 1% for the Planet (in English)

Since 2023, Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. has continued to donate nearly expired emergency food stockpiles to the Nishitokyo City Children’s Restaurant Network and the Tokorozawa City Council of Social Welfare.
By effectively utilizing unused food stockpiles, the company aims to help eliminate food waste.

In commemoration of the sale of the CITIZEN Higashimurayama sports ground owned by the CITIZEN Health Insurance Association and its transformation into a disaster preparedness base as Maekawa Park in Higashimurayama City, two outdoor clocks were donated to Higashimurayama City to mark this occasion. These clocks have a built-in battery charged with electricity generated by solar power. The disaster-response clock is designed to allow the recharging of smartphones and other devices in the event of a disaster. The clocks were installed in January 2024—one in Maekawa Park and the other at the rotary near the north exit of Kumegawa Station.

The names of other major recipients of CITIZEN Group companies’ contributions and donations are listed below, together with the names of the contributor/donator companies.