Contribution to Local Communities

INPEX engages in social contribution programs to support and enhance the social and economic development of local communities in response to their needs. We contributed 4.4 billion yen to social investment activities in FY2023.

Australia

In Australia, we contribute to building communities that are vibrant and economically resilient. Our Community Investment Strategy sets out INPEX’s approach to conducting voluntary community investment activities that contribute to positive outcomes in the communities where we operate. The Strategy identifies the following priority areas:

• Education and training
• Health and wellbeing
• Local business capacity building
• Community connectivity and resilience.

In FY2023, we supported more than 55 community programs, ranging from small community grants to strategic partnerships with for-purpose organizations.

Our focus is on the development and expansion of strategic community partnerships, with the intention of creating meaningful and long-term positive impact in our host communities. We are also taking steps to strengthen the governance and outcomes measurement frameworks that underpin our community investment activities.

Each year, we continue to support community events and initiatives through sponsorship, and provide donations for disaster relief and recovery efforts in impacted communities. We also offer in-kind support to community partners and their programs through employee volunteering, career mentoring, capacity building, and paid-for advertising and promotional opportunities.

INPEX Australia voluntary community investment in 2023 (by outcome area)

Indonesia

Since FY2009, we have engaged in diverse activities at the Abadi LNG Project in Indonesia to support the sustainable growth of local communities surrounding the project site. This includes efforts to preserve the environment and traditional culture and create economic opportunities. We identify the needs of local communities through dialogue with stakeholders, and carry out activities that serve those needs according to our Social Investment Strategy, developed with a medium- to long-term strategic outlook.

A wide array of activities were planned and are currently underway as part of the Social Investment Strategy 2021–2023, which was developed in FY2020. Five focus areas were identified under this strategy: (1) Improvement of local economies; (2) Education; (3) Public health; (4) the Environment; and (5) Strategic community contribution. Key efforts made in FY2023 include the following:

Scholarship Program

Collaborated with the Lelemuku Saumlaki University Foundation, which is located near the project site, to provide scholarships to 56 students by the end of 2023.

Health Program (Malnutrition and Underdevelopment Prevention Program)

Surveyed local communities (Bomaki, Lermatang, and Latdalam villages in the Tanimbar Islands, where our project is located) and, based on the results, conducted nutrition awareness activities, provided infant health checks, and donated supplementary meals.

Environmental Program (Tree Planting Program)

Worked with a supervising authority (SKK Migas) for our upstream oil and gas business operations to establish a seed nursery and conduct tree planting activities in the Tanimbar Islands, where our project is located.

Infrastructure Program

Provided donations for church renovation work in the surrounding areas of our project site.

Natural Disaster Response Program

Provided donations for restoring buildings, public facilities, and places of worship after damage caused by an earthquake in January 2023 in the Tanimbar Islands, where our project is located.

Scholarship Program (INPEX Scholarship Foundation)

Since its establishment in 1981, the INPEX Scholarship Foundation has provided scholarships aimed at promoting mutual understanding, friendship, and goodwill between Japan and Indonesia through student exchanges. In FY2022, this scholarship program was expanded to include students from Australia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Foundation has supported 150 Indonesian, 70 Japanese, three Australian, and two Emirati students to date. Many of the students are now contributing to friendship and goodwill between Japan and their home countries in the research fields they studied during their time abroad.

Abu Dhabi

In Abu Dhabi, we are conducting social contribution activities with a focus on the three areas of education, environment, and culture. We are working through our subsidiary Japan Oil Development, Co., Ltd. (JODCO) and through the established INPEX JODCO Foundation.

In the area of education, we are implementing the following initiatives:

• Supporting an initiative, together with other Japanese companies operating in Abu Dhabi, for Emirati children to enroll in the Japanese School in Abu Dhabi.
• Supporting implementation of the Kumon Method mathematics learning format, together with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), at elementary schools in Abu Dhabi.
• Accepting university students from UAE as interns in cooperation with the internship program for Emirati students being implemented by the Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE).

In the area of environment, we are implementing the following initiative:

• Holding lectures by Japanese mangrove specialists at the Japanese School in Abu Dhabi since FY2023 and providing mangrove planting experiences.

In the area of culture, we are implementing the following initiatives:

• Participating in the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX) and introducing Japanese traditional cultural activities, including falconry, sword-making, candy making, and tea ceremony.
• Supporting tea ceremony activities of the Urasenke Tankokai Abu Dhabi Association.
• Holding Judo Japanese Ambassador’s Cup tournaments with the Embassy of Japan in the United Arab Emirates and the UAE Judo Federation.
• Implementing the UAE-Japan Falconer Friendship Program with the Emirates Falconers’ Club since FY2023. Providing falconry cultural experiences at the Japanese School in Abu Dhabi, sending Japanese falconers to UAE, and holding exchanges with UAE falconers.
• Sponsoring teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, which is scheduled for completion in 2024. [planned]

Norway

Our subsidiary INPEX Norway Co., Ltd. has signed a sponsorship agreement between INPEX Idemitsu Norge AS (IIN) and the Munch Museum. IIN has been a sponsor of the museum for more than 30 years since the days of IIN’s predecessor, Idemitsu Petroleum Norge AS, and has contributed more than 100 million Norwegian krone to the museum since its inception in 1991. Donations from IIN have contributed to realizing several major projects, including the extension and repair of the museum as well as the restoration of The Scream and Madonna, as well as Edvard Munch’s masterpieces that were stolen in 2004 and subsequently recovered.

Kazakhstan

In the Kashagan Project, in which our subsidiary INPEX North Caspian Sea, Ltd. participates, the operator NCOC (North Caspian Operating Company N.V.) has been conducting ongoing social infrastructure projects since 1998. These projects include the construction of housing, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and urban development, contributing to the development of the local community. To date, the number of completed projects in the operational regions of Atyrau and Mangistau exceeds 220. Additionally, NCOC implements social contribution programs with a focus on five key areas: healthcare, education, sports, culture, and charity.

Japan

Our employees voluntarily contribute to a charitable giving program through which a portion of their pay is deducted for donation to NGOs and NPOs chosen through an annual employee vote, with the Company also donating matching sums of money. The beneficiaries selected engage in activities across three key areas: the Environment; Education and Fostering Future Generations; and Support for Local Communities.

From 2023 to 2024, as part of our support for Education and Fostering Future Generations, a key area of our social contribution activities, we sponsored the 92nd Music Competition of Japan, which has propelled numerous promising musicians onto the world stage of music. We also sponsored LA FOLLE JOURNÉE TOKYO 2024, a musical event held mainly at the Tokyo International Forum. In 2023, we invited 51 members of families supported by the Ashinaga Foundation, one of the donation recipients from our charitable giving program, to LA FOLLE JOURNÉE TOKYO 2023.

Our Akita Field Office employees team up with relevant local organizations to plant flower seeds along Cosmos Road in Akita City’s Yabase district. Nagaoka Field Office employees join with agricultural workers and organizations to pick up litter and maintain flower beds in the area around Koshijihara Plant.

At our Naoetsu LNG Terminal, we support requests of educational field trip opportunities for the local community—such as government offices, residents, and businesses—and offer tours that explore the terminal’s LNG tanks and other facilities. The tour includes a stop at the onsite INPEX Museum, a small theater that screens a fascinating video presentation of the story of oil and gas—from its formation through to its use in our everyday lives. In FY2023, fourth and fifth graders from the local Yachiho Elementary School visited the terminal for a field trip. Employees also visited the school to engage with sixth graders. In addition, as active members of the local community, our employees also participate in beach clean-ups organized by a local environmental group. Activities include picking up litter, mowing grass along roads near the office, and other beautification activities.