News Release：Pioneer opens e-mail-based "Business Ethics Hotline"to promote reporting unfair practices and misconducts worldwide through external third party.

June 13, 2003, Tokyo, Japan - Pioneer Corporation has announced today that it contracted Integrex Inc., an external third party, to operate an e-mail-based hotline for all directors and employees of the Pioneer Group both in Japan and overseas to lodge reports on any misconducts involving Pioneer.

Integrex Inc., a research company in Tokyo, promotes socially responsible investment (SRI) in Japan, and provides such hotline and other services for client companies for the benefit of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.

By contracting with the third party for the task of receiving these reports and communicating with those who call to report incidents, Pioneer intends to protect the callers' privacies while providing an environment in which such reports can be more easily lodged. Pioneer also believes that, with the involvement of a third party, Pioneer will be obliged to take appropriate actions quickly, and this will make this reporting system more practical. Through this system, Pioneer intends to ensure complete compliance with laws and corporate ethics throughout the Group worldwide.
At the same time, Pioneer has launched the Business Ethics Committee (with President & CEO as chairperson) to strengthen activities to ensure compliance with laws and corporate ethics including this reporting system.
Comprised of certain officers, division managers, board of directors, including outside directors, and corporate auditors at the Pioneer headquarters, the Business Ethics Committee will decide basic policies governing corporate ethics and compliance with laws, as well as deliberate and approve various plans for action.

The new system will strengthen the ability of all members of the Pioneer Group worldwide to discover at an early stage any behavior that violates corporate ethics, resolve problems quickly, and eliminate risk before it causes damage.

Brief history of Pioneer's activities aimed at promoting corporate ethics