Sony Ranks as 12th Most Trusted Japanese Company; Far Ahead of Nintendo at 279th

Once a year, Japanese business publisher Toyo Keizai releases a report of the most trusted companies in Japan. The study covers 700 of Japan’s largest firms and tallies points based on their spirit of the law, ethical standards, and international norms, among other things. The study then rewards each company points based on a 600 point system, with 300 points going towards their financial standing, 100 for environmental behavior, 100 for human resource issues, and 100 for corporate governance and social impact. With financial standing accounting for half of the points, the firm breaks down the section between profitability, safety, and scale with each capable of giving the company 100 points.

How did Sony do on the report? As it turns out, pretty good, and the company was able to dwarf rival Nintendo. After the jump, we have details from the report.

Sony as a whole ranked 12th, down 8 spots from last year as the most trusted company in Japan. This places the electronic giant far ahead of Nintendo which came in at 279th, down 72 spots. Other notable gaming companies on the list include Sega (221 down from 177 from the year prior) and Bandai Namco (310, down from 304).

The breakdown of the points for each firm includes:

Sony

Financial Standing – 252.5
Environmental Behavior – 97.1
Human Resource – 98.7
Corporate Governance & Social Impact – 97.4

Sega

Financial Standing – 254
Environmental Behavior – 73.9
Human Resource – 56.6
Corporate Governance & Social Impact – 73.2

Nintendo

Financial Standing – 248
Environmental Behavior – 53.6
Human Resource – 71.1
Corporate Governance & Social Impact – 66

Bandai Namco

Financial Standing – 242.4
Environmental Behavior – 55.1
Human Resource – 69.7
Corporate Governance & Social Impact – 62.7

As the numbers show, Sony garnered a nearly perfect score among nearly every category except financial standing, totaling at 545.7 out of 600. Sega, the closest gaming competitor, tallied in at 457.7 points, with Nintendo right behind them at 438.7, and Bandai Namco rounding things up with 429.9. Sony has struggled to be profitable for nearly 5 years now and has sustained huge losses from their electronics division. Sony CEO Kaz Hirai recently announced plans to spin off the company’s struggling TV division, the sell-off of VAIO, and an exit from OLED television productions to help turn the company’s fortunes.

Sony execs including Kaz Hirai are reportedly taking a 50% pay cut to show support and help the struggling firm. Just last month, Sony was announced as Japan’s second most admired company behind Toyota.