Office profile

Kao Headquarters & offices · Tokyo, Japan

A seamless white lobby with curved counters and a domed ceiling, accented by small colourful chairs — The lobby by TOPPAN (2010) · © TOPPAN Inc. / TOPPAN SPACE X-ING

A pale multi-storey office building with a KAO sign on the roof, seen across an elevated expressway — From across the expressway · Lombroso / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Orange chairs around white tables on a curved dark rug in a white room — Meeting area · © TOPPAN Inc. / TOPPAN SPACE X-ING

The covered ground-floor entrance of an office building with stone columns and glass doors — Entrance · Lombroso / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

A long white curving wall with a planter of greenery above a light wood floor — Lobby · © TOPPAN Inc. / TOPPAN SPACE X-ING

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Kao · Tokyo, Japan

Kao's Tokyo headquarters greets visitors with a lobby designed to feel like a bar of soap — seamless, smooth and white — with brightly coloured furniture made just for it.

The Kayabacho head office, the flextime and childcare programs, and 139 years from a Western sundries shop founded in 1887 — then the business. Every number from Kao's own website, its recruiting site, its newsroom and the designers.

124days off a year at Kao Corporation (2025)
10 dayspaid childcare leave every parent must take
7:00–20:00flextime window, start and finish your own
31,514employees worldwide (Dec 31, 2025)

See inside the office Benefits

Sources: kao-recruit.jp, “Treatment” and FAQ · Kao Company Profile (2025) · TOPPAN SPACE X-ING, “Kao Head Office Lobby”

Companies / Japan / Consumer products & chemicals / Kao

THE HEAD OFFICE · NIHONBASHI KAYABACHO

A lobby like a bar of soap

Kao's head office stands at 14-10 Nihonbashi Kayabacho 1-chome in Chuo-ku, one minute on foot from Kayabacho Station; it also houses the head office of Kanebo Cosmetics. TOPPAN planned, designed and built the lobby, completed in May 2010: a seamless, smooth white space meant to recall soap, with colourful original furniture as strong accents, and meeting rooms that each have their own character while serving many kinds of meetings — an office meant to express the Kao brand.

Lobby by TOPPAN (2010)
1 min from Kayabacho Station
Also home to Kanebo Cosmetics
Flextime 7:00–20:00
Smoke-free indoors

The lobby by TOPPAN: a soap-white space

TOPPAN planned, designed and built the lobby, completed in May 2010, as a seamless, smooth white space meant to recall soap.

A narrow corridor lit in orange behind glass, with a motion-blurred figure — Orange-lit corridor · © TOPPAN Inc. / TOPPAN SPACE X-ING

Meeting rooms

The meeting rooms each have their own character while serving many kinds of meetings, with colourful original furniture as accents.

A long white table with light blue chairs facing a projection screen — Meeting room · © TOPPAN Inc. / TOPPAN SPACE X-ING

A glass-walled corridor between meeting rooms with a wood floor — Between the meeting rooms · © TOPPAN Inc. / TOPPAN SPACE X-ING

The head office building in Kayabacho

The head office stands at 14-10 Nihonbashi Kayabacho 1-chome in Chuo-ku, one minute on foot from Kayabacho Station, and also houses the head office of Kanebo Cosmetics.

A pale office building behind an elevated expressway, with a truck on the road in front — From the street · Lombroso / Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

A slim white tower with a KAO sign and a dark glass section beside it — The tower · Lombroso / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

A tall tower with white and dark glass façades against a blue sky — Looking up · Lombroso / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

A dark glass curtain wall reflecting the sky, seen from below — Glass façade · Lombroso / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The ground floor of an office building with a canopy and glass entrance doors — Street level · Lombroso / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Facts: Kao, “Head Office” location page · TOPPAN SPACE X-ING project page “Kao Head Office Lobby” · kao-recruit.jp, “Treatment”.

The head office in Kayabacho

Building	Address
Head Office (Kao Corporation and Kanebo Cosmetics)	14-10, Nihonbashi Kayabacho 1-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-8210, Japan

Source: Kao Company Profile · “Head Office” location page · See them on the map ↓

Lobby design and buildTOPPAN (planning, interior design, signage, video systems, furniture, security, construction)

Lobby completedMay 2010

Getting there1 min from Kayabacho Station (Tozai and Hibiya lines, exits 4a or 7); 6 min from Suitengumae

Earlier head officeKao Soap head office (Kao Building), Nihonbashi Ward, 1931 — design Yosaku Matsumoto, built by Shimizu

Source: TOPPAN SPACE X-ING, “Kao Head Office Lobby” · Kao “Head Office” location page · Shimizu Corporation, works record “Kao Soap Head Office (Kao Building)”

Benefits (Japan, Kao Corporation)

Days off124

In 2025: full two-day weekends, public holidays and year-end holidays, plus paid leave, summer special leave, sick leave, volunteer leave and care leave.

Flextime7:00–20:00

Employees choose their own start and finish within this window; standard day 8:30–17:00 (7.5 hours). No core hours.

Paid childcare leave10 days

Mandatory for both men and women.

Childcare leavePast age 1

Until the end of the April after the child turns one, then shorter hours and shorter weeks to help an early return.

Childcare helpNursery + sitters

Support for company-led nurseries and subsidised babysitter coupons; working from home and flexible work for parents and carers.

HousingAllowance

Housing allowance for employees who own or rent their home, and company housing for those who are transferred.

Holiday lodgesHakone, Wakayama

Company-owned lodges plus contracted resorts across Japan, and contracted gyms such as Konami Sports and Renaissance.

Bonuses3 a year

June, December and March, with one raise a year; employee shareholding and the Kao Group pension fund.

Source: kao-recruit.jp — new-graduate “Treatment” page and FAQ (childcare and care support) · Kao news release, Apr 14, 2026 (flextime without core hours). Other listed benefits: mutual-aid gifts for marriage and birth (Kao Family Association), club activities at each site.

Why people stay: what Kao itself describes

3 yearsStructured start

For the first three years each new hire has a yearly development plan, a named trainer and regular reviews with their manager, plus 2nd- and 3rd-year group training.

2+ a yearCareer talks

At least two interviews a year with your manager to state your career plan, and separate interviews with HR.

3 campusesPlaces to learn

Arita Training Center in Wakayama, the Hakozaki Building in Tokyo and the Sumida Seminar House (Yukei-juku) inside the Sumida Complex.

5–10 minBreaks every hour

Since 2021 the “Yasumi-yasumi Work Style” at the head office encourages short breaks each hour and meetings that end 5–10 minutes early.

34.0%Women managers

Share of managers who are women across the Kao Group in 2025 (28.7% at Kao Corporation); the goal is parity with the share of women employees by 2030.

PlatinumKurumin

Kao holds Japan's Platinum Kurumin certification as a company that supports employees raising children, and was named a Nadeshiko Brand in 2026.

Source: kao-recruit.jp, FAQ (career support; diversity) · Kao news releases of Sep 14, 2021 and Apr 14, 2026

Who works here

31,514

employees, Kao Group (Dec 31, 2025)

7,761

employees at Kao Corporation itself (Dec 31, 2025)

34.0%

of managers are women (Kao Group, 2025)

35.7%

of the board of directors are women

Source: Kao Company Profile · Kao news release, Apr 14, 2026 (“Nadeshiko Brand”)

Pay at Kao

Starting salary (monthly) · new graduates, Kao Corporation

Doctoral graduate$322,800 – $322,800

Master's graduate$284,900 – $284,900

Bachelor's graduate$264,400 – $264,400

Technical college (kosen)$225,900 – $225,900

High school / 2-year college$204,500 – $204,500

Source: kao-recruit.jp, new-graduate “Treatment” page (viewed Oct 2026). Yen per month; one raise a year and bonuses three times a year (June, December, March) come on top.

Pay by ageNot published

Kao's website doesn't publish pay by age or a median salary. The starting salaries, above, are the closest official numbers.

Office history: from a sundries shop to Kayabacho

1887
Nagase Shoten
Tomiro Nagase, who had come to Tokyo at 22, opened Nagase Shoten at 24 — a dealer in Western sundries that also sold soap and tooth powder. Wanting a good Japanese-made soap, he went on to create Kao Soap.
Source: Kao Corporate History · “Kao no Kao” vol. 1 (kao.com)

No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it.
1902
The Ukechi Factory
Kao completed the Ukechi Factory, its own plant handling everything from preparing raw materials to packing the finished product.
Source: Kao Corporate History

No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it.
1923
The Azuma Factory, today's Sumida Complex
The Tokyo Azuma Factory began operating and expanded soap production. The site is now the Sumida Complex, which also houses the Sumida Seminar House for training.
Source: Kao Corporate History · kao-recruit.jp FAQ

Sumida Complex, the former Azuma Factory site · Beryllium Transistor / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
1931
A head office building in Nihonbashi
Kao Soap completed its head office, the Kao Building, in Nihonbashi Ward, Tokyo City — designed by Yosaku Matsumoto and built by Shimizu.
Source: Shimizu Corporation, works record “Kao Soap Head Office (Kao Building)”

Kao Soap head office (Kao Building), Nihonbashi, 1931 · © Shimizu Corporation
1985
Kao Corporation
Kao Soap Co., Ltd. was renamed Kao Corporation to reflect its broader range of businesses.
Source: Kao Corporate History

No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it.
2010
A new lobby at Kayabacho
TOPPAN completed a new lobby and meeting rooms for the head office at 1-14-10 Nihonbashi Kayabacho: a seamless white space inspired by soap, with colourful original furniture.
Source: TOPPAN SPACE X-ING, “Kao Head Office Lobby”

No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it.
2021
Breaks built into the day
Kao began recommending the “Yasumi-yasumi Work Style” to employees of the head office (Kayabacho Office): short breaks each hour, meetings that end early and wider use of flextime.
Source: Kao news release, Sep 14, 2021

No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it.

Map: how the headquarters moved

Kao has kept its head office in Nihonbashi, central Tokyo: the 1931 Kao Building stood in old Nihonbashi Ward, and today's head office is in Nihonbashi Kayabacho.

Loading map…

1 · 1931Kao Building, Nihonbashi Ward — Kao Soap head office, designed by Yosaku Matsumoto
2 · TodayHead Office, 1-14-10 Nihonbashi Kayabacho — Head office of Kao and Kanebo Cosmetics

Addresses: Shimizu Corporation works record (1931, ward only — point placed at central Nihonbashi) · Kao Company Profile (today)

What Kao does

Kao began in 1887 as Nagase Shoten, a dealer in Western sundries, and grew around its own soap. Today it makes household, personal-care and beauty products — among them the Kanebo Cosmetics business, acquired in 2006 — plus specialty chemicals, sold in about 140 countries and regions.

Reportable segments from January 2025: Hygiene Living Care, Health Beauty Care, Cosmetics, Business Connected, and Chemical.

Where the money came from · Share of net sales by business, FY2025

Hygiene Living CareShare of FY2025 sales to customers

32.5%

Health Beauty CareShare of FY2025 sales to customers

25.7%

ChemicalShare of FY2025 sales to customers

24.0%

CosmeticsShare of FY2025 sales to customers

15.5%

Business ConnectedShare of FY2025 sales to customers

2.3%

Source: Kao at a Glance (FY2025; shares based on sales to customers) · Corporate History (Nagase Shoten, Kanebo Cosmetics)

Net sales, FY2025¥1,688.6Bup 3.7% from ¥1,628.4B in FY2024

Operating income, FY2025¥164.1B9.7% operating margin

Net income, FY2025¥120.1Battributable to owners of the parent

Sales outside Japan42.9%of net sales, FY2025

Source: Kao IR, Interactive Analysis (Consolidated Operating Results, IFRS) · Kao at a Glance. Growth rate calculated by eciffo.

Growth: revenue vs. people

1.2×net sales, FY2021 → FY2025
¥1.42T → ¥1.69T

YearRevenueEmployees

FY2021

¥1.4T

—

FY2022

¥1.6T

—

FY2023

¥1.5T

—

FY2024

¥1.6T

—

FY2025

¥1.7T

31,514

Fiscal years end December 31. Net sales: Kao IR, Interactive Analysis (IFRS), FY2021–FY2025. Employees: Kao Company Profile (Dec 31, 2025); earlier year-end headcounts not checked. Multiple calculated by eciffo.

Chief executives

No free-to-use photo.

2021 – today

Yoshihiro Hasebe

Representative Director, President and CEO since January 2021. Joined Kao in 1990 as a researcher and led Global R&D before becoming a director; led the K27 mid-term plan launched in 2023.

Founder: Tomiro Nagase (Nagase Shoten, 1887). Incorporated May 1940.

Source: Kao Leadership (as of Mar 26, 2026) · Yoshihiro Hasebe profile · Company Profile · Corporate History

Kao: questions people ask

Where is Kao's headquarters?

At 14-10, Nihonbashi Kayabacho 1-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-8210 — one minute on foot from Kayabacho Station on the Tozai and Hibiya lines. The building is also the head office of Kanebo Cosmetics.

Source: Kao Company Profile · “Head Office” location page

Who designed Kao's head office lobby?

TOPPAN planned, designed and built it, completed in May 2010: a seamless, smooth white space inspired by soap, with colourful original furniture and meeting rooms of different characters.

Source: TOPPAN SPACE X-ING, “Kao Head Office Lobby”

Where was Kao's old head office?

In 1931 Kao Soap completed its head office, the Kao Building, in Nihonbashi Ward, Tokyo City, designed by Yosaku Matsumoto and built by Shimizu.

Source: Shimizu Corporation works record

Does Kao have flexible working hours or remote work?

Yes. Kao uses flextime without core hours — employees start and finish anywhere between 7:00 and 20:00 — and offers working from home and other flexible work.

Source: kao-recruit.jp “Treatment” and FAQ · Kao news release, Apr 14, 2026

What benefits does Kao offer in Japan?

124 days off in 2025, 10 days of mandatory paid childcare leave for both men and women, childcare leave past the child's first birthday, babysitter coupons, a housing allowance, company lodges in Hakone and Wakayama, and bonuses three times a year.

Source: kao-recruit.jp

How much do Kao new graduates earn?

Monthly starting pay is ¥264,400 with a bachelor's degree, ¥284,900 with a master's and ¥322,800 with a doctorate, plus bonuses three times a year.

Source: kao-recruit.jp “Treatment”

How many people work at Kao?

31,514 in the Kao Group and 7,761 at Kao Corporation itself, as of December 31, 2025.

Source: Kao Company Profile

Who is Kao's CEO?

Yoshihiro Hasebe, Representative Director, President and CEO since January 2021. He joined Kao in 1990 and came up through research and development.

Source: Kao Leadership · Hasebe profile

When was Kao founded?

In June 1887, when Tomiro Nagase opened Nagase Shoten, a Western sundries dealer. The company was incorporated in May 1940 and took the name Kao Corporation in 1985.

Source: Kao Company Profile · Corporate History

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Kao Headquarters & offices · Tokyo, Japan

Kao's Tokyo headquarters greets visitors with a lobby designed to feel like a bar of soap — seamless, smooth and white — with brightly coloured furniture made just for it.