Yamaha
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 5 sources
Japanese maker of musical instruments and AV gear.
In 2026, migrant workers at Malaysian suppliers paid recruitment fees and had their passports held.
Also worth knowing
Yamaha has only partly put this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries, forced or child labour and untraced high-risk mined materials. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it has only partly put right: forced labour, last recorded in 2026.
- Checks its own supply chain. Yamaha looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found forced labour in 2025 and unpaid or underpaid wages in 2025 and is fixing them, so they don't count against the grade. Another problem on its record counts against the grade: forced labour in 2026. They're listed below under Confirmed issues.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and Malaysia, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- Not met: Traces its cobalt, gold and other conflict minerals to the mine
Red flags 4
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
- Red flag: Relies on high-risk mined materials it can't traceShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 3 red flags that set it.
- Red flag: Fails its category's raw-material check (means Lacks transparency)
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Yamaha's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as where electronics are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Malaysia | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Japan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| TaiwanUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| South KoreaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: cobalt, tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold mining carry child and forced labour risk (DR Congo, Indonesia), and assembly overtime is widespread.
- Modern slavery statement
- Owns or runs its own production
- Relies on metals such as cobalt, gold and tin from artisanal mines where miners, including children, face toxic dust, mercury exposure and deadly tunnel collapses. It hasn't shown any steps to trace these materials to the mine, so it's graded Lacks transparency until it does.
Research notes Most Yamaha products are made in its own group factories in Japan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and India, plus some contract makers; no shares by country are published. In 2025 it announced closure of two Indonesian piano factories (about 1,100 jobs), moving work to China and Japan. It surveys about 2,000 suppliers, has had 60 audited on site since 2023 and publishes the problems found; four forced labour grievances at Malaysian suppliers since 2024 led to fees being repaid and passports returned. It is not an RBA member and makes no living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Yamaha Music Europe publishes a UK Modern Slavery Act statement (April 2025 to March 2026) covering group factories, supplier audits and four Malaysian grievance cases. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Yamaha Corporation has lodged a statement on the Australian register for Yamaha Music Australia (2021-22). View |
Confirmed issues 5
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | A March 2026 report to Yamaha of migrant workers paying recruitment fees and having passports held at Malaysian suppliers led it to request corrective and remedy measures (Yamaha, 2026). Source · archived copy | PartlyPassports returned; repayment of recruitment fees still under way as of March 2026 (Yamaha, 2026). |
| 2025 | A March 2025 report to Yamaha of serious workplace accidents and forced labour of migrant workers at a Malaysian supplier led Yamaha to have compensation paid, fees repaid and passports returned (Yamaha, 2026). Source · archived copyPut right The company has put this right for the people affected, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesYamaha says accident compensation was paid, prevention measures confirmed, recruitment fees repaid and passports returned (Yamaha, 2026). |
| 2025 | Yamaha's own reviews found suppliers in Malaysia holding migrant workers' passports and making unexplained pay deductions, with 42 of 58 Malaysian suppliers asked to correct risks (Yamaha, 2026). Source · archived copyFound and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself. | PartlyRequested corrective measures from 42 Malaysian suppliers and follows up on their plans; outcomes not reported. |
| 2025 | External on-site audits of 60 Yamaha suppliers in Japan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and India found breaches of minimum wage and working-hour rules (Yamaha Modern Slavery Statement, 2026). Source · archived copyFound and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself. | PartlyCorrections requested and being monitored. |
| 2024 | Yamaha confirmed two 2024 grievance reports, filed through the JaCER platform, of forced labour of migrant workers at Malaysian suppliers, including paid recruitment fees and held passports (Yamaha, 2026). Source · archived copyPut right The company has put this right for the people affected, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesRecruitment fees were repaid and passports returned, with dormitories improved, in both cases (Yamaha, 2026). |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- The metalworkers' union at PT Yamaha Music Manufacturing Asia in Indonesia protested the dismissal of its branch chairman and secretary in 2025; in September 2025 the Bandung industrial relations court declared both dismissals void, and the company reportedly planned to appeal (Rmol; Bloomberg Technoz, 2025). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Yamaha to shut piano factories in Indonesia (Jakarta Post, 2025) · search the archive · Two Indonesian piano factories with about 1,100 workers to close in 2025; production moving to China and Japan.
- Serikat Pekerja Ingatkan Yamaha Konsisten Jalankan Kesepakatan (Rmol, 2025) · search the archive · Union at Yamaha Music Manufacturing Asia protested dismissal of its leaders; mediated agreement in July 2025.
Published by Yamaha or its owner
- Yamaha: Promotion of Social Responsibility in the Value Chain · archived copy · Four Malaysian forced labour grievances 2024-2026 and remedies; audit findings; most products made in own factories in 5 countries.
- Yamaha Music Europe Modern Slavery Statement 2026 · archived copy · FY to March 2026: 17,886 group staff; 60 suppliers audited on site finding wage and hours breaches; 42 Malaysian suppliers asked to correct risks.
- Yamaha: Participation in Initiatives · search the archive · UN Global Compact and JaCER member; no RBA membership listed.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Employees
- About 17,886
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Yamaha ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/yamaha, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
Other TV and audio brands
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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Yamaha.