Tag - corporate-governance

 
Menu
Search
 
July 12, 2026
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Nidec President Mitsuya Kishida
BUSINESS / Companies
May 31, 2026
Embattled Nidec to suspend biz acquisitions
A panel of outside experts concluded that pressure to meet performance targets was among the factors behind the irregularities.
Seth Fischer, the founder of Oasis Management, says Japan’s plan to tighten the threshold for shareholder proposals will hurt retail investors more than it affects activist funds.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 28, 2026
Curb on shareholder rights will hurt retail investors not activists, says Oasis
The government and LDP suggest limiting shareholder proposals to those holding at least 1% of voting rights, up from the current threshold of 300.
Chubu Electric Power's Hamaoka nuclear power station in Shizuoka Prefecture on May 17, 2013
JAPAN
May 27, 2026
Japan weighs criminal penalties for nuclear plant data fraud
The plan is being considered following earthquake risk data fraud by Chubu Electric Power over its Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture.
A survey showed that 68.8% of responding companies have no in-house guidelines on social media conduct, despite the risk that a post by an employee could undermine a company's credibility.
BUSINESS
May 27, 2026
70% of companies in Japan have no rules on social media conduct
A survey found that most firms leave posts to individual judgment despite concern about information leaks and online conflicts.
The Tokyo District Court on Monday found two former executives of artificial intelligence developer Alt guilty of window dressing in violation of the financial instruments and exchange law.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 26, 2026
Former execs of AI developer Alt found guilty of window dressing
Katsuya Asai, 46, and Takayuki Ariizumi, 53, were given suspended prison sentences, and the Tokyo-based company was fined ¥300 million.
Nidec CEO Mitsuya Kishida says the company will return to dealmaking once it recovers from scandals.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 25, 2026
Nidec boss hints at more M&A deals once scandals abate
CEO Mitsuya Kishida has underlined regaining trust as the Kyoto-based electric motor manufacturer’s top priority.
Tatsufumi Shibata, senior official at the Financial Services Agency, says Japanese firms should spend more of their cash on long-term business investment instead of rewarding shareholders.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 25, 2026
Japan regulator urges firms to use cash for growth, not returns
Shifting more of the country’s wealth held by businesses and households to fund expansion is a key pillar of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s economic revitalization effort.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' headquarters in Tokyo
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 22, 2026
Tepco employees recorded civil trials in violation of court rules
On the same day, Shikoku Electric Power and Chugoku Electric Power also admitted to making audio recordings in the courtroom.
Tokyo-based Nikkon has selected financial advisers for a privatization process and has also set up a special committee made up of outside directors to consider the matter, sources have said.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 21, 2026
Nikkon weighs going private; Bain Capital, Blackstone and others likely to bid
The logistics company has selected financial advisers for the privatization process and set up a committee of outside directors to consider the matter, sources have said.
The Hokkaido Shinkansen Line went into service on March 26, 2016.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 19, 2026
Japan antitrust watchdog raids firms in Hokkaido Shinkansen bid-rigging probe
The probes targeted nine construction companies and a government-linked railway infrastructure agency.
Takeda Pharmaceutical headquarters in Tokyo. The company said it will "vigorously pursue" an appeal after a U.S. jury on Monday found the company liable for causing about $885 million in damages by delaying a generic version of its constipation drug through an anticompetitive scheme.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 19, 2026
Takeda engaged in antitrust scheme to delay generic constipation drug: U.S. jury
The verdict is the ​first time ‌a jury has found a pharmaceutical company liable in class-action litigation over what is called a “pay-for-delay” agreement with generic rivals.
While Nissan held a shareholder meeting in 2025, protesters distributed leaflets.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 15, 2026
Japan could soon tighten rules for shareholder proposals
The threshold for forcing the acceptance of proposals is now just 30,000 shares.
The U.S. has an opportunity to use its lead in artificial intelligence technology to create a global governance mechanism to ensure safer, more resilient systems, OpenAI’s vice president of global affairs, Chris Lehane, said.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 14, 2026
OpenAI floats idea of global AI governance body with U.S. and China
Such an organization could resemble the International Atomic Energy Agency, OpenAI Vice President of Global Affairs Chris Lehane says.
Nidec founder Shigenobu Nagamori in 2023. Nagamori instilled a hard-charging corporate culture at the company, demanding results pegged to ambitious, and at times unrealistic, targets.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2026
Nidec shares tumble after product quality issues compound bookkeeping scandal
The Kyoto-based world’s largest maker of precision motors said the issues involved changes made to materials, processes and designs without approval.
Yuki Kusumi, president of Panasonic Holdings, in the city of Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture, in April 2025
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
May 13, 2026
After cost cuts and reforms, Panasonic enters decisive stage in turnaround
Fiscal 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for the major manufacturer as it seeks to break free from prolonged stagnation and place its recovery on firmer ground.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, at the Viva Technology conference in Paris in June 2023
BUSINESS / Tech
May 7, 2026
SpaceX IPO gives Musk sweeping power and curbs shareholder rights
The rocket maker has adopted ⁠corporate governance policies that will erode typical shareholder protections in unprecedented ways.
The Prudential Financial Tower in Newark, New Jersey
BUSINESS / Companies
May 6, 2026
Prudential profit rises even as firm grapples with Japan pause
Prudential had paused life insurance sales in Japan for three months to restore trust after an investigation showed employee misconduct cost clients an estimated $20 million.
Environmental advocacy group Market Forces is calling on investors at Japan's three megabanks — Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho and Sumitomo Mitsui — to vote against directors failing to recognize the risks posed by fossil fuels.
ENVIRONMENT
Apr 23, 2026
Climate investor calls for votes against directors at Japan’s megabanks and trading houses
Environmental advocacy group Market Forces is arguing that directors are failing to oversee material ​financial risks to the banks and trading houses’ businesses.
Prudential Life CEO Hiromitsu Tokumaru (center) and other executives from the firm during a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 22, 2026
Prudential Life Insurance suspends sales for additional 180 days
The Japanese insurer has received more complaints related to alleged misuse of customer funds.
Ryusuke Yokoyama, president of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, says more midsize companies need to boost their disclosure of measures to improve capital efficiency.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 19, 2026
TSE planning new disclosure rules for midsize firms
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average, which stood around 28,000 in March 2023, has more than doubled since then.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Sompo looks beyond insurance to focus on well-being
Sompo looks beyond insurance to focus on well-being

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER