Tag - corporate-governance

 
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July 12, 2026
 

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on Friday indicted five Japanese oil distributors, including East Japan Usami, Eneos Wing and Enex Fleet, over their alleged operation of a price cartel for gas oil.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2026
Five Japanese oil distributors indicted over cartel after FTC probe
According to the indictment, officials from the firms allegedly agreed to raise the selling prices of gas oil and curb price reduction at meetings in Tokyo in 2024.
Sanrio said Thursday it has suspended an executive suspected of receiving off-the-books compensation totaling several hundred million yen from a subsidiary.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2026
Sanrio executive suspended amid accusations subsidiary gave him extra money
Kiyoshi Saito is believed to have received compensation from a U.S. subsidiary of the group that he was in charge of, on top of his executive salary.
Daiichi Life Group believes strict selection of managers and risk management after making private credit investments are key.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 15, 2026
Daiichi Life to tighten private credit manager selection on risk
Bankruptcies of corporate borrowers in the U.S. have fueled concern about putting cash in the market, and the worries are starting to affect Japanese firms’ investment decisions.
The Ajinomoto headquarters building in Tokyo. Activist fund Palliser Capital has built a stake in Ajinomoto and is urging the firm to raise prices for its chip-insulation products.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 2, 2026
Activist fund Palliser presses Ajinomoto to raise prices for chip material
The U.K.-based fund is calling for a more than 30% increase in prices for Ajinomoto Build-Up Film, used to package high-performance semiconductors.
KDDI President and CEO Hiromichi Matsuda (left) bows in apology during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2026
KDDI says ¥246.1 billion overstated via fictitious transactions
Eight KDDI executives, including President and CEO Hiromichi Matsuda, will return portions of their executive remuneration.
The outline of a 2026 white paper on small and medium-size companies points out that "maintaining the status quo is the greatest risk" to corporate management at a time when the business environment is changing.
BUSINESS
Mar 25, 2026
Government wants small firms to enhance business literacy
The outline emphasizes that quality control and management planning capabilities should be enhanced.
According to a survey covering some 2,000 LGBTQ+ people over three years to 2024, 54.9% of respondents said in the final year that their workplaces did not have any specific measures for sexual and gender minorities.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2026
No LGBTQ+ measures at over half of workplaces in Japan: survey
The figure slightly improved from 57.2% in 2022 and 60.4% in 2023, according to the survey.
A kickoff meeting for the cross mentoring initiative held in May, with four companies including Ricoh taking part
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 9, 2026
Cross-mentoring initiatives aim to develop female executives at Japan firms
Companies have a low proportion of female executives who were promoted internally, rather than being appointed from outside companies.
Japan ranked 34th among 35 countries in a survey of the ratio of senior management roles held by women at medium-size companies.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 8, 2026
Ratio of female executives at midsize firms 21.5% in Japan, survey shows
Despite a 3.1% rise from the previous year’s survey, Japan still ranked 34th among 35 countries surveyed.
Prosecutors enter the building that houses Eneos Wing's Tokyo branch on Thursday to investigate the prices for gas oil allegedly being fixed.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 5, 2026
Eneos Wing’s Tokyo office raided in gas oil price-fixing probe
Eight oil distributors are suspected of forming a cartel to fix gas oil prices for corporate clients in Tokyo such as transportation companies.
Kao is facing increasing pressure from activist fund Oasis Management for an independent investigation into its supply-chain practices.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 5, 2026
Activist fund Oasis calls on Kao to hold shareholders’ meeting over supply-chain risks
The fund received numerous whistleblower allegations concerning Kao’s practices, including potential links to deforestation and human rights violations.
Toyota’s clash with activist investor Elliot Investment Management shows that even Japan’s most powerful conglomerates must respect minority shareholders.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 5, 2026
A win — and a lesson — from Toyota’s Elliott deal
On the face of it, the dispute between Toyota and activist investor Elliot Investment Management ended amicably with an agreement that gave each side what it wanted.
Nidec CEO Mitsuya Kishida (center) and others bow in apology during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 4, 2026
Nidec warns of $1.6 billion charges from accounting scandal
The world’s largest manufacturer of precision motors said there could be additional charges that would impact its past financial results.
The Toyota group has raised its offer price to privatize Toyota Industries.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 3, 2026
Toyota raises buyout bid for unit, ending standoff with Elliott
The carmaker and its affiliates are now willing to pay ¥20,600 for each share of Toyota Industries they don’t already own, the group said Monday.
Artificial intelligence developer Anthropic is loosening its commitment to safety, saying it will no longer delay AI development that might be dangerous.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 26, 2026
Anthropic drops hallmark safety pledge in race with AI peers
Anthropic has said it was updating its rules and would no longer delay possibly dangerous AI development if it believes it lacks a significant lead over a competitor.
The government is planning a new revision to corporate governance code, which might prompt companies to divert unused cash to higher-yielding returns, thus making Japanese stocks more attractive to investors.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 25, 2026
Drive to unlock $840 billion in cash lifts Japan stocks outlook
Despite significant improvement in corporate governance in recent years, mountains of unused cash have been piling up on Japanese company balance sheets.
Toyota CEO Koji Sato (left) and Chief Financial Officer Kenta Kon in early February. In April, Kon will become CEO.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 20, 2026
Making CFOs CEOs a growing trend in Japan
The expertise of chief financial officers is needed as corporations are pushed to improve financial performance.
Tohoku Electric President Kazuhiro Ishiyama (center) and other executives bow in apology during a meeting with officials of Aomori Prefectural Government on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 19, 2026
Tohoku Electric submits improvement plan after improper tests at nuclear plant
Irregularities at the plant were due to lack of awareness of the importance of work to protect nuclear materials and insufficient involvement by senior officials, the firm said.
The country’s biggest insurers are sitting on swelling paper losses on their holdings of Japanese government bonds, which have slumped as the central bank raises interest rates.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 18, 2026
Accounting group seeks to ease rules on Japanese insurers’ bond losses
Bonds held by life insurers to match long-term policies would be treated as held to maturity if certain conditions are met, and would not be subject to impairment accounting.
A growing number of profitable Japanese companies are cutting jobs, including through voluntary retirement programs, to rebalance their workforces and sustain growth amid rapid innovation, signaling a shift away from the traditional commitment to long-term employment.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 17, 2026
More profit-making companies cutting jobs in Japan
Some experts say the long-held belief in long-term employment among Japanese companies is changing in the face of competition with foreign companies.
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.

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