The Oji Group has adopted a COMPANY system under which Oji Holdings oversees the formulation of Group management strategies and Group governance and each COMPANY, made up of closely-related businesses, plays a central role in business operations. This structure accelerates decision making by each business unit and clarifies management responsibilities.
In addition, as a company with Audit & Supervisory Board, Oji Holdings reinforces Group-wide governance through audits of the execution of duties by Directors carried out by the Audit & Supervisory Board Members and the Audit & Supervisory Board.
The Board of Directors consists of twelve Directors (including four Independent Outside Directors) and the Audit & Supervisory Board consists of five Audit & Supervisory Board Members (including three Independent Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Members), and Susumu Yajima, Representative Director, Chairman of the Board, chairs the Board of Directors. In FY2020, attendance of Independent Outside Directors and Independent Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Members at the Board of Directors meetings (14 meetings held) was 97.4% and attendance of Independent Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Members at the Audit & Supervisory Board meetings (14 meetings held) was 100%.
The Nomination Committee and Compensation Committee were established as advisory bodies to the Board of Directors.
These two committees enhance the objectivity and transparency of decision making, and the Compensation Committee analyzes the effectiveness of and deliberates on evaluations of the Board of Directors.
In April 2022, the Corporate Sustainability Division was established within Oji Holdings to clarify the Oji Group's policy on sustainability initiatives and to oversee and manage each company's initiatives. We have also established the Sustainability Committee, chaired by the Group CEO, to discuss sustainability-related risks and measures and to promote Group-wide sustainability initiatives.
Based on its fiduciary responsibility and accountability for shareholders, the Board of Directors performs the following roles to promote sustainable growth and increase medium- to long-term corporate value of the Oji Group, and to improve profitability and capital efficiency.
The maximum number of Directors is 15 in principle, and at least 2 of them are Independent Outside Directors. In addition, 20 Corporate Officers, 7 of whom serve concurrently as Directors, are selected to speed up decision-making, strengthen the business execution system, and clarify executive responsibilities.
The Board of Directors, in order to fulfill a role necessary for achieving sustainable growth of and improvement of corporate value of the Group over the medium to long term, has been organized while giving due consideration to the balance of diverse knowledge and expertise concerning the business of the Group.
There are currently 12 Directors, 4 of whom are Independent Outside Directors (including two female Directors).
The Nomination Committee, which is an advisory body to the Board of Directors, deliberates upon the selection of candidates for Directors and the appointment of Group Corporate Officers before submitting a report to the Board of Directors. Regarding candidates for Audit & Supervisory Board Members, a report is submitted to the Board of Directors after consulting the Nomination Committee and obtaining the consent of the Audit & Supervisory Board.
The Nomination Committee consists of 4 Independent Directors, the Chairman, and the President, and the Board of Directors receives the report from the Nomination Committee, deliberates, and makes decisions.
Audit & Supervisory Board Members and the Audit and Supervisory Board conduct operational audits and accounting audits from an independent and objective standpoint, based on their fiduciary responsibility for shareholders.
Audit & Supervisory Board Members and the Audit and Supervisory Board strive to actively exercise their authority through actively combining the advanced information gathering capabilities of Standing Audit & Supervisory Board Members and the strong independence of Independent Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Members while maintaining cooperation with Independent Outside Audit & Supervisory Members.
Audit & Supervisory Board is consisting of 5 Audit & Supervisory (including 3 Independent Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Members). Audit & Supervisory Board Members ensures transparency and monitors and verifies management. Audit & Supervisory Board Members attend the Board of Directors and other important meetings based on the audit plan established by the Audit & Supervisory Board to audit Directors’ execution of duties.
Nobuko Otsuka, an Audit & Supervisory Board Member, has experience in taxation, accounting and internal audit at a Taxation Bureau, a tax accountant corporation, as well as Oji Holdings Corporation, and has considerable financial and accounting knowledge.
In addition, Noriko Sekiguchi, an outside corporate auditor, is a certified public accountant with a wealth of experience, advanced expertise, and broad insight into corporate accounting, as well as extensive practical experience in the corporate sector, and has considerable knowledge of finance and accounting.
There are four Independent Outside Directors and three Independent Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Members at Oji Holdings. All Independent Outside Officers attend Board of Directors meetings, and the briefings that are held twice each month in principle and are conducted by the Director responsible for the Corporate Governance Division regarding Management Meeting agendas and planned Board of Directors deliberation matters. In addition, the four Independent Outside Directors make up the Nomination Committee and the Compensation Committee.
Persons with highly specialized and wide-ranging knowledge who are able to express opinions that are independent from management and from the perspectives of various stakeholders are selected as Independent Outside Director candidates, and persons with excellent character and insight, a high level of specialization, and extensive experience are selected as Independent Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member candidates.
Audit & Supervisory Board Members regularly meet with the Accounting Auditor to receive explanations on plans and implementation status of audits as well as financial statement audit results, and exchange opinions.
Audit & Supervisory Board Members and the Company’s Internal Audit Department meet once every month to exchange information on audit plans and results, and ensure cooperation between them.
Regarding Independent Directors and Independent Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Members, the content of the Holdings Management Meeting and the Group Management Meeting is reported twice a month, in principle. Through these opportunities, reports and opinions are exchanged in order to form a collaborative relationship.
Category | Name | Attendance at Board of Directors meetings |
Statement at the meeting and summary of duties performed for a role expectations. |
---|---|---|---|
Independent Outside Director |
Michihiro Nara | Attended 13 of 14 meetings (92.9%) |
He fulfills his expected role in the Company's management through comments based on his extensive experience and high level of insight from a professional perspective as an attorney at law and from a standpoint independent of management. |
Independent Outside Director |
ToshihisaTanaka | Attended 14 of 14 meetings (100%) |
He has fulfilled his expected role in the Company's management through his comments based on his extensive experience and high level of insight as a diplomat from a standpoint independent of management. |
Independent Outside Director |
Sachiko Ai | Attended 10 of 11 meetings (90.9%) |
She has fulfilled her expected role in the Company's management through her comments based on her extensive experience, a high level of insight into a wide range of domestic and overseas business trends, and high-level expertise in the financial sector from a standpoint independent of management. |
Independent Outside Director |
Seiko Nagai (Took office in June 2021) |
— |
Category | Name | Attendance at Board of Directors meetings |
Attendance at Board of Audit & Supervisory Board meetings |
Statement at Meetings |
---|---|---|---|---|
Audit & Supervisory Board Member |
Makoto Katsura | Attended 14 of 14 meetings (100%) |
Attended 14 of 14 meetings (100%) |
Makes statements from a professional perspective based on extensive experience and wide-ranging knowledge as an attorney. |
Audit & Supervisory Board Member |
Mikinao Kitada | Attended 14 of 14 meetings (100%) |
Attended 14 of 14 meetings (100%) |
Makes statements based on extensive experience and wide-ranging knowledge as a prosecutor and attorney. |
Independent Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member |
Norio Henmi | Attended 10 of 10 meetings (100%) |
Attended 10 of 10 meetings (100%) |
Makes statements from a professional perspective based on extensive experience and wide-ranging knowledge as an attorney. |
Independent Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member |
Hidero Chimori (Took office in June 2021) |
— | — | |
Independent Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member |
Noriko Sekiguchi (Took office in June 2021) |
— | — |
The Nomination Committee deliberates and reports to the Board of Directors on the following issues/matters in order to strengthen the independence, objectivity, and accountability of functions of Directors concerning the nomination of Officers and Corporate Officers by obtaining appropriate involvement and advices from Independent Outside Directors.
The Compensation Committee deliberates and reports to the Board of Directors on the following issues/matters in order to strengthen the independence, objectivity, and accountability of functions of Directors concerning the compensation of Directors and Corporate Officers by obtaining appropriate involvement and advices from Independent Outside Directors.
Position | Name | Nomination Committee |
Attendance | Compensation Committee |
Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Director, Chairman of the Board | Susumu Yajima | 1/1 | 2/2 | ||
Director of the Board, President | Masatoshi Kaku | Committee Chair | 1/1 | Committee Chair | 2/2 |
Independent Outside Director | Michihiro Nara | 1/1 | 2/2 | ||
Independent Outside Director | Toshihisa Takata | 1/1 | 2/2 | ||
Independent Outside Director | Sachiko Ai | 1/1 | 1/1 | ||
Independent Outside Director | Seiko Nagai (Took office in June 2021) |
— | — |
Oji Holdings has designed its compensation programs with an emphasis on the roles performed by the Director compensation program such that the Board of Directors promotes sustainable growth and increasing medium- to long-term corporate value of the company and pursues enhanced profitability and capital efficiency. The specifics of the Director compensation program and determination policies are set forth in the Fundamental Policies on Corporate Governance. Director compensation comprises base compensation, bonuses that reflect short-term performance, and stock-based compensation that reflects medium- to long-term improvement in corporate value. Determinations are made by the Board of Directors based on recommendations submitted by the Compensation Committee.
Please refer to the Annual Securities Report for details concerning performance-linked compensation including bonuses and stock-based compensation.
Position | Fixed compensation |
Performance-linked compensation | Total | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bonuses | Stock-based compensation |
Total | |||
Director, Chairman of the Board | 50% | 25% | 25% | 50% | 100% |
Director of the Board, President | 50% | 25% | 25% | 50% | 100% |
Director of the Board, Senior Executive Officer | 50% | 25% | 25% | 50% | 100% |
Director of the Board, Executive Officer | 50% | 25% | 25% | 50% | 100% |
Independent Outside Director | 100% | — | — | — | 100% |
Officer category | Total amount of compensation (million yen) |
Total amount of compensation, etc. by type (million yen) |
Number of eligible officers (persons) |
||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fixed compensation |
Performance-linked compensation | ||||
Bonuses | Stock-based compensation |
||||
Directors (excluding Independent Outside Directors) | 524 | 239 | 169 | 116 | 12 |
Audit & Supervisory Board Members (excluding Independent Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Members) |
51 | 51 | — | — | 2 |
Independent Outside Directors and Independent Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Members |
76 | 76 | — | — | 6 |
At Oji Holdings, the Fundamental Policies on Corporate Governance stipulate as a Director nomination policy that candidates be nominated for Directors who possess excellent character and insight and who may contribute to the sustainable growth as well as the increase of medium- to long-term corporate value of the Group and that candidates be appointed for Audit & Supervisory Board Members who are capable of executing the duties of Audit & Supervisory Board Members, and who possess excellent character and insight as well as high level of specialization and extensive experience.
When nominating candidates for Directors, the Nomination Committee, an advisory body to the Board of Directors, deliberates and recommends to the Board of Directors. As for nomination of candidates for Audit & Supervisory Board Members, the Nomination Committee recommends to the Board of Directors with the consent of the Audit & Supervisory Board, following consultation with the Nomination Committee. The Nominating Committee consists of four Independent Outside Directors, the Chairman and the President, and the Board of Directors receives reporting from the Committee, deliberates and makes decisions.
The capabilities of our Directors are as follows:
Director | Corporate management |
Finance and accounting |
Manufacturing and technologies |
Research and development |
Sales and marketing |
Personnel and labor management |
Purchase and procurement |
Internationality | ESG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Susumu Yajima | ● | ● | ● | ● | |||||
Masatoshi Kaku | ● | ● | ● | ● | |||||
Yoshiki Koseki | ● | ● | ● | ||||||
Hiroyuki Isono | ● | ● | ● | ||||||
Fumio Shindo | ● | ● | ● | ||||||
Kazuhiko Kamada | ● | ● | ● | ||||||
Koichi Ishida | ● | ● | ● | ||||||
Shigeki Aoki | ● | ● | ● | ||||||
Michihiro Nara (Independent Outside Director) |
● | ||||||||
Toshihisa Takata (Independent Outside Director) |
● | ||||||||
Sachiko Ai (Independent Outside Director) |
● | ● | |||||||
Seiko Nagai (Newly appointed, Independent Outside Director) |
● | ● |
The Fundamental Policies on Corporate Governance stipulates that the Board of Directors shall conduct analysis and evaluation of the effectiveness of the Board of Directors every year, and take required measures to ensure the effectiveness of the Board of Directors as a whole as well as disclose an overview of the findings. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the Board of Directors, we conduct a survey on the role, structure, and operation of the Board of Directors from April to May every year for all Directors and Audit & Supervisory Board Members. The evaluation findings will be analyzed by the Compensation Committee, in which Independent Outside Directors participate, and then deliberated by the Board of Directors based on the analysis results.
In the past, we recognized issues such as room for improvement in the structure of the Board of Directors, which places importance on diversity, and decided to implement countermeasures.
An overview of the findings in the analysis and evaluation of the Board of Directors of FY2020 conducted in and after April 2021 has been disclosed separately in the Corporate Governance Report.
The Oji Group strategically holds shares that are expected to contribute to the sustainable growth of the Group and the improvement of corporate value over the medium to long term as part of its management strategy for the purpose of business alliances and strengthening and maintenance of long-term and stable relationships with business partners. The Board of Directors specifically examines every year whether the purpose of strategic shareholding is appropriate and whether the benefits and risks associated with strategic shareholding are commensurate with the cost of capital to verify the appropriateness of the holding. We sell shares properly and appropriately if the rationality for holding them has diminished to reduce strategic shareholding.