Corporate Governance
Sinanen Holdings and our group companies recognize that continuously increasing corporate value by ensuring the transparency and soundness of management and promoting swift decision-making and execution is the basis of corporate governance and see this as an important management issue.
Corporate Governance Report(June 26, 2024 Update) [453KB]
The Company respects the purpose of the Corporate Governance Code, and implements all items of the code.
In order to respond to changes in the business environment surrounding the Company,
the Company has adopted a holding company structure in order to (1) clarify the delegation of authority and
responsibility in each business, (2) expedite management decisions, and (3) establish a group management system that
enables flexible and agile management.
In addition, the Company has selected a company with an Audit/Supervisory Committee as its organizational design in
order to realize strengthening of auditing and supervisory functions and speeding up of decision making, and we
believe that these objectives are consistent with the purpose of the holding company system. In addition to the
above, the Company has established a voluntary Nominating and Compensation Committee to enhance the independence and
objectivity of the Board of Directors and to further enhance the corporate governance function.
Our officer system consists of five Directors (excluding those who are members of the Audit/Supervisory Committee; one of whom are Outside Directors) and six Directors who are members of the Audit/Supervisory Committee (all six of whom are Outside Directors).
Members:
Chairman | Masaki Yamazaki |
President and CEO | Taro Nakagome(chairman) |
Director | Miwa Mitsuhashi |
Director | Tetsuya Nakamura |
Outside Director | Hiroyuki Ohashi |
Outside Director and Audit/Supervisory Committee Member(Full time) | Yuichiro Munakata |
Outside Director and Audit/Supervisory Committee Member | Ren Shino |
Outside Director and Audit/Supervisory Committee Member | Nobutaka Murao |
Outside Director and Audit/Supervisory Committee Member | Hiroyuki Mitani |
Outside Director and Audit/Supervisory Committee Member | Motoshi Muraoka |
Outside Director and Audit/Supervisory Committee Member | Yoshishige Takenaka |
Our Articles of Incorporation set for that we will have no more than six Directors
(excluding Directors who are members of the Audit/Supervisory Committee) and no more than six Directors who are
members of the Audit/Supervisory Committee.
They also state that resolutions to appoint Directors of the Company shall be made at the General Meeting of
Shareholders by majority vote when shareholders with at least one-third of voting rights are in attendance and that
such resolutions shall not be made by cumulative voting.
The Company has established a Management Meeting as a place to provide advice on decision-making by the President and CEO on important matters related to the execution of business. Management Meetings are held once a month in principle, once per month, as well as when necessary, and are used as a venue to discuss management policy and important matters related to management. Management Meetings are chaired by the President and CEO, and are attended by full-time Directors, officers in charge, and the persons nominated by the President.
The Audit/Supervisory Committee of the Company is comprised of six people including the chairperson and committee members; the committee audits and supervises the legality of the execution of business of Directors, as well as the reasonableness of decision making and managerial judgments, through attendance at the monthly meetings of the Board of Directors and through the committee's auditing activities.
Members:
Outside Director and Audit/Supervisory Committee Member(Full time) | Yuichiro Munakata (chairman) |
Outside Director and Audit/Supervisory Committee Member | Ren Shino |
Outside Director and Audit/Supervisory Committee Member | Nobutaka Murao |
Outside Director and Audit/Supervisory Committee Member | Hiroyuki Mitani |
Outside Director and Audit/Supervisory Committee Member | Motoshi Muraoka |
Outside Director and Audit/Supervisory Committee Member | Yoshishige Takenaka |
The Company shall establish a voluntary Nominating and Compensation Committee not based on the Companies Act that discusses appointment and dismissal of Directors of the Company and Directors and Auditors of Group companies, and also deliberates on compensation for officers. The voluntary Nominating and Compensation Committee consists of six Directors who are Audit/Supervisory Committee Members and the President and CEO. The chairperson of the voluntary Nominating and Compensation Committee shall be selected through a mutual vote by the Independent Outside Directors. Nominations of candidates for Company Directors (including Directors who are Audit/Supervisory Committee Members) and for Group Company Directors or Auditors are decided by the Board of Directors based on the recommendations of the Directors and deliberation and suggestion by the voluntary Nominating and Compensation Committee. Note that the consent of the Audit/Supervisory Committee is obtained for nominations of candidates for Directors who are Audit/Supervisory Committee Members. With regard to the individual compensation for Directors and Auditors of the Company and its Group companies, based on internal rules, the voluntary Nominating and Compensation Committee decides the compensation for Directors who are not Audit/Supervisory Committee Members, and the compensation for Directors who are Audit/Supervisory Committee Members is proposed by the voluntary Nominating and Compensation Committee and decided by the Audit/Supervisory Committee. In this way, we believe we increase the transparency and objectivity of procedures related to decisions on officer nominations and individual compensation for officers, contributing to further enhancement of corporate governance functions and healthy growth of the Group as a whole.
Corporate Governance System
Number of Directors as set forth in articles of incorporation | 12 |
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Term of office of Directors as set forth in articles of incorporation | 1 year |
Chair of Board of Directors | President |
Number of Directors | 9 |
Status of appointment of Outside Directors | Appointed |
Number of Outside Directors | 7 |
Number of Outside Directors designated as Independent Officers | 6 |
The Company has not clearly prescribed standards or a policy concerning independence for the appointment of Outside Directors, however, at the time of selection, candidates for which independence can be secured in consideration of the independence standards of a financial instruments exchange are selected.
As a basic policy for selecting candidates for Outside Directors, decisions are made based on the assumption that the candidates possess the extensive experience and deep knowledge required of Outside Directors or exceptional knowledge in the fields of law and corporate accounting as well as the ability to express fair and objective opinions from an independent standpoint in order to improve the corporate governance of the Group.
Name | Member of Audit/ Supervisory Committee |
Independent Officer |
Reason for election | Attendance Number of meetings attended/Number of meetings, percentage of meetings attended (FY 2023) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hiroyuki Ohashi | We elected Mr. Ohashi because we determined that his extensive experience in corporate management and broad knowledge of finance can be utilized to improve the Company's corporate governance. | - | ||
Yuichiro Munakata | ○ | ○ | We elected Mr. Munakata because we determined that his professional knowledge and abundant experience in accounting and auditing as a certified public accountant as well as his international experience and international perspective through overseas assignments can be utilized to increase our corporate value and the Company's corporate governance. | Board of Directors: 14/14 (100.0%) Audit/Supervisory Committee: 10/10 (100.0%) |
Ren Shino | ○ | ○ | We elected Mr. Shino because we determined that his extensive experience and broad knowledge as a lawyer can be utilized to improve the Company's corporate governance. | Board of Directors: 17/17 (100.0%) Audit/Supervisory Committee: 12/12 (100.0%) |
Nobutaka Murao | ○ | ○ | We elected Mr. Murao, based on the judgment that he can utilize his rich experience and wide range of insight as a financial bureaucrat, news program anchor, and university professor to improve the Company's corporate governance. | Board of Directors: 17/17 (100.0%) Audit/Supervisory Committee: 12/12 (100.0%) |
Hiroyuki Mitani | ○ | ○ | We elected Mr. Mitani because we determined that his broad knowledge based on his extensive experience in corporate management and experience in human resources development acquired as a university and business school professor can be utilized to improve the Company's corporate governance. | Board of Directors: 15/17 (88.2%) Audit/Supervisory Committee: 10/12 (83.3%) |
Motoshi Muraoka | ○ | ○ | We elected Mr. Muraoka because we determined that his extensive experience and broad knowledge in such areas as environmental management strategy, decarbonization consulting and support for overseas development of the infrastructure business can be utilized to improve the Company's corporate governance. | - |
Yoshishige Takenaka | ○ | ○ | We elected Mr. Takenaka because we determined that his broad knowledge and experience as an Outside Director, etc., in other listed companies, in addition to his extensive experience as a lawyer, can be utilized to improve the Company's corporate governance. | - |
*The attendance status of Mr. Munakata covers the period since he was appointed on June 27, 2023.
*Mr. Ohashi, Mr. Muraoka and Mr. Takenaka is a newly elected Outside Director.
We have established a structure so that, without exception, Outside Directors are
invited to meetings of the Board of Directors, receive materials, etc., and are offered the same explanations from
the departments submitting proposals as the other Directors. The notices, materials, and other information sent to
Outside Directors is the same as what is sent to the other Directors.
In addition, the board is set up so that Outside Directors are given access to important management information and
are able to express their opinions. Furthermore, they attend meetings of the Board of Directors from an independent
standpoint and leverage their expert knowledge as they actively offer their opinions.
The Secretariat of the Board of Directors periodically conducts written questionnaires on the effectiveness of the Board of Directors, which are reported to the Board of Directors and improvements are made as necessary.
Based on survey results, we will continue to promote proper operations of the Board of Directors and implement improvement measures to address the issues to enable the Board of Directors to further contribute to improvement of corporate value.
1. Implementing the Questionnaire and Interviews Once a year, we implement a written questionnaire and interviews of all the directors.
2. Analyzing and Evaluating Results The Secretariat of the Board of Directors analyzes the results obtained from the questionnaire and reports the results to the board.
3. Addressing Issues Based on discussions at the Board of Directors, we identify issues and take improvement measures.
FY2023 | FY2024 | |||
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Recognition of Major Issues | Evaluation Summary | Compared to Previous Period |
Improvement Measures | |
Operation of the Board of Directors | Providing relevant materials well in advance of board meetings |
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No change |
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Ensuring Board of Directors meeting materials are easy to understand (reducing the use of technical and industry jargon) |
|
Improvement |
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|
Scrutinizing individual cross-held shares by the Board of Directors |
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Deterioration |
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Support for directors | Preparing an orientation program for new directors |
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Deterioration |
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Providing opportunities for directors to acquire the knowledge and awareness they need, and coverage of expenses, etc. |
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Deterioration |
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|
Internal control | Ensuring proper internal controls and company-wide risk management systems, fully utilizing internal audit departments, and overseeing the status of their operation |
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Deterioration |
|
Feedback to senior management | Providing appropriate feedback to the Board of Directors regarding opinions expressed at financial results briefings, etc. |
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No change |
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For director training, we have established an environment that allows active
participation in external seminars and training to promote acquisition of the necessary knowledge and understanding
of roles and responsibilities.
In addition, for newly elected Directors who are not members of the Audit/Supervisory Committee, we carry out
training utilizing internal and external training programs.
We are a company with an audit/supervisory committee. The committee is comprised of six members: one full-time and five part-time (all Outside Directors).
The member of Audit/Supervisory Committee audited the execution of duties of
Directors through attendance at important decision making-related meetings such as of the Board of Directors, the
Management Meeting, and the Nominating and Compensation Committee (voluntary), received regular reports from the
Internal Control Department, made requests for audits and reports to the Internal Control Department, examined the
internal control systems of key operating companies, and viewed important documents such as approval forms.
Moreover, they receive reports from Directors and persons in charge and shared opinions with them as necessary.
The member of Audit/Supervisory Committee attends meetings of the Board of Directors and the Nominating and
Compensation Committee (voluntary), Business Executive Manager Meetings (held twice per year), and receives reports
on activities of the full-time Audit/Supervisory Committee members to share opinions.
In addition, the Audit/Supervisory Committee interviews the President and CCO, and in addition, receives monthly
reports on important matters relating to management status from Business Executive Directors, to provide their
opinions on Group strategies and offer suggestions on how to improve the risk management system. In addition, they
provided a report to the Board of Directors on the status of audit activities once every quarter.
The Company has prescribed the mission of internal audits as being "to enhance and preserve the value of the Group by providing risk-based and objective assurance, advice, and insight" and the definition of internal audits as being "to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of each risk management, control and governance process with a disciplined attitude and systematic methodology as internal audit specialists," and conducting internal audits of the entire group.
A) The basic remuneration for the President shall be determined at a competitive level, taking into consideration the levels of other companies in the same industry and public.
B) The basic remuneration for full-time officers shall be determined by multiplying the base amount by a coefficient determined for each position, with the base amount for the President as the base amount. The determination of the base amount and the coefficients for each position shall be left to the discretion of the Nominating and Compensation Committee.
C) Remuneration for part-time Directors (excluding Directors who are members of the Audit/Supervisory Committee) shall be determined separately.
D) The ratio of performance-linked compensation to the total amount of compensation for officers shall be approximately 15%.
E) The performance-linked compensation for the President shall be determined by calculating the consolidated ordinary income, etc., and this shall be the performance-based amount. The performance-linked compensation for other full-time officers shall be determined by multiplying the performance-based amount by a coefficient determined for each position. The total amount of performance-linked compensation shall not exceed a certain percentage of consolidated ordinary income, etc. The performance-linked compensation for each individual, including the President, will be finally determined by taking into account the contribution to medium- to long-term performance. The determination of the performance-based amount, coefficients for each position, and medium to long-term evaluation shall be left to the discretion of the Nominating and Compensation Committee.
F) Post-delivery performance-linked share-based compensation is a system that grants the number of the Company's common stock calculated in accordance with the ratio of achievement of the target value of evaluation indicators related to performance during the period determined by the Board of Directors of the Company (two fiscal years beginning April 1, 2024 and ending March 31, 2026) to Directors other than those who are Audit/Supervisory Committee Members as compensation for eligible Directors. Because the evaluation period is still in progress, whether or not to grant shares of common stock of the Company to each eligible Director and the amount of the number of shares to be granted have not been determined.
Officer Type | Total Amount (¥ Million) |
Total Amount by Type (¥ Million) | Number of People | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fixed Compensation | Performance-linked Compensation | Non-monetary compensation, etc. | |||
Directors (excluding Audit/ Supervisory Committee Members and Outside Directors) |
101 | 98 | 3 | - | 4 |
Directors (Audit/Supervisory Committee Member) (excluding Outside Directors) |
ー | ー | ー | ー | ー |
Outside Directors | 49 | 49 | ー | ー | 5 |
(Notes)
1. The total amount of compensation, etc., for Directors does not include the employee salary for Directors who concurrently serve asemployees.
2. Non-monetary compensation in the form of restricted stock compensation is recorded as an expense for the fiscal year under review.
The Company has introduced the following compensation system for Directors other than Audit/Supervisory Committee Members.
In order to raise awareness of the need to improve the Company's performance in each fiscal year, the Company has set consolidated ordinary income as the target performance indicator for a single fiscal year, and the amount calculated in accordance with the degree of achievement of the target value is multiplied by the coefficient that corresponds to the contribution to medium- to long-term performance and then paid every month as performance-linked compensation in addition to the fixed compensation. The reason for selecting consolidated ordinary income as the performance indicator is that the Company believes it is important to improve overall profitability, including not only operating activities but also financial activities.
The Company has introduced this system to provide incentives for the sustainable enhancement of the Group's corporate value and to promote further value sharing with our shareholders.
The Company and its Group companies have established a system to ensure that its Directors and employees perform their duties efficiently and in compliance with laws and regulations while conducting business activities, and to manage any inevitable risks that may occur. Furthermore, our basic approach for an internal control system is to build a strict audit and monitoring system to ensure that these tasks are performed appropriately. See the Report on Corporate Governance submitted to the Tokyo Stock Exchange for details on our internal control system.
The Company recognizes that having a relationship with antisocial forces is a violation of compliance, and has placed an ongoing priority on implementing measures to prevent any relationship with antisocial forces.
The Company holds cross-shareholdings for the purpose of strengthening and facilitating business relationships and alliances. Every year, the Board of Directors reviews the economic rationale of major cross-shareholdings of this type from a medium- to long-term perspective to determine whether or not to keep them.
Additionally, exercising of voting rights with respect to cross-shareholdings is carried out based on a comprehensive consideration of whether the matter will contribute to improving our corporate value and the common benefit of the investee's shareholders.
The Company believes that constructive dialog with its shareholders and investors contributes to its sustainable growth and improves its corporate value in the medium to long term.
Supplementary descriptions | |
Early notice of convening of General Meetings of Shareholders | We make an effort to send out notices of General Meeting of Shareholders before the legally required date to the meetings to facilitate the exercise of voting rights. |
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Avoidance of days on which many companies hold shareholders meetings | We make an effort to avoid days on which many companies hold shareholders meetings when setting the date for ours. |
Electronic exercise of voting rights | We have made it possible to exercise voting rights electronically. |
Participation in platform for exercising voting rights electronically and other efforts to improve environment for institutional investors to exercise voting rights | We have adopted a platform for institutional investors to exercise voting rights operated by ICJ, Inc. |
Provision of notices of convocation (summaries) in English | The Company posts an English version of the convocation notice on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the Electronic Proxy Voting Platform (ICJ), and the Company's website on the same day as the Japanese convocation notice. |
Supplementary descriptions | Explanations by representative | |
Disclosure Policy creation and publishing | The Disclosure Policy has been published on the Group's website. | |
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Regular IR conferences for individual investors | The Company holds company briefings for individual investors multiple times a year. In addition, we record and distribute financial results briefings held for analysts and institutional investors, and try to ensure fairness in the dissemination of information by providing individual investors with an environment in which they can also watch. | No |
Regular IR conferences for analysts and institutional investors | The Company holds financial results briefings for analysts and institutional investors. We also make efforts to communicate with analysts and institutional investors by disclosing financial results presentation materials on the Company's website for quarterly financial results, as well as by visiting institutional investors and responding to individual interviews. | Yes |
Publishing of IR material on website | We have established an IR site on our website, where we post not only financial results and financial information, but also explanatory materials for financial results, timely disclosure materials, shareholder newsletters, and various notices. Some of the above material is also provided in English. | |
Establishment of IR department (persons in charge) | We have established an Corporate Communication Team within the Finance and IR Department. | |
Other | In order to deepen the understanding of our company, we focus on providing information via the Internet, and actively disseminate the details of our initiatives through Group Topics on our website and various SNS. |
Supplementary descriptions | |
Provision on respect for stakeholder's perspective within internal rules | The Sinanen Holdings Group's Charter of Corporate Conduct stipulates the fulfillment of our corporate social responsibility, which is based on the concept of faith to fulfill our duties in response to the trust of a wide range of people, including stakeholders, as the foundation of our management. |
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Implementation of environmental conservation and CSR activities |
The Sinanen Holdings Group Charter of Corporate Conduct recognizes the importance of the global environment and stipulates that we will actively work to address environmental problems. Achievements in other CSR activities [Support for cultivation of the next generation] • Conducting an environmental education program for junior high school students on the theme of energy mix • Giving lessons on antibacterial practices at elementary schools • Holding the "Itsumo Arigato (Thank You) Essay Competition" for elementary school students nationwide [Social/international contribution] • Support for agriculture-welfare collaboration activities which aim to support the employment of people with disabilities through agriculture • Donating naturally grown rice harvested through agriculture-welfare collaboration activities to organizations working to reduce child poverty • Participation in the "Kids Earth Fund" for children around the world in need of assistance due to illness, conflict, or disaster • Participation in the smile for people project that supports independence of people with disabilities and domestic resource recycling [Regional promotion/environmental conservation] • Support for the forest maintenance project of the C.W. Nicol Afan Woodland Trust, which aims to conserve the environment and protect biodiversity • Promotion of the SINANEN Akari no Mori Project, through which we sell 100% renewable energy electricity and donate a proportion of the electricity charges to environmental conservation activities • Holding a youth soccer tournament to contribute to the future of children and their local communities • Running a community clean-up walk for the beautification of the community Other specific activities are stated in the Social Contribution Activities section of our website |
Establishment of policy on providing information to stakeholders | The Sinanen Holdings Group Charter of Corporate Conduct stipulates the appropriate disclosure of corporate information. |