Form 6-K
FORM 6-K
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Report of Foreign Issuer
Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the month of
..... March........................................................ ,
2010
(Translation of registrants name into English)
30-2, Shimomaruko 3-Chome, Ohta-ku, Tokyo 146-8501, Japan
(Address of principal executive offices)
[Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover
Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Form 20-F
X
Form 40-F
[Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in this
Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Yes
No
X
[If Yes is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in connection
with Rule 12g3-2(b):82-
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly
caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
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CANON INC.
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(Registrant)
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Date.... March 31, 2010.... |
By....../s/......Masashiro Kobayashi..........................
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(Signature)* |
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Masashiro Kobayashi
General Manager
Global Finance Management Center
Canon Inc. |
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*Print the name and title of the signing officer under his signature.
The following materials are included.
1. The following is an overview of Corporate Governance at Cannon Inc.
The following is an overview of Corporate Governance at Canon Inc.
March 31, 2010
Canon Inc.
I. |
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Fundamental Policy Concerning Corporate Governance and Basic Information about Capital
Structure, Corporate Attributes, etc. |
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1. |
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Fundamental Policy |
In order to establish a sound corporate governance structure and continuously raise corporate
value, the Company believes that it is essential to improve management transparency and strengthen
management supervising functions. At the same time, a sense of ethics and mission held by each
executive and employee of a company is very important in order to achieve continuous corporate
growth and development.
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Percentage of Shares Held by Foreign Investors
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30% and above |
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Overview of Major Shareholders (revised)
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Name of Shareholders |
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Number of Shares |
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Shareholding |
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Held |
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Ratio (%) |
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The Dai-Ichi Mutual Life Insurance Co. |
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74,649,600 |
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5.60 |
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Japan Trustee Services Bank, Ltd. (Trust
Account) |
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67,840,700 |
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5.09 |
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The Master Trust Bank of Japan, Ltd. (Trust
Account) |
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51,665,700 |
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3.87 |
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Moxley & Co. |
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50,458,692 |
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3.78 |
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JP Morgan Chase Bank & Co. 380055 |
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39,866,716 |
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2.99 |
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Mizuho Corporate Bank, Ltd. |
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25,919,736 |
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1.94 |
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Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. |
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22,910,347 |
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1.72 |
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The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. London
S.L. Omnibus Account |
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21,863,116 |
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1.64 |
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State Street Bank and Trust Company 505225 |
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20,850,150 |
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1.56 |
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State Street Bank and Trust Company |
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19,681,783 |
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1.48 |
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Stock Exchange Listings
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Tokyo (1st Section), Osaka (1st
Section), Nagoya (1st Section),
Fukuoka (Existing Market) and
Sapporo (Existing Market) |
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Fiscal Year-end
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December |
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Sector
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Electric appliances |
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Number of Employees (Consolidated)
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1,000 and above |
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Net Sales (Consolidated)
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1 trillion yen and above |
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Parent Company
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NA |
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Number of Subsidiaries and Affiliates
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100 and above but less than 300 |
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4. |
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Other Special Circumstances that may have a Material Impact on Corporate Governance
(revised) |
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(1) |
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Supplementary information regarding Overview of Major Shareholders, under item 2, Capital
Structure:
Overview of Major Shareholders is as of December 31, 2009. In addition, as of the
same date, the Company held 99,288,001 shares (Shareholding Ratio
7.44%) in the form of treasury stock. |
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(2) |
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Other:
As of March 31, 2010, the Company has 5 listed subsidiaries and 2 listed
sub-subsidiaries. The Company respects the independence of each company in its managerial
decision-making and execution of duties. |
II. |
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Overview of Corporate Governance Structure in terms of the Organization of Management
regarding Managerial Decision-Making, Execution of Duty, Oversight and other matters |
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1. |
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Items Concerning Institutional Structure, Organizational Operation, etc.
(revised) |
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Organizational Form
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Company with a Board of
Corporate Auditors |
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Directors |
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Chairman of the Board of Directors
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Chairman of the Company
(excluding the case when the
chairman of the company
concurrently holds position of
president) |
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Number of Directors
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17 |
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Elected Outside Directors
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None |
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Reasons for Operating Under the Current Structure
Important business matters are actively discussed and ratified during meetings of the Board of
Directors and Executive Committee, which are, in principle, attended by all Directors. The
Companys board consists of 17 Directors. Based on the Companys view that more practical and
efficient decisions can be made by people with well-developed knowledge of the Companys affairs,
the Company does not employ outside directors. In the Companys case, this management structure
has functioned effectively since its establishment in view of the fact that the Company has seen
steady improvement on various fronts.
In addition to this, on April 1, 2008, the Company introduced the Executive Officer System as it
became necessary to strengthen management, execution, and monitoring functions even further to
respond appropriately to factors such as further future
business expansion and a shift toward globalization. The Company has 13 executive officers that
support directors in the execution of assigned duties. With this, the Company has a structure in
place where directors can focus more on management and
supervision.
In addition to having five Corporate Auditors, three of whom are Independent* and Outside
Corporate Auditors, in order to ensure effective corporate governance, the Company employs diverse
internal control systems, including enhancing the structure and authority of its internal
auditing; having Corporate Auditors and the Corporate Audit Center work closely with the
Accounting Auditors; and establishing in 2004 the Corporate Ethics and Compliance Committee and
Internal Control Committee. These measures support the effective implementation of the Companys
corporate governance, while also making possible the maintaining and strengthening of this
structure.
These measures support the effective implementation of the Companys corporate governance, while
also making possible the maintaining and strengthening of this structure.
* Independent Director(s)/Auditor(s) as defined by Rule 436-2 of the Securities Listing
Regulations of Tokyo Stock Exchange, Inc.
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Corporate Auditors |
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Existence or Nonexistence of a Board of Corporate
Auditors
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Exists |
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Number of Corporate Auditors
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5 |
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Cooperation Between Corporate Auditors and Accounting Auditors
At the beginning of the year, the Corporate Auditors and the Board of Corporate Auditors receive
from the Accounting Auditors an outline of their audit plan and a report on important auditing
items on which the Corporate Auditors and the Board of Corporate Auditors express their opinion
with respect to validity. Also, the Corporate Auditors and the Board of Corporate Auditors,
maintain close cooperation with the Accounting Auditors and exchange opinions on such subjects as
the results of audits and the Accounting Auditors grasp of the Companys internal control systems
and their evaluation of risk.
Furthermore, in addition to observing the Accounting Auditors fieldwork and audit reviews as
necessary, the Corporate Auditors and the Board of Corporate Auditors always receive from the
Accounting Auditors an audit report that deals with the accounting audit of quarterly and year-end
accounts. Also, the Corporate Auditors and the Board of Corporate Auditors, maintaining constant
cooperation with the Accounting Auditors, may, from time to time, request to the Accounting
Auditors a report on the progress of their various audits.
Cooperation Between Corporate Auditors and Internal Auditing
At the beginning of the year, the Corporate Auditors and the Board of Corporate Auditors confirm
with the Corporate Audit Center, which serves as the Companys internal auditing division, the
outline of their internal audit plan and internal auditing subjects.
The Corporate Auditors and Board of Corporate Auditors receive from the Corporate
Audit Center a report on the audit and the evaluation after the conclusion of the internal audit
on such subjects as business operation audits and internal control systems. The Corporate Audit
Center also reports individually on the internal audit results regarding product quality,
environmental issues, information security and physical security, areas in which various relevant
administrative divisions work very closely with the Corporate Audit Center.
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Outside Corporate Auditors
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Elected |
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Number of Outside Corporate Auditors
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3 |
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Relation with the Company (1) (revised)
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Name
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Occupation
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Relation with the Company |
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Tadashi Ohe
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Attorney
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A current Outside Director or Outside
Corporate Auditor of another company |
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Kazunori Watanabe
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Certified Public
Accountant
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A current Outside Director
or Outside Corporate Auditor of
another company |
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Kuniyoshi Kitamura
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Former employee of
another company
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A current Outside Director or Outside
Corporate Auditor of another company |
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Relation with the Company (2) (revised)
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Name
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Supplementary
Information in Regard
to Applicable Items
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Reason(s) for Appointing
the Relevant Outside
Corporate Auditor |
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Tadashi Ohe
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NA
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Comprehensively
evaluated and qualified
given insight and
experience gained
through being an
attorney. An application to
secure independent
director(s)/auditor(s)
status for Tadashi Ohe
was submitted on March
31, 2010. There was no
conflict with the criterion
used to assess
independence. |
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Kazunori Watanabe
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NA
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Comprehensively
evaluated and qualified
given insight and
experience gained
through being a certified
public accountant An
application to secure
independent
director(s)/auditor(s)
status for Kazunori
Watanabe was submitted
on March 31, 2010. There
was no conflict with the
criterion used to assess
independence. |
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Kuniyoshi Kitamura
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NA
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Comprehensively |
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evaluated and qualified
given insight and experience
gained through many years
working for a financial
institution. An application
to secure independent
director(s)/auditor(s)
status for Kuniyoshi
Kitamura was submitted on
March 31, 2010. There was no
conflict with the criterion
used to assess independence. |
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Other Items Related to Major Activities of Outside Corporate Auditors
Outside Corporate Auditors conduct audits throughout the year based on the audit policy, audit
plan, audit methodology and the allocation of audit work, which are determined by the Board of
Corporate Auditors.
In the Companys 109th Business Term (fiscal year 2009, which ended December), the main activities
of the three Outside Corporate Auditors were as follows:
Tadashi Ohe attended 12 out of 19 Board of Directors meeting and 18 out of 19 Board of Corporate
Auditors meeting held during this term, and provided expert input as an attorney when necessary.
Yoshinobu Shimizu attended 18 out of 19 Board of Directors meeting and all 19 Board of Corporate
Auditors meeting held during this term, and provided expert input as a Certified Public Accountant
when necessary.
Minoru Shishikura attended all 19 Board of Directors meeting and 18 out of 19 Board of Corporate
Auditors meeting held during this term, and provided input based on his insight in financial
operation when necessary.
(Note, as of March 30, 2010, Kazunori Watanabe and Kuniyoshi Kitamura have been appointed as new
Outside Corporate Auditors)
Incentives to Directors
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Implementation of Measures to Grant
Incentives to Directors
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Introduction of Stock Option Plan |
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Supplementary Information in Regard to Applicable Items
The Company aims to contribute to sustained improvement in corporate value, raising the mid- to
long-term motivation of grantees to improve business performance, and linking this to a further
enhancement of corporate strength.
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The Grantees of Stock Options
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The Companys Directors and Others |
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Supplementary Information in Regard to Applicable Items
Others include executive officers and senior employees.
Director Remuneration
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Disclosure Method
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Annual Report filed with the Japanese
government pursuant to the Securities and
Exchange Law of Japan, Business Report |
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Disclosure Situation
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Aggregate amount of Director
remuneration is disclosed |
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Supplementary Information in Regard to Applicable Items (revised)
As disclosed in our Annual Report filed with the Japanese government pursuant to the Securities
and Exchange Law of Japan, the amount of Director remuneration for the 109th Business Term (fiscal
year, which ended December 2009) was 1,654 million yen.
Note 1: The above amount does not include amount paid as salary for employees to those Directors
who are also employees.
Note 2: The above amount includes provisions for directors bonuses for this term in the amount of
127 million yen.
Note 3: The above amount includes expenses related to the share options in the amount of 341
million yen.
Note 4: The above amount includes 236 million yen of accrued directors retirement benefits for
this term.
The Support System Provided for Outside Directors and Outside Corporate Auditors
The Company supports the five Corporate Auditors, which include Outside Corporate Auditors, by
staffing full-time workers at the Office of Corporate Auditors.
Outside Corporate Auditors are given prior explanations of the Board of Directors meeting agendas,
provided by a Non-outside Corporate Auditor or the person in charge of the relevant division. In
addition, although all Outside Corporate Auditors are charged
with attending all meetings to receive reports and explanations regarding conducted audits from
the Accounting Auditors and Corporate Audit Center, when an Outside Corporate Auditor is not able
to attend such meetings, a Corporate Auditor or full-time staff member that did attend will
provide a report to enable the Outside Corporate Auditors to grasp the situation. Furthermore, the
Board of Corporate Auditors, which meets at least once a month, holds liaison meetings, at any
time, for the purpose of sharing information and supplementing the Board of Corporate Auditor
Meetings, and exchanging information on important items and various audit details among
themselves.
2. |
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Items Concerning Functions such as Execution of Duties, Audit and Supervision, Designation, and
Remuneration Determination (revised) |
In addition to the director and corporate auditor systems, the Company has a corporate governance
structure that incorporates its own internal auditing system.
With a Board consisting of 17 Directors, none of which are Outside Directors, the
Company pursues practical and efficient management decision-making. Important matters are ratified
by the Board of Directors and Executive Committee, which, in principle, are based on full
participation of the Companys Directors. The Company has also established committees to address
important management themes with the aim of complementing the business operation structure and
facilitating swift and effective decision-making while, at the same time, realizing a mutual
supervisory function for such matters as compliance and ethics. In Addition, to further enhance
the Companys system for the execution of duties and manage the business more flexibly and
effectively, the Company introduced the Executive Officer System from April 1, 2008.
The Corporate Auditors of which there are five, including three Outside Corporate Auditors, in
accordance with audit policies and allocation of responsibilities, conducts strict audits through
attending Board of Directors meetings, Executive Committee meetings and other meetings of various
committees, listening to operating reports from Directors and others, inspecting documents of
important resolutions, and investigating the Companys business situation and assets, to fulfill
its monitoring function of the Board of Directors in the performance of its duties. Furthermore,
close cooperation among the Corporate Auditors, the Accounting Auditors and the Corporate Audit
Center serves to enhance each monitoring function.
On March 31, 2010, the Company gave prior notification to secure independent
director(s)/auditor(s) eligibility for three Outside Corporate Auditors, as follows:
As for Tadashi Ohe, since there are no particular personal or economic relationships such as
advisory contracts etc., between the Company and Tadashi Ohe, the judgment criteria regarding
independent director(s)/auditor(s) attributes do not apply. Tadashi Ohe is engaged as lawyer that
has in an impartial and objective manner provided his legal expert opinion in accordance with his
conscience at director meetings etc.
As for Kazunori Watanabe, although he was employed by the Companys Accounting Auditor, since the
consideration for non-audit services is not a substantial amount, the judgment criteria regarding
independent director(s)/auditor(s) attributes do not apply. Kazunori Watanabe is a certified
public accountant engaged in the business of corporate accounting and committee activity of the
Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants for many years that is expected to carry out sufficient management monitor functions
from an objective and impartial standpoint.
As for Kuniyoshi Kitamura, although he was employed by a life insurance company holding the
Company shares and said company is also one of many parties that the Company does business with,
since a conflict of interest with general shareholders is unlikely to occur due to the percentage
of shareholding and amount of trading between the two companies, the judgment criteria regarding
independent director(s)/auditor(s) attributes do not apply. As a businessperson with know-how
being in charge of the investigative arm of a life insurance company, and a person with experience
working in broad fields such as sales and corporate planning, Kuniyoshi Kitamura is expected to
use his good and balanced sense of judgment.
Furthermore, based on internal audit rules, the Corporate Audit Center (internal auditing)
conducts audits covering such areas as internal control systems, and provides assessments and
proposals. The various relevant administrative divisions also work with the Corporate Audit Center
to audit such areas as product quality, environmental issues, information security and physical
security.
Regarding external audits, with the aim of monitoring the independency of the accounting firm, the
Company introduced a prior approval system by the Board of Corporate Auditors for contents of
auditing and other service contracts and relevant fees. Based on policies and procedures of the
prior approval for both auditing and non-auditing services, each contract is closely reviewed for
prior approval
The Company has an auditing service contract with Ernst & Young ShinNihon LLC to audit its
financial statements. To check the validity of the audit, the Companys Corporate Auditors receive
detailed explanations, including documents, from the Accounting Auditors about the quality
management system regarding audits.
The names and other details of the certified public accountants that carried out accounting audit
work for the Company for the 109th Business Term (fiscal year 2009, which ended December) are
listed below.
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Certified Public Accountant |
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Accounting Firm |
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Designated
Partner
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Engagement
Partner
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Noriharu FujitaHideo
Kojima
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Ernst & Young
ShinNihon LLC |
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Designated
Partner
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Engagement
Partner
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Norimitsu Yanai
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Ernst & Young
ShinNihon LLC |
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Designated
Partner
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Engagement
Partner
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Yuichiro Munakata
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Ernst & Young
ShinNihon LLC |
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Designated
Partner
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Engagement
Partner
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Hiroki Suzuki
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Ernst & Young
ShinNihon LLC |
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Note 1: Since all partners with have fewer than 7 years of consecutive audits, the number of years
of consecutive audits have been omitted.
Note 2: The accounting firm has voluntarily taken measures to ensure that Engagement Partners do
not work in excess of the fixed term of auditing the Company.
Auditing assistants that carried out audit work for the Company: (Certified Public Accountants:
21; Others: 57)
III. |
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Implementation of Measures Related to Shareholders and Other Stakeholders |
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1. |
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Measures to Revitalize the Shareholders Meetings and Facilitate the Exercise of Voting
Rights (revised) |
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Supplementary Information |
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Early Distribution of Notice
Regarding the Ordinary
General Meeting of
Shareholders
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The Company sent its Notice of Convocation of the
Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders 27 days prior
to its latest Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. |
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Other
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For foreign shareholders, the Company prepares English
translations of its Notice of Convocation of the Ordinary
General Meeting of Shareholders and distributes this
information to standing proxies. |
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2. |
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IR Activities (revised) |
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Existence or
Nonexistence
of explanations
by a company
representative
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Supplementary Information |
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Holding of Periodic
Conferences for
Individual
Investors
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NA
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In 2006, the Senior Managing Director and
Group Executive of Finance & Accounting
Headquarters (at that time) held two
conferences. In 2008, the Managing Director
and Group Executive of Finance & Accounting
Headquarters held a conference. In 2009, the
Managing Director and Group Executive of
Finance & Accounting Headquarters held a
conference. |
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Holding of Periodic
Conferences for
Analysts and
Institutional
Investors
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Exists
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In 2008, the Chairman & CEO and President &
COO held a Corporate Strategy Conference.
Furthermore, on the day financial results were
announced on a quarterly basis, conferences for
analysts and institutional investors in Japan to
report the results were held by the Managing
Director and Group Executive of Finance &
Accounting Headquarters. In addition, the
Company held one conference, focusing on a
product group hosted by the executive in charge
of the group.
In 2009, the Chairman & CEO and President &
COO held a Corporate Strategy Conference.
In 2010, the Chairman & CEO and President &
COO held a Corporate Strategy Conference. |
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Holding of Periodic
Conferences for
Overseas
Investors
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NA
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In 2008, the Managing Director and Group
Executive of Finance & Accounting
Headquarters visited overseas investors to
discuss the Companys management and
business strategies. In addition, on the day
financial results were announced on a quarterly
basis, the Managing Director and Group
Executive of Finance & Accounting
Headquarters hosted conference calls to report
results.
In 2009, on the day financial results were
announced on a quarterly basis, the Managing
Director and Group Executive of Finance &
Accounting Headquarters hosted conference
calls to report results. |
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Posting of IR
Materials on
Homepage
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Exists
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As a general rule, the Company strives to post
all disclosed materials on its Japanese and
English language websites. The websites also
include information on the Companys stock |
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price, historical financial data (10-year
summary), and audio or video from various
recently held investor-related conferences. |
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Establishment of a
Post for IR
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NA
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The IR Promotion Division, which is a part of the
Global Finance Management Center, organized
under Finance & Accounting Headquarters, is in
charge of investor relations. The Director in
charge of investor relations is the Managing
Director and Group Executive of Finance &
Accounting Headquarters. The person in charge
of the investor relations program on a day-to-day
basis is the general manager. |
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3. |
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Measures Concerning Respecting the Position of Stakeholders |
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Supplementary Information |
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Internal Rules, etc.
Regarding Respecting the
Position of Stakeholders
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In line with Canons corporate philosophy of
kyoseiliving and working together for the common
goodthe Company works to fulfill its social
responsibilities, fostering good relations, not only with its
customers, the communities in which the Company
operates, and shareholders, but also with nations and the
environment. These objectives are outlined in the Canon
Group Code of Conduct, which Canon Directors and
employees adhere to when conducting business
activities. |
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Implementation of
Environmental
Conservation Activities,
CSR Activities, etc.
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Regarding the Companys environmental conservation
activities and CSR activities, related divisions are in
charge of handling these responsibilities in accordance
with Canons corporate philosophy of kyosei.
Detailed information on these activities appears in the
Sustainability Report, which the Company publishes to
ensure accountability to its stakeholders. |
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Establishment of Policies,
etc. Concerning Supplying
Information for
Stakeholders
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As for information-disclosure policies, the Company has
drawn up its own guidelines, which it adheres to when
disclosing information. In addition, the Company
established the Disclosure Committee in 2005 to ensure
that important management information is disclosed in an
accurate, comprehensive, and fair manner. |
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IV. |
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Basic Policy Concerning Internal Control Systems and Overview of their Implementation |
Basic Policy Concerning Internal Control Systems and Overview of their Implementation(revised)
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System for ensuring Directors and Employees Compliance with Laws and Articles of
Incorporation |
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(1) |
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Based on the spirit of the Three Selfs (self-motivation, self-management, and
self-awareness)a Canon universal principle dating back to the Companys foundingthe
Company established the Canon Group Code of Conduct as a standard to which Directors,
Executive Officers and employees must adhere when performing their work. Canons Corporate
Ethics and Compliance Committee, which manages and oversees this initiative, promotes
compliance activities through compliance staff assigned to each division. |
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(2) |
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The Company ensures the implementation of the basic policy that provides not to have any
relation with antisocial forces, and also maintains and improves the cooperation structure
with external institutions such as police by establishing a department in charge. |
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(3) |
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The Companys internal auditing, legal, and other divisions work to strengthen compliance
through law-abidance guidance and monitoring on its business activities. |
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(4) |
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An in-house hotline system is employed to help prevent improprieties. |
2. |
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System for Maintaining and Managing Information Relating to the Performance of Duties by
Directors |
Information relating to the performance of duties by Directors is maintained and managed in
accordance with the Companys basic rules for document management and
other in-house rules. A system has been established that enables Directors, Corporate Auditors,
and internal auditing to access this information anytime.
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Rules and Other Systems Regarding Management of Risk of Loss |
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(1) |
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Important matters are carefully deliberated at the Executive Committee and in other
various Committees to eliminate or reduce business risks. |
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(2) |
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Business processes are specified and risks are evaluated based on guidelines of the
Internal Control Committee to ensure the accuracy and reliability of financial reporting. This
must be documented in writing, and the status of control activity is regularly confirmed. |
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(3) |
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A risk management system is created through the formulation and observance of various
in-house rules to protect the Company from diversifying risks (quality, environmental,
disaster, information-related, export management, etc.) and maintain public faith. In
particular, Basic Policies Regarding Product Safety have been established, which govern
efforts in supplying customers with safe products that will allow comfortable and satisfactory
use. |
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(4) |
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Auditing by internal auditing is carried out for the early detection and resolution of
risks. |
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System for Assuring Directors Efficient Execution of Duties |
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(1) |
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Important matters are carefully deliberated in advance by the Executive Committee and in
various Committees to promote prompt and appropriate decision making by Directors.
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(2) |
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Management policies are explained in long-term management plans, and the Company goals are
given concrete shape in medium-term plans. In addition, annual and quarterly short-term plans
and monthly budgetary control are used to monitor performance progress, through which the
Company makes optimum use of management resources. |
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System for Ensuring Appropriate Groupwide Operations |
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(1) |
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Based on the Canon Group Code of Conduct, the Company promotes Groupwide compliance and
infuses an awareness of compliance and corporate ethics. |
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(2) |
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The internal auditing, legal, and other divisions provide guidance and monitoring with
regard to the observance of laws in the business activities of all Group companies. |
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(3) |
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The soundness and efficiency of the Groups business activities are ensured by means of
Groupwide medium-term plans and deliberations in the various Committees. |
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Matters Regarding Employees Who Assist the Duties of Corporate Auditors and Their Independence |
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(1) |
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The Office of Corporate Auditors has been established, and full-time employees of a
requisite size have been assigned to it.
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(2) |
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The Office is an organization independent of the Board of Directors, and changes in its
personnel require the prior consent of the Board of Corporate Auditors. |
7. |
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System of Reporting to Corporate Auditors and Other Systems for Securing
the Effectiveness of Auditing by Corporate Auditors |
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(1) |
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Directors promptly report to corporate auditors matters that may have a significant impact
on the Company. |
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(2) |
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Directors, Executive Officers and employees deliver reports periodically to Corporate
Auditors regarding matters the Directors and Corporate Auditors have previously agreed upon in
consultations. |
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(3) |
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Corporate auditors periodically receive reports from accounting auditors. |
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Corporate auditors attend Executive Committee and other important meetings. |
Basic Policy and Overview of Implementation toward Elimination of Antisocial Forces
1. Basic Policy
The Company has established a basic policy that the Company and all of its Group companies will
take a firm attitude against and cut off relation with antisocial forces which bring threats to
order and safety of civil society.
2. Overview of Implementation
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(1) |
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Based on a resolution of the Board of Directors meeting, the Company has incorporated a
provision on cutting off relation with antisocial forces in the Internal Control Systems as
mentioned above, and also incorporates provisions to the same effect in the Employment
Regulation, in order to ensure the employees implementation thereof. |
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(2) |
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The General Affairs Division of the Companys Headquarter is set as the administration
department of the Group to deal with antisocial forces, and endeavors to prevent transactions,
etc. with antisocial forces by sharing information regarding antisocial forces and
countermeasures against them with each general affairs department of the Group. |
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(3) |
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The Company establishes a cooperation structure with external institutions such as police
and lawyers. |
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(4) |
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Regarding payments for auspices, the Company reviews them in advance in
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order to check that there is not any issue based on legal and corporate ethical
perspective.
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V. |
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Other |
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1. |
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Matters Regarding Takeover Defense |
Not introduced.
2. |
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Other Items Concerning Corporate Governance Systems, etc. (revised) |
The following is an overview of recently implemented measures aimed at enhancing corporate
governance.
In 2004, the Company established the Corporate Ethics and Compliance Committee and Internal
Control Committee as standing committees with the president appointed as chairman of both
organizations. The aim of the Corporate Ethics and Compliance Committee is to raise and infuse
compliance and ethical awareness throughout the Company. To raise the effectiveness of these
activities, the related administrative department, which had been part of the General Affairs
Headquarters, was made an independent unitthe Corporate Ethics and Compliance Administration Officeunder the direct
control of the Companys president. A Company Director was appointed to head the office.
The Internal Control Committee has built a highly effective own internal control system and has
started activities, which not only aim to ensure the reliability of the Companys financial
reporting, but also to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the Companys business
operations, as well as compliance with related laws.
With regard to securing the reliability of financial reporting, we have received evaluations that
our internal control is effective under the Sarbanex-Oxley Act and Financial Instruments and
Exchange Act, which we have employed for four years and one year, respectively.
Additionally, in order to enhance the management monitoring function of the Board of Corporate
Auditors, from March 30, 2006, the number of Corporate Auditors was increased from four (two
Non-outside Corporate Auditors, two Outside Corporate Auditors) to five (two Non-outside Corporate
Auditors, three Outside Corporate Auditors). Moreover, in order to strengthen the auditing
function of the Corporate Audit Center, which is in charge of the internal auditing, the staff has
been gradually increased and numbered 73 (as of March 31, 2010).
Through these measures, the Company has placed emphasis on building systems to ensure the proper
functioning of corporate governance. Going forward, to ensure the everlasting functioning of
corporate governance and the Companys continued growth and development, the Company will foster a
corporate culture whereby all Directors and all employees conduct themselves with an awareness of
compliance and corporate ethics.