Tag - corporate-governance

 
 

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

A boy forced to engage in child labor carries a sack of cocoa beans in the Ashanti Region of Ghana in 2011. Ghana is Japan's biggest supplier of cocoa.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 31, 2023
Chocolate producers aim to stamp out child labor in supply chains
Though not many consumers in Japan are aware of or sensitive to the issue, some chocolate producers in the country have decided to take a stand.
Cosmo Energy Holdings has said it will call another shareholder vote in December to seek approval for a "poison pill" takeover defense against a group of activist investors.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 25, 2023
Cosmo calls another shareholder vote in activist defense
Japan's third-biggest oil refiner said it will not prevent the group a group of activist investors from voting this time.
A Bigmotor outlet in Tama, Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 24, 2023
Transport ministry orders Bigmotor to halt operations at 34 shops
Twelve of the shops had their licenses to carry out private vehicle inspections revoked.
Sawai Pharmaceutical president Motohiko Kimura (left) and chair Mitsuo Sawai apologize at a news conference in the city of Osaka on Monday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 24, 2023
Sawai joins list of drugmakers known for manufacturing misconduct
The company had been fraudulently using capsules with new, replaced outer shells for post-approval quality testing, in place of ones it should have used.
The transport ministry holds a hearing session for Bigmotor on Friday in Nagoya. Bigmotor officials did not show up.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 20, 2023
Transport ministry moves to punish Bigmotor outlets over fraud
Violations by the used car chain have included overcharging customers for inspection and maintenance fees.
Thanks to a rally in Japanese stocks, even some "bad governance” companies have been unfairly benefiting from the wave, a fund manager has said.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 16, 2023
Time to short Japan’s ‘bad governance’ stocks, hedge fund says
A rally in Japanese stocks has unfairly benefited companies that are flouting the bourse’s campaign to boost valuations, according to a fund manager.
The transport ministry plans to order major used car dealer Bigmotor to halt operations at a quarter of its vehicle maintenance outlets over suspected improper provision of services as investigations continue into insurance fraud cases.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 13, 2023
Bigmotor to be ordered to halt operations at 34 maintenance shops
The transport ministry has said that the company intentionally damaged vehicles to inflate repair fees.
A Bigmotor dealer branch in Saitama that was inspected by the transport ministry
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 12, 2023
Transport ministry to penalize used car dealer Bigmotor for fraud
Penalties are planned at 34 Bigmotor outlets, with 12 possibly set to have their authority to conduct safety inspections revoked.
Pump jacks in an oil field in Midland, Texas. Big Oil is responsible for the bulk of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions and pressure for action is building.
BUSINESS
Oct 7, 2023
Exxon Mobil's megadeal to test climate-aware shareholders
Negotiations between Exxon and Pioneer are advanced but have not yet led to an agreement over the acquisition.
A Jera thermal power plant
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 6, 2023
Japan climate group calls for ban on top power firm's emission claims
The group says the ads may mislead consumers as Jera fails to mention that the ammonia the utility plans to use would emit CO2 during production.
LeanIn.Org founder Sheryl Sandberg
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 5, 2023
Women are asking for promotions, but men keep getting them
Women want to be leaders in the workplace, but employers are still passing them by in favor of their male counterparts.
Johnny & Associates president Noriyuki Higashiyama (second from right), flanked by Johnnys' Island President Yoshihiko Inohara (second from left), unveils the company name Smile-Up during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 2, 2023
Johnny's to form new company in wake of sexual abuse by founder
The move comes after the agency acknowledged abuse and apologized to victims in a news conference last month.
Johnny & Associates' outgoing head Julie Keiko Fujishima and its new chief, Noriyuki Higashiyama, bow to express their apology during a news conference in Tokyo last month.
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2023
Johnny's looks toward a revamp as it seeks to salvage tarnished brand
Recent attempts to distance the agency from the long shadow of its namesake have been met with public backlash.
Shell CEO Wael Sawan attends the China Development Forum 2023 in Beijing on March 25. At an investor day in June, Sawan outlined plans to slow investment in renewables and low-carbon business as part of a strategy to boost returns.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 28, 2023
Shell CEO faces pressure from within over renewables commitment
Employees have issued a rare open letter to Wael Sawan after he outlined plans to slow investment in renewables in a strategy to boost returns.
Financial Services Agency officials enter Bigmotor's Tama outlet in western Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 19, 2023
Watchdog starts on-site probe of Bigmotor and Sompo Japan
The investigation aims to dig deeper into the insurance fraud scandal by the leading used-car dealer. The probe is likely to take several months.
Identifying a sustainable product can involve evaluating claims about emissions, plastic use, water waste and packaging recyclability.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Sep 19, 2023
Regulators are trying to stop greenwashing before it gets worse
The range of agencies tackling dubious sustainability claims is indicative of its ambiguity and breadth.
The headquarters of Johnny & Associates in Tokyo's Minato Ward
JAPAN / Society
Sep 14, 2023
Johnny's says it will work for free as firms cut ties over scandal
The talent agency says it will not receive management fees for advertisements and television appearances by performers for a year.
The sudden resignation of BP CEO Bernard Looney may mark a crossroads clean energy, as Looney was seen as pushing for a transition more aggressively than his industry peers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2023
BP chief’s surprise exit leaves questions over green strategy
BP said Tuesday that the 53-year-old CEO was departing after failing to fully disclose to the company board past relationships with colleagues.
Japan Exchange Group only has a female board ratio of 13%, a level that’s less than half the average of global peers.
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2023
Japan stock exchange’s board diversity is among worst in world
Japan Exchange Group’s female board ratio remains far below global peers and its own listing rule goal.
Sompo Japan Insurance President Giichi Shirakawa apologizes during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 8, 2023
Sompo Japan president to resign for Bigmotor insurance fraud scandal
The insurer's close relationship with the used car dealership has come under scrutiny since the firm was found to have made fraudulent insurance claims.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on