Foreign Shareholders and Corporate Governance in Japan
21 Pages Posted: 27 Mar 2019
Date Written: March 5, 2019
Abstract
Shareholders are one of the most critical players in corporate governance. Contrary to the stereotypical understanding of Japanese companies, widely held equity ownership and foreign investors constituting the largest investor category are commonly observed in large Japanese companies. Given this shareholding structure, foreign shareholders have a potentially significant influence on corporate governance in Japan; however, their role has rarely been analyzed from the perspective of corporate law. This paper argues that the current legal environment is at the halfway point in its attempt to get the most out of their potential influence. The aggressive shareholder activism by foreign investors has faced the skeptical attitude of not only the target company’s management, but also the government and the courts. Although the recent reform in corporate governance led by the government is bringing about a change in the business environment, it is too early to conclude that it will eliminate the resistance against shareholders’ activism. This paper argues that the law should prepare the environment to support mild shareholder engagement by relatively passive investors, such as those encouraging the collaboration among institutional investors.
Keywords: corporate governance, shareholder activism, international investment
JEL Classification: K22, G34, G38
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation