As a major policy to promote structural reforms, the Japanese government has introduced the Corporate Governance Code and the Stewardship Code in order to encourage Japanese firms to innovate and invest, and for shareholders to actively monitor and promote those efforts. The Corporate Governance Code is designed to increase transparency and accountability in Japanese corporate management, and the Stewardship Code is designed to encourage investors to engage in active discussion with their invested companies, in order to guide and accelerate the evolution of Japan’s corporate culture.
Building on Japan’s ongoing corporate governance reforms, this program examines today’s pressing issues surrounding the Japanese business environment, such as the latest phase of Japan’s corporate governance evolution, with particular attention to how disclosure-based, “soft-law” mechanisms are shaping corporate conduct and market expectations, as in the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s 2023 disclosure initiative. There are key differences in how Japanese, American, and global governance models balance the interests of shareholders, employees, and society and approach long-term value creation, warranting further study. Emerging evidence may distinguish between reform measures that meaningfully move markets and improve corporate performance versus changes that are largely cosmetic.
CJEB will advance this research on corporate governance in collaboration with leading experts from academia, industry, and the public sector through a range of scholarly and convening activities, including academic research, lectures, and the publication of research papers.
For more information about this program, please contact [email protected]
Corporate Governance & Stewardship Events