May 31, 2022
Thank you very much for participating the event: “Webinar: Climate Change Shareholder Proposals for Japanese Companies” co-hosted by Proxy Watcher and Insightia.More than 150 people, including institutional investors, sustainability professionals from listed companies, and members of the press, viewed the webinar!
About this webinar
In the world today, a diverse range of shareholders and investors are demanding stronger measures for climate change and are stepping up shareholder actions to companies.
In Japan, on April 13 of 2022, five environmental NGOs submitted shareholder proposals related to climate change to four Japanese companies, Mitsubishi Corporation, SMBC Group, Tokyo Electric Power Company, and Chubu Electric Power Company, for the 2022 proxy season.
The content of these shareholder proposals is “to require each company to establish and disclose greenhouse gas emission targets for its business plans that are consistent with the 2050 net-zero scenario.
As shareholder proposals and investor engagement related to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investment have become increasingly active, shareholder demands for Japanese listed companies to strengthen their climate change measures in recent years.
Accordingly, Proxy Watcher Inc. and Insightia held a webinar for institutional investors and media representatives to promote dialogue and understanding between investors and environmental NGOs.
We have assembled a panel of experts to dive deep into these potential risks and share their insights about best practices for disclosure.
Panelists:
Dr. Kimiko Hirata (Moderator), Climate Integrate Executive Director
Lorenzo Sani, Associate Power Analyst, Carbon Tracker on potential financial risks associated with volatile LNG prices and fossil fuel expansion
Nick Spooner, Climate Change Engagement Specialist at Robeco on the importance of disclosure for investor decision-making and on shareholder proposals in encouraging disclosure
Haonan Wu, Engagement, Federated Hermes Limited, on international climate-related resolutions
Asahi Yamashita, Attorney-at-law, Legal Advisor to ClientEarth in Japan, Tokyo Surugadai Law Offices on the Japanese legal framework for shareholder proposals
Ayumi Fukasuka, Friends of the Earth Japan, on short and medium-term carbon emission targets
Eri Watanabe, 350.org Japan, on Net Zero by 2050 commitments and expansion of fossil fuel supply
Megu Fukuzawa, Market Forces, on disclosure of key assumptions for capital expenditure: internal carbon pricing and demand forecasts
Reference Materials
For more information on the shareholder proposals on climate change issues discussed during the webinar, please refer to the investor briefings on the websites of the proponent organizations.
– https://www.marketforces.org.au/corpo…
– https://world.350.org/ja/press-releas…
Hosts of this event
■ Proxy Watcher
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Proxy_watcher
HP: https://proxywatcher.jp/
■ Insightia
Insightia Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insi…
Insightia Twitter: https://twitter.com/insightialtd
Proxy Insight Twitter https://twitter.com/ProxyInsight
Insightia HP: https://www.insightia.com/
Disclaimer
Informational purposes only – This communication is provided solely for informational purposes only and is not, and should not be construed as, investment advice or investment recommendations for the purposes of the Financial Instrument Exchange Act of Japan.
No joint-exercise of voting rights – Nothing in this written communication, nor in any related oral discussion, is intended to be, nor should it be construed as, an offer, an acceptance or a consent, to enter into an agreement for the joint exercise of voting rights or any other shareholder’ rights for the purposes of the Financial Instrument Exchange Act and Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act of Japan. If needs be, it is hereby emphasised that each shareholder exercises its shareholder’s rights independently based upon its own decision and shall not be held liable for its exercise of its shareholder’s rights in any event or in any result, as a breach of any discussion between the shareholders.
No proxy solicitation – Nothing in this written communication, nor in any related oral discussion, is intended to be, nor should it be construed as, a “solicitation for proxies” for the purposes of the Financial Instrument Exchange Act of Japan. The shareholder is not soliciting or seeking any authorization by any other shareholders to exercise their voting rights or any other shareholders’ rights on their behalf or as their agent at the annual shareholders’ meeting.
