Title: Corporate Form Selection and Governance Structure Reform in Japanese Enterprises

Lecturer: Zhiping Wang, Professor, Sapporo University, Japan

Time: October 28, 2024 (Monday) 14:00-16:00 pm

Venue: School of Business 318

Organizer: Department of Accounting, Corporate Finance Research Institute

Synopsis:

  This lecture will examine the specific governance structures chosen by Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed companies under Japan's corporate forms since the enactment of the old Commercial Code in 1890, the 2003 amendments to the Special Commercial Code, and the 2015 revision of the Companies Act. It will explore the reasons behind these choices and their implications. Furthermore, it examines the progress and current state of Japanese corporate governance reform through the lenses of board size, external independent directors, board member diversity, and corporate policy shareholding. Additionally, it offers perspectives on the future of Japanese corporate governance reform, including the background and effects of the 2022 Tokyo Stock Exchange market segmentation changes, shifts in Japanese-style management driven by demographic shifts, and the trajectory of new capitalism.

Introduction to the Lecturer:

  Zhiping Wang graduated from the Department of Automation at Tsinghua University in 1985 and completed a preparatory graduate program at the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University. He studied in Japan from 1986, earning a Master's degree in Economics from Fukushima University in 1990 and a Doctorate in Economics from Hokkaido University in 1993. From 1993 to 1995, he served as an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Economics, Hokkaido University. From 1995 to 1997, he was a Lecturer at the Faculty of Business Administration, Sapporo University. Associate Professor at Sapporo University's Faculty of Business Administration from 1997 to 2002. Since 2002, he has served as Professor of Accounting at Sapporo University's Faculty of Business Administration and Head of the Department of Business Administration and Accounting. His major publications include Japanese Financial Organization and Management, Behavioral Patterns of Japanese Mega-Corporations, International Comparisons of Corporate Governance, Essentials of Corporate Forms, Modern Enterprise Theory, and A Course in Corporate Theory.