BARRON’s: ” Japan’s Corporate Governance Woes”

…BUT THIS VOTING SEASON has turned into a big disappointment. Despite ISS’ shareholder-rights campaign, the presidents of Japan’s top 200 companies received median voting support of 96.6%—a 0.5 percentage point rise from 2014. Even the president of Toshiba (6502.Japan), which lost a third of its market value from an accounting scandal and write-downs, got a 94% approval rating. Some 76% and 91% of investors voted against dividend hikes and share buybacks, respectively.

Professors Coffee and Palia: “The Wolf at the Door: The Impact of Hedge Fund Activism on Corporate Governance”

“VI. Conclusion

For better or for worse, two major transitions are now in progress. First, corporate governance is moving from a “board-centric” system toward a “shareholder-centric” system.249 Second, public corporations are increasingly under pressure to incur debt and apply earnings to fund payouts to shareholders, rather than to make long-term investments. Neither transition is wholly the product of hedge fund activism, but that force is accelerating both transitions.