Considering the large number of SOFTBANK's shareholders which was 257,570 as of March 31, 2011, the date is set to avoid days when shareholders meetings of many other companies are concentrated, allowing more shareholders to attend.
A system for executing voting rights through the Internet has been in place since 2002 (the year the 22nd Annual General Meeting of Shareholders was held).
SOFTBANK has participated in Electronic Voting Platform*1 for Institutional and Foreign Investors since the onset of the service in 2006 (the 26th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders).
SOFTBANK prepares an English translation of the full text of Notices of Annual General Meeting of Shareholders. The Notices are available on the websites of the Company and Tokyo Stock Exchange.
At the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, the Chairman and CEO of SOFTBANK, who serves as the meeting chairman, reports not only statutory reporting matters but also mid- and long-term business strategies in an effort to promote understanding on the SOFTBANK Group's vision and to improve two-way communications.
Another effort to gain better understanding of the Group's business is to make visual presentations of business reports with the use of video footage.
The results of voting on matters for resolution by the General Meeting of Shareholders are posted on EDINET in the form of Extraordinary Report and on the Company's website both in Japanese and English.
SOFTBANK's policy for IR Activities is available on the Company's website. The webpage titled “IR Activities” shows basic policy for disclosure, disclosure standards and methods. The page also mentions the measures for improvement of communications along with the quiet period. For the details please refer to the Company's website:
SOFTBANK is vigorously working on IR activities targeting individual investors. Staff of the Investor Relations department holds briefing sessions at branches of securities companies and other places. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011, 28 sessions were held in total, a significant increase from 17 a year earlier.
Every earnings results briefing is broadcast live in English on the Internet and over the phone. On the day of the earnings results release and following the earnings results briefing, a conference call for foreign institutional investors is held and SOFTBANK's Chairman and CEO himself gives a briefing.
Video footage of earnings results briefings and analyst meetings are made available on the Company's website after these meetings, and are thus accessible from overseas any time. The staff of Investor Relations department holds IR road shows in Europe, the U.S. and Asia when necessary and Group management makes presentations on business strategies at conferences and others sponsored by securities firms.
All briefings for analysts and institutional investors held in Japan are conducted in both Japanese and English and are available live or on demand through web streaming and by audio. Content of the earnings results briefings and analyst meetings is also available at all times on the SOFTBANK website. The IR staffs conduct overseas IR road shows in Europe, the US, Asia and other regions, and the management team of the Group also participates in and provides presentations on business strategies at conferences held by securities firms and other similar events.
SOFTBANK proactively posts IR materials on its website in an effort to narrow the information gap between individual investors and analysts/ institutional investors, and between those who read Japanese and those who read English. IR materials are posted on the Company's website. Annual reports, financial results, presentations materials and important news releases including those which contain information subject to timely disclosure according to the rules of the Tokyo Stock Exchange are available in both Japanese and English. Annual securities reports and reports to shareholders are available in Japanese. For the details of each material please refer to the Company's website:
SOFTBANK has established an Investor Relations department to handle IR and appointed the General Manager of the department as a person in charge of handling of information. 13 people in the department were engaged in IR activities as of submission date (June 24, 2011).
SOFTBANK uses Internet services to present information in an effort to make more people aware of the Group's businesses. Earnings results briefings are broadcast live through Ustream as well as on the Company's website and the content of presentation is posted on Twitter sequentially.
SOFTBANK aims to grow together with customers, shareholders, employees, business partners, society and all other stakeholders by actively contributing to society through its business. This is stipulated in the SOFTBANK Group CSR Principles. For details on the SOFTBANK Group CSR Principles, please refer to the following link:
Under the SOFTBANK Group CSR Principles, each Group company is engaged in CSR activities that leverage the nature and scope of their respective businesses. In the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, the Group companies launched their assistance efforts. Following are the activities of the Group companies that started immediately after the earthquake:
SOFTBANK MOBILE rolled out a free public wireless LAN service, “SoftBank Wi-Fi Spot” allowing anyone free access to high speed Internet communications. In addition, the company made all email and text messages sent from SoftBank mobile phones to addresses within Japan free for the week following the earthquake on March 11, 2011. In addition, the company also lent out mobile phones and battery charges in response to requests from public organizations and other groups helping with recovery efforts in areas affected by the disaster.
SOFTBANK BB provided relief supplies such as mobile phone chargers and peripheral equipment upon requests of public organizations and other groups involved in disaster relief operations.
SOFTBANK TELECOM has provided virtual server resources for public organizations and other groups aiding people affected by the disaster. The resources have been provided free for a certain period.
Yahoo Japan helped to expedite provision of earthquake-related information by creating a dedicated website, and conducted an Internet-based emergency disaster donation drive. The company has sent the proceeds to the Japanese Red Cross Society and other groups, along with a donation of its own.
Yahoo Japan and Ustream Asia worked with TV stations in distributing news programs covering the earthquake on the Internet simultaneously with TV.
Group companies other than those above provided assistance by making the most of their respective services.
The Group will continue activities to support recovery efforts in disaster-stricken areas in cooperation with public institutions and various groups.
SOFTBANK is making every effort to ensure timely and appropriate information disclosure according to the statutory disclosure requirements based on the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and other relevant acts and ordinances, and as required by the Rules on Timely Disclosure and the like set by the Tokyo Stock Exchange. As for critical information that is not subject to either statutory disclosure or timely disclosure but could potentially affect investment decisions, the Company discloses such information in a fair and prompt manner so as to give all the stakeholders equal access to such information. The Company also works to promote information disclosure to stakeholders through its annual reports, website, reports to shareholders and other means. These materials, with the exception of a few, are made available both in Japanese and English to narrow the information gap between those who read Japanese and those who read English.
Copyright © SOFTBANK CORP. All rights reserved.
