キヤノンのガバナンス改革：初の女性取締役の任命とその意義

Summary

・キヤノンは2024年3月の定時株主総会に向けて新たな取締役候補を発表し、前消費者庁長官の伊藤明子氏を初の女性社外取締役に迎えることを明らかにした。
・2023年の株主総会で、取締役会に女性がいないことが問題視され、経営陣への賛成率が急落していた。
・伊藤氏は京大工学部卒業後、建設省に入省し、2017年に国土交通省で初の女性局長に、さらに2019〜2022年には消費者庁長官を歴任。
・他にも社外取締役が2人増員され、元最高裁判所判事と元環境次官が任命される。現社外取締役で弁護士の一人は退任。
・キヤノンは「コーポレートガバナンス推進室」を設置し、女性取締役の選任を進めていた。
・社内取締役も3人増員される。
・日本の企業は女性役員が少なく、東証プライム市場の上場企業で女性役員がいないのは全体の約19%。
・この動きはキヤノンにおける企業ガバナンス改善の一環とも見られます。
（日経新聞９月８日朝刊　全文無料公開のため、筆者が作成）

Introduction

2024年3月の定時株主総会に向けて、キヤノンは新たな取締役候補を発表しました。注目すべきは、前消費者庁長官である伊藤明子氏が初の女性社外取締役に任命されることです。この動きは、2023年の株主総会で取締役会に女性がいないとして賛成率が急落した後に行われました。

Discussion

ガバナンス改革の一環

この任命はキヤノンが先日設立した「コーポレートガバナンス推進室」の活動の一環とも言えます。企業統治の改善は、株主や関係者からの信頼を得るために不可欠であり、特に大企業においてはその重要性が高まっています。

女性リーダーシップの現状

日本の企業においては、女性の役員比率はまだ低いです。2022年7月時点で、東証プライム市場の上場企業で女性役員がいない企業は全体の約19%にあたる344社も存在します。伊藤氏の任命は、このような状況に一石を投じる可能性があります。

伊藤明子氏の背景

伊藤氏は、京都大学工学部卒業後、建設省（現国土交通省）に入省。2017年には同省で初の女性局長として注目を集めました。さらに、2019年から2022年まで消費者庁長官を務めるなど、公的な役職での豊富な経験と実績を持っています。

Conclusion

伊藤氏が持つ政府での経験と専門性は、企業ガバナンスとコンプライアンスの強化に貢献すると期待されます。

"Canon's Governance Reform: The Appointment of its First Female Director and its Significance"

Summary
・Canon has announced new director candidates for its Annual Shareholders' Meeting in March 2024, making it known that they will be welcoming Akiko Ito, former Chief of the Consumer Affairs Agency, as their first female outside director.
・During the shareholders' meeting in 2023, the absence of women on the board was criticized, leading to a sharp decline in approval ratings for the management team.
・After graduating from the Engineering Faculty at Kyoto University, Ito joined the Ministry of Construction (now Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) and became the ministry's first female department head in 2017. She also served as the Chief of the Consumer Affairs Agency from 2019 to 2022.
・Two more outside directors will also be added, including a former Supreme Court Justice and a former Vice-Minister for the Environment. One of the current outside directors, who is a lawyer, will retire.
・Canon had established a "Corporate Governance Promotion Office" and has been actively pursuing the appointment of a female director.
・Three new internal directors will also be appointed.
・Approximately 19% of companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's prime market do not have any female directors.
・This move can also be seen as part of Canon's ongoing efforts to improve its corporate governance.
(Source: Nikkei Newspaper, morning edition of September 8th; the entire article is freely available and written by the author)

Introduction
Heading towards the Annual Shareholders' Meeting in March 2024, Canon has announced new director candidates. Notably, they will appoint Akiko Ito, the former Chief of the Consumer Affairs Agency, as their first female outside director. This comes after approval ratings plummeted during the 2023 shareholders' meeting due to the lack of female representation on the board.

Discussion
A Part of Governance Reform
This appointment can be seen as part of the activities of Canon’s recently established "Corporate Governance Promotion Office." Improving corporate governance is essential for gaining trust from shareholders and stakeholders, especially for large corporations.

Current State of Female Leadership
In Japan, the ratio of female executives is still low. As of July 2022, about 19% of the companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's prime market—equivalent to 344 companies—do not have any female directors. The appointment of Ito can potentially disrupt this status quo.

Background of Akiko Ito
Ito graduated from Kyoto University's Faculty of Engineering and joined the Ministry of Construction, now known as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. In 2017, she became the first female department head in the ministry and later served as the Chief of the Consumer Affairs Agency from 2019 to 2022, boasting an extensive track record in public roles.

Conclusion
The expertise and experience Ito brings from her time in government are expected to contribute to strengthening corporate governance and compliance.