Company law review: Legislative Council subcommittee deliberates on shareholder proposals toward an outline draftA national council is reviewing draft changes to company rules such as shareholders meetings
At its 18th meeting on September 30, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Subcommittee on Company Law (shares, shareholders meetings, etc.) of the Legislative Council at the Ministry of Justice deliberated on the beneficial shareholder confirmation system and a review of the rules on shareholder proposals, as supplementary study toward compiling an outline draft. An interim proposal was compiled on March 18, 2026. The work is now at the stage of deliberating toward an outline draft, and the content is not final.
- April 23, 2025 (Reiwa 7)1st meeting
- March 18, 2026 (Reiwa 8)Interim proposal compiled at the 12th meeting
- Until May 22, 2026Public comment on the interim proposal
- June 24, 202615th meeting
- September 30, 202618th meeting. Supplementary study toward the outline draft
Key points
- The agenda of the 18th meeting was "supplementary study toward compiling an outline draft for the review of company law (shares, shareholders meetings, etc.)"
- Matters deliberated: the beneficial shareholder confirmation system, and a review of rules on shareholder proposals (limits on submitting proposals to amend the articles of incorporation on business-execution matters, and the requirements for shareholders to exercise the right to demand a shareholders meeting)
- Opinions were also heard from a witness. The deliberation was based on Subcommittee Document 16
- The interim proposal was compiled on March 18, 2026, and a public comment procedure was held until May 22, 2026
What to do in practice
- Check the subcommittee documents to see whether the matters touch your company's shareholders meetings or handling of shareholder proposals
- Once the outline draft is shown, check again how it affects your company
People who put money into a company are called shareholders, and the meeting where shareholders gather to decide important matters is called a shareholders meeting. A national council is discussing a draft to review the rules on such meetings. It met again on September 30, 2026, but nothing has been decided.
- 1. Make a draftAn interim proposal was compiled on March 18, 2026
- 2. Hear opinionsOpinions were collected until May 22, 2026
- 3. Keep discussingDiscussion toward an outline draft is still going on
Points
- The national council met on September 30, 2026
- They discussed rules such as how shareholders bring proposals to the company
- How the rules will change has not been decided yet
What the words mean
- Shareholder
- A person who puts money into a company and so is one of its owners
- Shareholders meeting
- A meeting where shareholders gather to decide the company's important matters
- Ministry of Justice: Ministry of Justice: 18th meeting (held September 30, 2026) of the Subcommittee on Company Law (shares, shareholders meetings, etc.), Legislative Council
This article previews items that are still under consideration or only requested. Whether they will be adopted, and whether the content or timing will change, is not final. Please check the official source again once a decision is made.
This article summarizes and explains materials published by government agencies and is not advice on any individual case. Rules can change, so for actual procedures and decisions always check the latest original materials and consult professionals such as tax accountants or labor and social security attorneys. English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese versions are translations prepared from the Japanese articles for convenience. If anything differs, the Japanese text and the original source take precedence.