Legal Reform and Shareholder Activism by Institutional Investors in Japan

Corporate Governance has become a widely discussed topic in Japan among academics and practitioners. But companies, protected under a tight system of cross-shareholding, seem slow to adopt new models accepted outside Japan. This article discusses the changes in the composition of shareholding, which together with legal changes are leading to greater awareness among Japanese companies of corporate governance as well as greater shareholder activism. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2005.