1. Systems Ensuring Directors’ Compliance with Laws and Regulations and the Company’s Articles of Incorporation in Executing Their Duties, and Other Systems Ensuring the Appropriateness of Operations of Corporations of the Stock Company
To ensure effective and efficient operations, the reliability of financial statements, compliance with laws and regulations, and the protection of assets, the Company determined the “Basic Policy for the Establishment of Internal Control System” by resolution of the Board of Directors’ meeting, in accordance with the provisions of Article 362, Paragraph 5, of the Companies Act and Article 362, Paragraph 4, Item 6, of the said Act and Article 100, Paragraph 1 and Paragraph 3, of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Companies Act as follows.
- The Company will, to maintain and improve the supervisory function with respect to the execution of duties by directors, separate the execution and supervisory functions and continuously elect independent outside directors.
- The Company will, to strengthen the audit and supervisory function over executives, establish an effective and efficient audit and supervisory system for the Audit and Supervisory Committee.
- The Corporate Governance Committee, a consultative body for the Board of Directors chaired by an outside director, shall be established to consult on the election and dismissal and the remuneration system of directors, etc. and other matters concerning governance, in order to enhance the transparency and objectivity of decision-making processes.
- Directors and employees will pursue lawful and fair business activities that accommodate social needs in accordance with “The Code of Conduct and Guidelines for Action of the AUTOBACS SEVEN Group.”
- Compliance rules will be established and the department manager in charge will be appointed to be responsible for controlling all compliance-related matters. Under the control of the department manager, a compliance section will be established to control all compliance-related matters.
- The Company will develop the foundations for complying with legal requirements by identifying laws and regulations, etc., applicable to the Company’s business and providing education and enlightening activities as needed.
- To promote early detection and correction of legal violations and other problems concerning compliance, the “Orange Hot Line” (the Group’s reporting system) will be established for reporting legal violations and compliance issues directly to an outside commissioned company.
- The Audit and Supervisory Committee will audit and supervise the execution of directors’ duties from an independent standpoint, including the development and implementation status of the internal control system.
- The internal audit department will assess internal controls and audit the appropriateness and effectiveness of operations and periodically report the results of auditing to the representative director & chief executive officer and the Audit and Supervisory Committee.
- Rules concerning measures against antisocial forces will be established and a system will be implemented to cut off any relationships with antisocial forces and reject any unlawful demands.
- Information concerning the execution of directors’ duties will be stored and managed in reliable and searchable conditions that suit relevant storage media pursuant to internal rules concerning document management, confidential information management, etc.
- Directors and the Audit and Supervisory Committee may browse these documents, etc. whenever necessary for the purpose of auditing and supervising the execution of directors’ duties.
- The Company will develop a risk management system designed to accurately identify and evaluate risks, and appropriately control them. The Company will also put in place a crisis management arrangement that prevents and minimizes damage and loss in the event of serious incidents. Combining these two systems, the Company will establish an integrated risk management system.
- The Risk Management Committee, chaired by the representative director & chief executive officer, will formulate annual risk management policies. In accordance with said annual policies and risk management rules, the Committee will promote risk management activities in a smooth and appropriate manner.
- The effectiveness and validity of the Company’s integrated risk management system will be audited through internal audit and be periodically reported to the Board of Directors and the Audit and Supervisory Committee.
- In the event of a serious crisis, the representative director & chief executive officer, who serves as the chairperson of the Risk Management Committee, will set up the Crisis Management Headquarters in accordance with the crisis management rules and other rules, and take the lead in ensuring a prompt and appropriate response and early recovery.
- To ensure improved quality of discussions and prompt decision making at Board of Directors’ meetings, an appropriate number of directors will be maintained.
- The Board of Directors will establish the Executive Committee as a forum for forming a consensus on matters for discussion related to business execution. The Executive Committee will hold preliminary discussions on matters to be resolved at the Board of Directors’ meeting and provide adequate information for decision making, including the results of preliminary discussions, to the Board of Directors.
- The Board of Directors formulates the medium- and long-term business plan and the annual business plan, and periodically verifies the status of progress, etc., of business strategies and various measures pursued on the basis of business plans.
- The Board of Directors delegates the execution of duties to the representative director and executive directors based on the management structure and segregation of roles.
- The representative director, as the person in charge of business management, controls the execution of duties of the executive directors , aiming at achieving the Group’s goals. Executive directors decide on specific goals in the areas for which they are responsible and develop an efficient business execution system.
- Systems for reporting matters related to the execution of duties by directors, etc., of the Company’s subsidiaries to the Company
・Based on the affiliates’ management rules stipulated by the Company and the subsidiaries’ operational standards based on these rules, the Company shall request submission of necessary related documents to understand its subsidiaries’ business management accurately.
・The Company shall request that the Company’s employees attend a board of directors’ meeting or other important meetings by each subsidiary so that each subsidiary can report to the Company the results of operation, financial position and other important information of the subsidiary. - Rules and other systems concerning the control of risks of loss at the Company’s subsidiaries
・The Company shall formulate rules concerning risk management of the entire Group, request that its subsidiaries conduct risk management based on these rules and control the risks of the entire Group comprehensively and in an integrated manner.
・The Company shall establish the Risk Management Committee in charge of the risk management of the Group, including the subsidiaries of the Company, and deliberate on issues related to the promotion of risk management of the entire Group to formulate measures to address such issues. - Systems that ensure the efficient execution of duties by directors, etc., of the Company’s subsidiaries
・While paying respect to the autonomy and independence of the management of its subsidiaries, the Company shall draw up basic policies and operational policies for managing subsidiaries to contribute to the appropriate and efficient operation of Group management.
・The Company stipulates organizational standards for its subsidiaries related to chain of command, authority, decision making, etc., and has the subsidiaries establish their own system in line with these standards. For example, based on the scope and scale of each subsidiary’s business, the subsidiaries are allowed to choose whether to install a system without a board of directors or an officer system. - Systems that ensure subsidiaries’ directors, etc., and employees comply with laws and regulations and the Company’s Articles of Incorporation in executing their duties
・The Company shall have its subsidiaries establish a system in which directors, audit and supervisory board members, officers and employees pursue lawful and fair business activities that accommodate social needs in accordance with “The Code of Conduct and Guidelines for Action of the AUTOBACS SEVEN Group.”
・The Company shall have its subsidiaries establish a system to deploy an appropriate number of audit and supervisory board members and persons in charge of promotion of compliance in accordance with the scope and scale of each subsidiary’s business. The Company shall also dispatch a person to subsidiaries to serve as an audit and supervisory board member, as may be necessary.
・The Company shall have its subsidiaries establish a system whereby their audit and supervisory board members audit the execution of duties by their directors, including the establishment and operation of internal control systems.
・The Company shall have its subsidiaries establish a system to use the Orange Hot Line, which was established for early detection and correction of legal violations and other issues concerning compliance. - Other systems to ensure the appropriateness of business operations by the Group
・The Company will ensure the appropriate and effective use of information technology within the relevant range of information communication and business operations of the Company and its subsidiaries.
・The Company’s Audit and Supervisory Committee and internal audit department will investigate the appropriateness of the business operations of its subsidiaries.
The Company will assign employees dedicated to supporting the duties of Audit and Supervisory Committee. With respect to the number of employees, the selection of employees and other matters, the consent of the Audit and Supervisory Committee shall be obtained in advance.
Employees who assist with the duties of the Audit and Supervisory Committee shall perform their duties under the leadership and instructions of the Audit and Supervisory Committee only. The chairperson of the Audit and Supervisory Committee shall evaluate the performance of those employees, and directors who are audit and supervisory committee members and the representative director shall consult each other with respect to the transfer and treatment of said employees.
The Company shall notify all the directors and employees of the Company that the employees who assist with the duties of the Audit and Supervisory Committee must comply with directions and instructions from the Audit and Supervisory Committee.
- System that allows the Company’s directors, employees, etc. to report to the Audit and Supervisory Committee
・Directors will periodically report to the Audit and Supervisory Committee through important meetings such as the Board of Directors’ meetings and other opportunities, on the status of the execution of their duties, including matters pertaining to subsidiaries, and also provide supplementary reports as needed without delay.
・Directors and employees will promptly and accurately respond when they are requested by the Audit and Supervisory Committee to report on business, or when the Audit and Supervisory Committee conducts research on business and asset status of the Group.
・Directors and department managers will immediately report to the Audit and Supervisory Committee if they discover anything that has caused or may cause substantial damage to the Company, such as any legal violations. - System that allows persons who received reports from directors, audit and supervisory board members and employees of the Company’s subsidiaries to report to the Company’s Audit and Supervisory Committee
・Directors, audit and supervisory board members, officers, and employees of the Company’s subsidiaries shall promptly make an appropriate report on business operations when they are requested by the Audit and Supervisory Committee of the Company to do so.
・In an incident that could cause substantial damage to the Company or its subsidiaries, such as legal violations, the directors, audit and supervisory board members, officers, and employees of the Company’s subsidiaries shall immediately report the circumstances in an appropriate manner within the subsidiaries, and also report to the department in charge of managing the Company’s subsidiaries or use the Orange Hot Line.
・The Company’s internal audit department and internal control department shall hold a meeting regularly to report to the Company’s Audit and Supervisory Committee on the actual status of internal audits, compliance, risk management, etc., at the subsidiaries.
・The department in charge of the Orange Hot Line shall report the status of internal reporting from the Group’s directors, audit and supervisory board members, officers and employees on a regular basis to the Board of Directors and the Audit and Supervisory Committee, while ensuring the anonymity of the report’s source.
The Company prohibits the Group’s directors, officers and employees who reported to the Audit and Supervisory Committee from being treated unreasonably because of such reporting. This directive shall be thoroughly disseminated to the Group’s directors, officers and employees.
- In cases when the Audit and Supervisory Committee bills the Company for prepaid expenses incurred through the execution of their duties, the department handling such matters shall deliberate on said bills and pay the expenses or liabilities without delay, except in cases when it was determined and verified that such expenses or liabilities were unnecessary for the execution of the duties.
- To pay expenses incurred by the execution of duties by the Audit and Supervisory Committee, a certain amount of budget shall be set aside each year.
- To enhance the audit function of the Audit and Supervisory Committee, the Company will take into account their expertise as well as independence when electing outside audit and supervisory board members.
- The Audit and Supervisory Committee, the independent auditor, the internal audit department and other parties will hold regular meetings to exchange information and opinions and promote close cooperation.
- The representative director will hold regular meetings with the Audit and Supervisory Committee to audit the execution of duties by directors and further improve the audit system.
- The Company shall establish a system that allows the Audit and Supervisory Committee to promote cooperation with lawyers, certified public accountants, and other experts outside the Company when the Audit and Supervisory Committee believe it necessary to do so in executing its duties.
Established on May 19, 2006
Last revised on April 1, 2025
