Corporate Governance
As a trust bank group, the SuMi TRUST Group is proceeding to bolster its corporate governance structure in line with its business model. In addition to the statutory committees of a company with Three Committees, we have also established a Risk Committee and Conflicts of Interest Committee, both of which function as advisory bodies to the Board of Directors. We also strive to enhance management transparency by appointing an external director as chairman of the Board of Directors.
Basic Initiative Policy
In order to implement sound management based on a high degree of self-discipline guided by our fiduciary spirit and to gain the unwavering trust of society, we are committed to enhancing corporate governance along the lines of the following basic philosophy with the objective of improving the Group’s sustainable growth and medium- to long-term corporate value. Having defined the Group’s reason for existence (purpose) and identified issues of materiality, we also recognize that taking on the mission of solving social issues presents us with growth opportunities, which is why we have placed at the core of our management approach the notion that we must balance the creation of both social and economic value. As a foundation for every activity to be shared by all directors, officers, and employees of SuMi TRUST Group, the Board of Directors has established management principles (mission), an ideal model (vision), and codes of conduct (value).
Basic Philosophy
- SuMi TRUST Holdings shall respect shareholder rights, and endeavor to develop an environment in which shareholders can exercise their rights appropriately and effectively, and to secure the effectively equal treatment of shareholders.
- By recognizing the importance of its social responsibilities and public mission, SuMi TRUST Holdings shall endeavor to appropriately cooperate with its stakeholders, including shareholders, clients, employees, business partners, and local communities, and to establish a corporate culture and climate in which it conducts sound business operations based on a high degree of self-discipline.
- In order to establish a basis for constructive dialogue with its stakeholders, SuMi TRUST Holdings shall separately set out its Disclosure Policy, and endeavor to appropriately disclose corporate information, including non-financial information, and ensure the transparency of its corporate management.
- As the financial holding company that assumes the corporate management function of the SuMi TRUST Group, SuMi TRUST Holdings adopted the institutional design of a "company with Three Committees," and, by separating the execution and supervision of business, shall endeavor to ensure the Board of Directors' role of effective supervision.
- SuMi TRUST Holdings shall engage in constructive dialogue with its stakeholders in order to contribute to sustainable growth, as well as the medium- to long-term enhancement of the enterprise value of SuMi TRUST Holdings.
Basic Policy on Corporate Governance
Report Concerning Corporate Governance
Our Views on Corporate Governance
SuMi TRUST Holdings is a financial holding company with many subsidiaries under its Group umbrella, including SuMi TRUST Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management, and Nikko Asset Management. Guided by our fiduciary spirit, we aim to leverage our significant expertise and creativity to combine our banking, asset management & administration, and real estate businesses to deliver total solutions to our clients as their "Best Partner." In order to fulfill our principles and live up to the expectations of our stakeholders, we make every effort to ensure the soundness and reliability of the Group's business model, as well as management transparency, and continually strive to enhance the Group's corporate governance.
Corporate Governance System

Members of Committees

* Mr. Hideki Kanda is an external director of SuMi TRUST Bank.
Independence of Directors
SuMi TRUST Holdings has established nomination policies of external directors in the Basic Policy on Corporate Governance. External directors are decided from among a wide range of diversified individuals pursuant to the following nomination policies: (i) A person who satisfies the Independence Standards of Independent Directors of SuMi TRUST Holdings (the "Independence Standards
"), and who is deemed unlikely to give rise to conflicts of interest with general shareholders of SuMi TRUST Holdings; (ii) A person who fully understands SuMi TRUST Holdings' management disciplines and the social responsibilities and roles of SuMi TRUST Holdings as a trust bank group, and who is able to oversee SuMi TRUST Holdings' management, and provide proper and appropriate opinions and advice. Furthermore, these seven external directors were appointed as independent officers as they satisfied the Independence Standards
.
Board of Directors
Committees
To ensure the effectiveness of corporate governance and further enhance the soundness and reliability of the Group’s business model, as well as the transparency of management, we have established the Risk Committee and the Conflicts of Interest Committee as advisory bodies to the Board of Directors to complement the three committees required under the Companies Act, namely, the Nominating Committee, the Compensation Committee, and the Audit Committee. As a trust bank group, the Conflicts of Interest Committee possesses supervisory functions unlike at any other financial group.
Every year, each committee conducts a self-evaluation in an effort to improve its autonomous management by considering and adopting measures aimed at improving issues identified in the evaluation. The results of the self-evaluations are reported to the Board of Directors in April for deliberation.
Succession Plan
In order to achieve sustainable growth for the Group and enhance its corporate value, we have developed succession plans for the top management of SuMi TRUST Holdings and its major subsidiaries, SuMi TRUST Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management. We have also created management personnel development plans for those in charge of managing each business and those engaged in corporate management. These plans set out the ideals and requirements for directors and executive officers and aid in the management and development of a suitable pool of candidates. More specifically, even though candidates for top management are selected every year, the Nominating Committee deliberates on their selection, including future development policies, with reference to such information as performance, track record, assessments, experience, and skills whilst taking the current and future operating environment into account. These factors are reflected in job placement and responsibilities the following fiscal year and also prove useful in the development of top management. Also, when actually selecting a successor to top management, the Nominating Committee thoroughly deliberates on the candidates and the selection process and reports the results to the Board of Directors.
The progress of succession plans and development plans are periodically reported to the Board based on the aforementioned deliberations of the Nominating Committee.

Compensation System for Directors and Executive Officers
External Directors' Meetings
To further improve the effectiveness of corporate governance, external directors’ meetings*, which are attended exclusively by external directors, are held regularly.
These meetings, at which external directors engage in active and unrestrained discussions and share information and awareness from independent and objective positions, help foster a relationship of trust among the external directors and strengthen the supervisory function of the Board of Directors.
At the external directors’ meetings held in FY2021, taking the results of the Evaluation of the Board of Directors and other factors into account, the external directors discussed, among other matters, operational improvements and topics for future discussion at the Board of Directors meeting, and then offered recommendations to the executive.
*Voluntary meetings organized by the external directors and not prescribed in any of the Company’s regulations.
Strategic Shareholdings
SuMi TRUST Group has recognized strategic shareholdings as a material management issue and we have hedged the price volatility risk that exceeded our financial risk absorption buffer while constantly working to reduce the overall exposure obtaining the consent of our corporate clients.
SuMi TRUST Group has defined “creating a virtuous circle from increased enterprise value leading to increase in household savings, assets and capital,” as one of our goals. We shall endeavor to foster a virtuous circle framework that facilitates circulation of funds, assets and capital through our asset management and asset administration services, and enhancement of our corporate clients’ enterprise value by offering solution services, with the aim to develop Japanese capital markets.
To realize this objective, we intend to improve our bi-functional expertise as a trust bank Group that assumes the position of an investor as well as an advisor offering solutions to enhance enterprise value, and re-align our policy so that, in principle, we shall not hold any “strategic shareholdings as a conventional stable shareholder.” During the interim policy transition period, we shall strive to fulfill our role as an advisor that “offers solutions to issues to enable sustainable increase in enterprise value through extensive dialogue with our clients.”
- Pace of our strategic shareholding reduction target (announced on May 2023)
We have set a reduction target of 150 billion yen at cost over the three-year period from FY2023 to FY2025. - Policy regarding the exercise of voting rights regarding our strategic shareholdings
During the interim period in which we will continue to hold strategic shareholdings, SuMi TRUST Bank established the voting rights guidelines for strategic shareholdingsand disclosed the results of the exercise.
Balance of strategic shareholdings

B/S amount of investment securities held for purposes other than pure investment (Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Limited)
(Yen bn)
Mar.23 | Mar.22 | |
---|---|---|
Listed shares | 1,071.5 | 1,209.2 |
Unlisted shares | 77.9 | 74.9 |
Deemed shares | 318.5 | 317.6 |
(*)The amount of the deemed shares is the market value
Strategic shareholdings (Top 10)
Specified investment shares
Mar. 23 | Mar. 22 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of shares | B/S amount (Yen bn) | Number of shares | B/S amount (Yen bn) | ||
1 | ORIENTAL LAND CO.,LTD.(*) | 11,258,000 | 50.9 | 3,451,600 | 81.1 |
2 | DAIKIN INDUSTRIES,LTD. | 2,152,400 | 50.9 | 2,279,000 | 51.0 |
3 | NIDEC CORPORATION | 7,011,600 | 47.9 | 7,011,600 | 68.3 |
4 | TOKYU CORPORATION | 22,395,800 | 39.4 | 22,395,800 | 35.6 |
5 | MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc. | 15,413,900 | 38.7 | 15,413,900 | 41.5 |
6 | Asahi Group Holdings,Ltd. | 7,126,000 | 35.0 | 7,126,000 | 31.7 |
7 | SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION | 5,500,000 | 26.4 | 5,500,000 | 23.1 |
8 | DAIWA HOUSE INDUSTRY CO.,LTD. | 7,200,000 | 22.4 | 8,000,000 | 25.6 |
9 | ITOCHU Corporation | 4,714,000 | 20.2 | 4,714,000 | 19.5 |
10 | MITSUI & CO.,LTD. | 4,694,800 | 19.3 | 4,694,800 | 15.6 |
(*)The increase in the number of shares is due to a stock split.
The deemed shares
Mar. 23 | Mar. 22 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of shares | Market Value (Yen bn) | Number of shares | Market Value (Yen bn) | ||
1 | YASKAWA Electric Corporation | 7,439,900 | 42.9 | 7,439,900 | 35.8 |
2 | KUBOTA CORPORATION | 17,872,000 | 35.7 | 17,872,000 | 41.1 |
3 | Central Japan Railway Company | 2,005,000 | 31.6 | 2,005,000 | 32.0 |
4 | Nitori Holdings Co.,Ltd. | 1,440,000 | 22.9 | 1,440,000 | 22.1 |
5 | NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION | 6,438,300 | 20.0 | 6,438,300 | 13.9 |
6 | AEON CO.,LTD. | 6,370,000 | 16.3 | 6,370,000 | 16.6 |
7 | TOYOTA TSUSHO CORPORATION | 2,128,000 | 11.9 | 2,128,000 | 10.7 |
8 | Sumitomo Metal Mining Co.,Ltd. | 2,200,000 | 11.1 | 2,500,000 | 15.4 |
9 | Mitsui O.S.K.Lines,Ltd. | 3,000,000 | 9.9 | 3,000,000 | 10.2 |
10 | Murata Manufacturing Co.,Ltd. | 1,155,600 | 9.2 | 1,540,800 | 12.5 |
Please refer to the list below for the detail of strategic shareholdings.