CFA Institute Sustainable-Investing Question Answer
If a Japanese company's board does not have committees, it most likely:
A.
Has a cross-shareholding practice.
B.
Follows a statutory auditor approach.
C.
Is in breach of the national Corporate Governance Code.
The Answer Is:
B
This question includes an explanation.
Explanation:
Many Japanese companies use a statutory auditor system (Option B) instead of board committees for oversight. In this approach:
A statutory board of auditors (kansayaku) monitors management rather than a traditional audit or governance committee.
This structure is legally permitted in Japan and is different from Western corporate governance models that require independent board committees.
Option A (cross-shareholding practice) refers to companies holding each other’s shares to maintain business stability but does not directly explain the lack of board committees.
Option C is incorrect because Japan’s Corporate Governance Code allows the statutory auditor model.