Financial Instruments and Exchange Act

It is prohibited for an issuer, person that engages in the secondary distribution of securities, underwriter, financial instruments business operator, registered financial institution or financial instruments intermediary service provider, or financial service intermediary to cause securities whose public offerings or secondary distributions have been registered in advance through a shelf registration to be acquired through public offerings or secondary distributions, or to sell such securities through public offerings or secondary distributions, unless the shelf registration has come into effect and a document stating the total issue value or total distribution value, conditions of issuance or distribution of the securities, and any other particulars that are specified by Cabinet Office Order as necessary and appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors (hereinafter referred to as "shelf registration supplement") has been submitted to the Prime Minister for each public offering or secondary distribution, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Office Order; provided however, that this does not apply to public offerings or secondary distributions specified by Cabinet Office Order if the total issue value or total distribution value of each public offering or secondary distribution is less than 100 million.

Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the issuer, person that engages in the secondary distribution of securities, underwriter, financial instruments business operator, or registered financial institution may cause short-term corporate bonds provided for in Article 66, item (i) of the Act on Book-Entry Transfer of Corporate Bonds and Shares or any other bonds, etc. specified by Cabinet Order that are among the book-entry bonds set forth in Article 278, paragraph (1) of that Act (limited to those with an outstanding balance that is made available for public inspection by the book-entry transfer institution (meaning a book-entry transfer institution provided for in Article 2, paragraph (2) of that Act) that deals in the relevant book-entry bonds), whose public offerings or secondary distributions have been registered in advance through a shelf registration, to be acquired through public offerings or secondary distributions or to sell such bonds, etc. through public offerings or secondary distributions, if the shelf registration has come into effect.

If a public offering or secondary distribution of securities will be made only to shareholders that are stated or recorded in the shareholder register as of a certain date, the shelf registration supplement for that public offering or secondary distribution must be submitted by 10 days prior to that date; provided, however, that this does not apply in the cases that are specified by Cabinet Office Order in consideration of the issue price or distribution price or other circumstances.

The provisions of Article 4, paragraphs (5) and (6) apply mutatis mutandis to a public offering or secondary distribution of securities to which the proviso to paragraph (1) is applicable. In this case, in Article 4, paragraph (5), the phrase "in a specified public offering" is deemed to be replaced with "in a public offering or secondary distribution" and the phrase "apply to the relevant specified public offering" is deemed to be replaced with "apply to the relevant public offering or secondary distribution"; and in Article 4, paragraph (6), the phrase "the securities in the specified public offering, etc." is deemed to be replaced with "the relevant securities", the phrase "the specified public offering, etc. begins" is deemed to be replaced with "the public offering or secondary distribution begins", the phrase "a written notice of the specified public offering, etc." is deemed to be replaced with "a written notice of the public offering or secondary distribution", and the phrase "a secondary distribution of securities set forth in paragraph (4) whose total distribution value is less than 100 million yen in a case in which disclosure has been made, nor to a secondary distribution of securities as set forth in paragraph (1), item (iii) conducted by a person other than the issuer of the relevant securities or a person specified by Cabinet Office Order, nor to a Public offering or secondary distribution of securities as set forth in item (v) of that paragraph whose total issue value" is deemed to be replaced with "a public offering or secondary distribution whose total issue value".

As well as stating, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Office Order and in addition to the particulars specified by Cabinet Office Order which are referred to in paragraph (1), that reference should be made to the latest reference documents on the issuer with regard to the particulars set forth in Article 5, paragraph (1), item (ii), the shelf registration supplements referred to in paragraph (1) must be accompanied by the documents that are specified by Cabinet Office Order as necessary and appropriate in the public interest for the protection of investors.

If the Prime Minister finds a formal deficiency in a shelf registration statement (including reference documents for that registration statement) or accompanying document or in an amended shelf registration statement under Article 23-4 (including reference documents for that amended registration statement), or finds any of these documents to insufficiently state a material particular that is required to be stated therein, the Prime Minister may order the person submitting the document to submit an amended shelf registration statement. In such a case, irrespective of the category of proceeding for hearing statements of opinion under Article 13, paragraph (1) of the Administrative Procedure Act, the Prime Minister must conduct a hearing.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 8 as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 23-5, paragraph (1), if a disposition under the preceding paragraph is reached before the day on which the shelf registration comes into effect, the shelf registration comes into effect on the day on which the period designated by the Prime Minister elapses following the day on which the Prime Minister accepts the shelf registration statement for that shelf registration.

In a case referred to in the preceding paragraph, if an amended shelf registration statement under Article 23-4 is submitted during the period designated by the Prime Minister, the shelf registration statement is deemed to have been accepted by the Prime Minister on the day on which the Prime Minister accepts the amended shelf registration statement.

In a case referred to in the preceding paragraph, if the Prime Minister finds that an amended shelf registration statement under Article 23-4 is easily understandable to the public or finds that information about the particulars set forth in Article 5, paragraph (1), item (ii) with regard to the person that submitted the amended shelf registration statement is already widely available to the public, the Prime Minister may designate a period that is shorter than that which the Prime Minister has designated as under paragraph (2). In such a case, the shelf registration comes into effect on the day on which the shorter period has elapsed.

The provisions of paragraph (3) apply mutatis mutandis if the shorter period under the preceding paragraph is designated and an amended shelf registration statement under Article 23-4 is submitted during that shorter period.

If the Prime Minister finds that a shelf registration statement (including reference documents for that shelf registration statement) or accompanying document, an amended shelf registration statement under Article 23-4 or paragraph (1) of the preceding Article (including reference documents for that amended shelf registration statement), or a shelf registration supplement (including a reference document for a shelf registration supplement) or accompanying document contains a false statement regarding a material particular, lacks a statement of a material particular that is required to be stated, or lacks a statement of a material fact that is necessary to prevent it from being misleading, the Prime Minister, at any time, may order the person submitting the document to submit an amended shelf registration statement. In such a case, irrespective of the category of proceeding for hearing statements of opinion under Article 13, paragraph (1) of the Administrative Procedure Act, the Prime Minister must conduct a hearing.

The provisions of paragraphs (2) through (5) of the preceding Article apply mutatis mutandis if an order is issued to submit an amended shelf registration statement under the preceding paragraph before the day on which the shelf registration comes into effect.

If the Prime Minister finds it to be necessary upon reaching a disposition under paragraph (1) on or after the day that a shelf registration comes into effect the Prime Minister may order the suspension of the validity of the shelf registration.

If an order for suspension under the preceding paragraph is issued and an amended shelf registration statement under paragraph (1) is submitted, and if the Prime Minister finds the amended shelf registration statement to be appropriate, the Prime Minister cancels the order for suspension under the preceding paragraph.

The provisions of the preceding paragraphs apply mutatis mutandis if the Prime Minister finds that an amended shelf registration statement submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) (including reference documents referenced therein) contains a false statement regarding a material particular, lacks a statement of a material particular that is required to be stated, or lacks a statement of a material fact that is necessary to prevent it from being misleading.

If a shelf registration statement or an accompanying document, an amended shelf registration statement under Article 23-4, Article 23-9, paragraph (1) or paragraph (1) of the preceding Article (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 23-10, paragraph (5)), a shelf registration supplement or an accompanying document, or a reference document for any of those documents, contains a false statement regarding a material particular and the Prime Minister finds it to be necessary and appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors, the Prime Minister may issue an order against the person submitting that document, with regard to any shelf registration statement or accompanying document, amended shelf registration statement, or shelf registration supplement or accompanying document (hereinafter collectively referred to as a "shelf registration document, etc." in this Article), or with regard to any statement as set forth in Article 5, paragraph (1), shelf registration statement, or shelf registration supplement, that the person submitting the relevant shelf registration document, etc. submits within one year of the day on which the person submits that shelf registration document, etc., ordering the suspension of the validity of the shelf registration under the shelf registration document, etc., the validity of the notification under such a statement, or the validity of the shelf registration under such a shelf registration statement or shelf registration supplement, or may extend the period stipulated in Article 8, paragraph (1) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 23-5, paragraph (1)), for the period that the Prime Minister considers appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors. In such a case, irrespective of the category of proceeding for hearing statements of opinion under Article 13, paragraph (1) of the Administrative Procedure Act, the Prime Minister must conduct a hearing.

If a disposition under the preceding paragraph is reached and the Prime Minister finds that the content of an amended shelf registration statement (including reference documents referenced therein) submitted pursuant to Article 23-4 or paragraph (1) of the preceding Article (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 23-10, paragraph (5)) in relation to the false statement referred to in the preceding paragraph is appropriate, and that allowing the acquisition or sale of securities issued by the person that submitted the shelf registration documents through a public offering or secondary distribution will not compromise the public interest or the protection of investors, the Prime Minister may cancel the disposition under the preceding paragraph.