①Shareholders may vote by proxy. In these cases, relevant shareholders or proxies must submit to the stock company a document evidencing the authority of proxy.

②The grant of the authority of proxy under the preceding paragraph must be made for each shareholders meeting.

③Shareholders or proxies referred to in paragraph (1) may, in lieu of submitting a document evidencing the authority of proxy, use electronic or magnetic means to provide the information that is required to be detailed in the document, with the approval of the stock company and pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order. In these cases, the shareholders or proxies are deemed to have submitted relevant document.

④If the shareholders are the persons who gave consent under Article 299, paragraph (3), the stock company may not refuse to grant the approval under the preceding paragraph without justifiable reasons.

⑤The stock company may restrict the number of proxies who may attend the shareholders meeting.

⑥The stock company must keep the documents evidencing the authority of proxy and the electronic or magnetic record in which information with which it is provided by the electronic or magnetic means referred to in paragraph (3) has been recorded at its head office for the period of three months from the day of the shareholders meeting.

⑦The shareholders (excluding the shareholders who may not vote on all matters which may be resolved at the shareholders meeting under the preceding paragraph; the same applies in paragraph (4) of the following Article and Article 312, paragraph (5)) may submit the following request at any time during the business hours of the stock company. In these cases, the reasons for relevant requests must be disclosed:

⑧If a request specified in the preceding paragraph is made, a stock company may not refuse the request, except in cases it falls under any of the following:

①The exercise of voting rights in writing is effected by entering the voting form with necessary matters and submitting it to the stock company no later than the time prescribed by Ministry of Justice Order.

②The number of the votes exercised in writing pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph is included in the number of the votes of the shareholders who are present at the meeting.

③The stock company must keep the voting forms submitted pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) at its head office for the period of three months from the day of the shareholders meeting.

④The shareholders may make requests for the inspection or copying of the voting forms submitted pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) at any time during the business hours of the stock company. In these cases, the reasons for the requests must be disclosed.

⑤If a request specified in the preceding paragraph is made, a stock company may not refuse relevant request, except in cases it falls under any of the following:

①The exercise of voting rights by electronic or magnetic means is effected by using electronic or magnetic means to provide the stock company with the information that is required to be entered in the voting form no later than the time prescribed by Ministry of Justice Order, with the approval of the stock company and pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order.

②If the shareholders are the persons who have given consent under Article 299, paragraph (3), the stock company may not refuse to give the approval under the preceding paragraph without justifiable reasons.

③The number of the votes exercised by electronic or magnetic means pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) is included in the number of the votes of the shareholders who are present at the meeting.

④The stock company must keep any electronic or magnetic record in which the information with which it has been provided pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) has been recorded at its office for the period of three months from the day of the shareholders meeting.

⑤The shareholders may, at any time during the business hours of the stock company, request to inspect or copy anything that is used in a manner prescribed by Ministry of Justice Order to display the information recorded in an electronic or magnetic record as referred to in the preceding paragraph. In these cases, the reasons for the requests must be disclosed.

⑥If a request specified in the preceding paragraph is made, a stock company may not refuse the request, except in cases it falls under any of the following:

①Shareholders may diversely exercise voting rights they hold.

②For a company with board of directors, the shareholders under the preceding paragraph must notify the stock company that they will diversely exercise their voting rights and of the reason thereof no later than three days prior to the day of the shareholders meeting.

③If the shareholders referred to in the paragraph (1) are not persons who hold the shares on behalf of others, the stock company may refuse the diverse exercise of voting rights held by relevant shareholders pursuant to the provisions of that paragraph.

If a director, an accounting advisor, a company auditor or an executive officer is requested by the shareholders to provide explanations on certain matters at the shareholders meeting, they must provide necessary explanations with respect to relevant matters; provided, however, that this does not apply if relevant matters are not relevant to the matters that are the purpose of the shareholders meeting, or if the explanations are to the serious detriment of the common interest of the shareholders, or in other cases prescribed by Ministry of Justice Order as the cases where there are justifiable grounds.

①The chairperson of the shareholders meeting maintains the order of relevant shareholders meeting and organize the business of the meeting.

②The chairperson of the shareholders meeting may require any one who does not comply with the orders of the chairperson or who otherwise disturbs the order of relevant shareholders meeting to leave the room.

①At a shareholders meeting, a person to investigate the materials submitted or provided to relevant shareholders meeting by the directors, accounting advisors, company auditors, board of company auditors and financial auditors may be elected by a resolution at the relevant shareholders meeting.

②At the shareholders meeting which is called pursuant to the provisions of Article 297, a person who will be charged to investigate the status of the operations and property of the stock company may be elected by a resolution at the relevant shareholders meeting.

If a resolution for the postponement or adjournment is passed at the shareholders meeting, the provisions of Article 298 and Article 299 do not apply.

①Minutes must be prepared with respect to the business of a shareholders meeting pursuant to the provisions of Ministry of Justice Order.

②The stock company must keep the minutes referred to in the preceding paragraph at its head office for the period of ten years from the day of the shareholders meeting.

③The stock company must keep copies of the minutes referred to in paragraph (1) at its branch offices for the period of five years from the day of the shareholders meeting; provided, however, that this does not apply to the cases where relevant minutes have been prepared by an electronic or magnetic record and the stock company adopts the measures prescribed by Ministry of Justice Order as measures enabling its branch offices to respond to the request set forth in item (ii) of the following paragraph.

④The shareholders and creditors may submit the following requests at any time during the business hours of the stock company:

⑤If it is necessary for the purpose of exercising the rights of a member of the parent company of a stock company, the relevant member of the parent company may, with the permission of the court, make the requests set forth in each item of the preceding paragraph with respect to the minutes referred to in paragraph (1).