Toshiba board chairman fails to win reappointment in pivotal shareholder vote

[TOKYO] Shareholders at crisis-ridden Toshiba voted out its board chairman and one other director on Friday, a forceful rebuke of the company after it was found to have colluded with the government in suppressing foreign investor interests.

For many, the result at the annual general meeting marks a new watershed moment for corporate governance in Japan after activist Toshiba shareholders prevailed earlier this year in securing a probe into the allegations of pressure on overseas investors.

But supporters of now former board chairman Osamu Nagayama say his failure to win re-election will only set Toshiba further back, depriving the industrial conglomerate, which has lurched from crisis to crisis since 2015, of experienced leadership.

A breakdown of the vote was not immediately disclosed. The newly elected board will meet later on Friday to discuss whom to nominate as new chairman.

Board member Nobuyuki Kobayashi was also voted out.

REUTERS