Hedge Fund Activism in Japan
The Limits of Shareholder Primacy

Charts the rise and fall of confrontational hedge fund activism in Japan.

John Buchanan (Author), Dominic Heesang Chai (Author), Simon Deakin (Author)

9781107672505, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 14 November 2013

388 pages, 12 b/w illus. 10 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.52 kg

'Even without an understanding of this literature, readers will of course find this book a treasure trove of stimulating ideas and will enjoy the anecdotes and examples introduced on nearly every page.' Administrative Science Quarterly

Hedge fund activism is an expression of shareholder primacy, an idea that has come to dominate discussion of corporate governance theory and practice worldwide over the past two decades. This book provides a thorough examination of public and often confrontational hedge fund activism in Japan in the period between 2001 and the full onset of the global financial crisis in 2008. In Japan this shareholder-centric conception of the company espoused by activist hedge funds clashed with the alternative Japanese conception of the company as an enduring organisation or a 'community'. By analysing this clash, the book derives a fresh view of the practices underpinning corporate governance in Japan and offers suggestions regarding the validity of the shareholder primacy ideas currently at the heart of US and UK beliefs about the purpose of the firm.

List of figures
List of tables
Acknowledgements
Note on transcriptions of Japanese names
1. Introduction: hedge fund activism, Japanese corporate governance, and the nature of the company
2. Companies, company law, and corporate governance
3. The rise of shareholder primacy in America and Britain
4. The emergence of activist hedge funds
5. Firm-centric corporate governance: the evolution of the Japanese model
6. Japan's unexpected credentials as a target for hedge fund activism
7. The anatomy of hedge fund activism: funds, targets and outcomes
8. Two turning points: Bull-Dog Sauce and J-Power
9. Responding to activism: managers, investors, officials and the media
10. 'Quiet activism': the future for shareholder engagement in Japan?
11. Conclusion: after shareholder primacy
Methodological appendix
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Commercial law [LNCB], Corporate governance [KJR]