Coverage of the shareholders meetings of 3 companies amid the situation in the Middle East found that Nippon Yusen was praised for its thorough explanations, while LIXIL and ENEOS Holdings faced a succession of tough questions for management. Shareholders raised specific questions about the impact on shipping routes, alternative routes, cost trends and the appeal of shareholder benefits.
Nippon Yusen explained that although rising fuel costs and declining cargo volumes bound for the Middle East are expected to be headwinds due to the impact of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz from April onward, the impact would be limited because alternative routes had been secured. President Soga Takaya (曽我 貴也) said that revenue is expected to increase while profit declines in the current fiscal year, but that there is room for a higher dividend if results outperform expectations. During the question-and-answer session, some responses were lengthy, but shareholders expressed their thanks for the clarity of the explanations and the company's thorough approach to dialogue.
LIXIL held its shareholders meeting online, and the decline in opportunities for face-to-face meetings with shareholders was highlighted. In response, the company explained that it was providing shareholders with an opportunity to attend on an equal basis. The company outlined plans to expand alternative logistics routes, strengthen a regionally self-contained production system and offset soaring material prices through multiple price increases. It also commented that it would focus on expanding the premium brand GROHE in the Chinese market.
At the ENEOS Holdings shareholders meeting, shareholders' anger grew at one point over the company's "zero-answer" responses despite a succession of misconduct incidents, and a succession of questions was raised about the functioning of the internal whistleblowing system and the outlook for crude oil prices. In response to calls for apologies and explanations from management, the company repeatedly said that it could not answer questions concerning individual cases. Questions were also raised about improving the handling of delays in the shareholders meeting livestream and the company's policy for responding in the future.