News

Kuraray Co., Ltd. has selected a list of candidates for the offices of director and corporate auditor, which will be presented to the annual general meeting of shareholders scheduled for late June, 2005. The Company has also selected an executive officer, who will take his post following the conclusion of the general meeting of shareholders.

1. Changes in Directors and Corporate Auditors

(1) Changes in Responsibilities of Directors
Position Name New Position Position as of April 1
Director and Senior
Executive Officer
Seiji Wajiki Managing Director and Senior Executive Officer Responsible for Chemicals and Medical Products Sector
Director and Senior
Executive Officer
Osamu Asaba Managing Director and Senior Executive Officer Responsible for Fibers and Textiles Sector
(2) Retiring Directors
Position Name Position as of April 1
Managing Director Tetsuzo Kimura Assistant to the President, Kuraray Trading Co., Ltd. (Slated to become president of Kuraray Trading in late June )
(3) Changes in Corporate Auditors
None. (All corporate auditors will continue in office or be reappointed.)

2. Changes in Executive Officers

(1) New Executive Officer
Position Name New Position Position as of April 1
Managing Director Junsuke Tanaka Managing Director and Senior Executive Officer Responsible for Specialty Resin and Film Sector
(2) Outgoing Executive Officer
Position Name Position as of April 1
Director and Senior
Executive Officer
Nobusuke Takeuchi Director, Responsible for Technology Division, Plant Manager

3. Complete list of directors, corporate auditors, and executive officers.

(As of late June , 2005. '' indicates a change in position. Others either continued in office or were reappointed.)

  Representative Director and Chairman Hiroto Matsuo
  Representative Director and President Yasuaki Wakui
  Senior Managing Director Koichi Kushida
  Managing Director Tsutomu Yabuta
  Managing Director Katsumi Ohashi
  Managing Director and Senior Executive Officer Junsuke Tanaka
Managing Director and Senior Executive Officer Seiji Wajiki
Managing Director and Senior Executive Officer Osamu Asaba
  Director Nobusuke Takeuchi
  Corporate Auditor (Statutory) Akira Matsuzawa
  Corporate Auditor (Statutory) Tatsuya Nakano
  Corporate Auditor (Non-statutory) Kazuhide Kashiwabara
  Corporate Auditor (Non-statutory) Ichiro Kobayashi
  Corporate Auditor (Non-statutory) Toshimitsu Kitagawa
  Senior Executive Officer Noriaki Yoshimura
  Senior Executive Officer Toshihiro Tomii
  Senior Executive Officer Yoichi Ninagawa
  Senior Executive Officer Fumio Ito
  Senior Executive Officer Shiro Kataoka
  Executive Officer Kanji Shimoda
  Executive Officer Hiroaki Yoshino
  Executive Officer Toshihide Sakai
  Executive Officer Susumu Gotanda
  Executive Officer Noboru Yanagita
  Executive Officer Kenzo Sawada
  Executive Officer Hideo Tomita