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 2006.

1. Changes in Representative Director

(Scheduled for late June 2006, the planned time of the annual general meeting of shareholders)

(1) New Representative Director
Position Name New Position
Managing Director
and Senior Executive Officer
Junsuke Tanaka Representative Senior Managing Director,
Senior Executive Officer
(2) Retiring Representative Director
Position Name
Representative Director and Chairman Hiroto Matsuo

2. Changes in Directors and Corporate Auditors

(Scheduled for late June 2006, the planned time of the annual general meeting of shareholders)

(1) Changes in Responsibilities of Directors
With the exception of new Representative Director Junsuke Tanaka, there will be no changes in directors.
(2) Candidates for New Directors
Position Name New Position
Senior Executive Officer Nobuo Iwawaki Managing Director
Senior Executive Officer Yoichi Ninagawa Managing Director and Senior Executive Officer
Senior Executive Officer Fumio Ito Managing Director
Senior Executive Officer Noriaki Yoshimura Director
Senior Executive Officer Shiro Kataoka Director and Senior Executive Officer
Executive Officer Hiroaki Yoshino Director and Senior Executive Officer
(3) Retiring Directors (Planned)
Position Name
Senior Managing Director Tsutomu Yabuta
Managing Director Koichi Kushida
Managing Director Katsumi Ohashi
Director Nobusuke Takeuchi
(4) New Corporate Auditor Candidates
Position Name New Position
Kuraray Managing Director Tsutomu Yabuta Corporate Auditor (Statutory)
Study Advisor on Financial and Economic Matters,
Prefectural Committee
for Financial Service Information of Tokyo
Hiroo Onodera Corporate Auditor
Advisor, Maruwa Securities Co., Ltd. Hirotaka Ikuno Corporate Auditor
(5) Retiring Corporate Auditors (Planned)
Position Name
Corporate Auditor (Statutory) Tatsuya Nakano
Corporate Auditor Kazuhide Kashiwabara
Corporate Auditor Ichiro Kobayashi

3. Changes in Executive Officers

(Scheduled for late June 2006, the planned time of the annual general meeting of shareholders)

(1) Changes in Responsibilities of Executive Officers
(Excluding candidates for new directors)
Position Name New Position
Executive Officer Kenzo Sawada Senior Executive Officer
Executive Officer Hideo Tomita Senior Executive Officer
(2) New Executive Officers
Current Position Name New Position
Associate Director Katsuya Hashimoto Executive Officer
Associate Director Mitsuo Matsumoto Executive Officer
Associate Director Kohei Maeda Executive Officer
Associate Director Tokio Aikura Executive Officer
Associate Director Mitsuaki Manabe Executive Officer
  Yuichi Kawarasaki Executive Officer
  Keiji Murakami Executive Officer
  Gerd Lepper Executive Officer
  Jean-Marie Baetens Executive Officer
  Nobuya Tomita Executive Officer
(3) Retiring Executive Officers
(Excluding candidates for new directors)
Current Position Name
Managing Director and Senior Executive Officer Seiji Wajiki
Senior Executive Officer Toshihiro Tomii
Executive Officer Kanji Shimoda
Executive Officer Noboru Yanagida

4. Complete list of Directors, Corporate Auditors, and Executive Officers

(As of late June 2006. '' indicates a new appointment, '*' indicates a change in position, and others either continued in office or were reappointed.)

  Representative Director and President Yasuaki Wakui
* Representative Senior Managing Director and Senior Executive Officer Junsuke Tanaka
  Managing Director Seiji Wajiki
  Managing Director and Senior Executive Officer Osamu Asaba
Managing Director Nobuo Iwawaki
Managing Director and Senior Executive Officer Yoichi Ninagawa
Managing Director Fumio Ito
Director Noriaki Yoshimura
Director and Senior Executive Officer Shiro Kataoka
Director and Senior Executive Officer Hiroaki Yoshino
  Corporate Auditor (Statutory) Akira Matsuzawa
Corporate Auditor (Statutory) Tsutomu Yabuta
  Corporate Auditor (Non-statutory) Toshimitsu Kitagawa
Corporate Auditor (Non-statutory) Hiro Onodera
Corporate Auditor (Non-statutory) Hirotaka Ikuno
* Senior Executive Officer Kenzo Sawada
* Senior Executive Officer Hideo Tomita
  Executive Officer Toshihide Sakai
  Executive Officer Susumu Gotanda
Executive Officer Katsuya Hashimoto
Executive Officer Mitsuo Matsumoto
Executive Officer Kohei Maeda
Executive Officer Tokio Aikura
Executive Officer Mitsuaki Manabe
Executive Officer Yuichi Kawarasaki
Executive Officer Keiji Murakami
Executive Officer Gerd Lepper
Executive Officer Jean-Marie Baetens
Executive Officer Nobuya Tomita

5. Brief History of New Representative Director

Name Junsuke Tanaka
Date of birth September 17, 1944
Education March, 1969 Osaka University (M.S. in School of Engineering Sciences)
Brief History April 1969 Joined Kuraray Co., Ltd.
June 1990 Manager, PE Project Group, Chemicals Division I
June 1995 Manager, Business Administrative Planning Office
June 1996 General Manager, Office of Administration, Chemicals Operation Administration I
June 1999 General Manager, EVAL Division
June 2000 Director
April 2003 Responsible for Poval Company and Eval Company
April 2004 Responsible for Poval Company, Eval Company and Methacrylate Company
April 2005 Responsible for Specialty Resin and Film Sector (Current position)
June 2005 Managing Director, Senior Executive Officer (Current position)

6. Brief History of New Director Candidates

Name Nobuo Iwawaki
Date of birth March 18, 1948
Education March, 1970 Osaka City University (Faculty of Economics)
Brief History April 1971 Joined Kuraray Co., Ltd.
June 1992 Manager, General Affairs Department
June 2000 Assistant Manager, Office of Administration and Planning
April 2002 Assistant Manager, Corporate Management Division
April 2003 General Manager, Corporate Management Division (Current position)
June 2003 Senior Executive Officer (Current position)
Name Yoichi Ninagawa
Date of birth July 20, 1946
Education June, 1971 Tokyo University (Faculty of Science)
Brief History April 1971 Joined Kuraray Co., Ltd.
June 1997 Manager, Development Department, Chemicals Business Development Team
June 2000 Deputy General Manager, Fine Chemicals Division
April 2001 General Manager, Fine Chemicals Division
April 2002 President, Chemicals Company
June 2003 Executive Officer
June 2004 Senior Executive Officer (Current position)
April 2005 President, Chemicals Company, Chemicals and Medical Products Sector (Current position)
Name Fumio Ito
Date of birth August 2, 1947
Education June, 1971 Tokyo University (Faculty of Economics)
Brief History April 1971 Joined Kuraray Co., Ltd.
June 1994 Manager, Labour Affairs Department
June 1999 General Manager, Personnel Department
June 2003 Executive Officer
April 2004 General Manager, Purchasing and Logistics Division (Current position)
June 2004 Senior Executive Officer (Current position)
Name Noriaki Yoshimura
Date of birth July 12, 1944
Education March, 1973 Osaka University (PhD, School of Engineering Sciences)
Brief History April 1973 Joined Kuraray Co., Ltd.
June 1991 General Manager Research Laboratory I, Central Research Laboratories
June 1997 General Manager, Research and Development Division, Kurashiki Research Laboratories
June 2000 General Manager, Research and Development Division
April 2002 General Manager, Research and New Business Development Division
June 2003 Senior Executive Officer (Current position)
April 2005 General Manager, New Business Development Division (Current position)
Name Shiro Kataoka
Date of birth October 16, 1948
Education March, 1971 Osaka University (School of Law)
Brief History April 1971 Joined Kuraray Co., Ltd.
June 1994 Manager, Office of Administration, Chemicals Operation Administration I
June 1995 Manager, Corporate Administration Department, Office of Corporate Administration and Planning
June 1998 General Manager, Office of Administration, Fibers and Textiles Operations Administration
June 1999 Manager, Kuraray Trading Co., Ltd.
June 2002 General Manager, Purchasing and Logistics Division
June 2003 Executive Officer
April 2004 President, Poval Company
June 2004 Senior Executive Officer (Current position)
April 2005 President, Specialty Resin and Film Sector, Poval Resin Company (Current position)
Name Hiroaki Yoshino
Date of birth September 9, 1946
Education March, 1970 Waseda University (School of Law)
Brief History April 1970 Joined Kuraray Co., Ltd.
April 1994 Manager, Marketing and Sales Department, Division I, Kuraray Chemical Co., Ltd.
June 1996 Manager, Activated Carbon Division, Kuraray Chemical Co., Ltd
June 1998 Manager, Public Relations and Advertising Department, Tokyo Head Office
April 2001 General Manager, Office of Public Relations
April 2003 President, Optical Products Company
June 2003 Executive Officer (Current position)
April 2004 President, Kuraray America, Inc. (Current position)

7. Brief History of New Corporate Auditor Candidates

Name Tsutomu Yabuta
Date of birth August 23, 1941
Education March, 1965 Waseda University (School of Political Science and Economics)
Brief History April 1965 Joined Kuraray Co., Ltd.
June 1997 Director, Kuraray Co., Ltd.
June 2000 Managing Director, Kuraray Co., Ltd. (Current position)
Name Hiroo Onodera
Date of birth July 12, 1940
Education March, 1963 Tohoku University (Faculty of Economics)
Brief History April 1963 Entered Bank of Japan
November 1990 Branch Manager, Sendai Branch, Bank of Japan
June 1992 Retired from Bank of Japan
June 1992 Senior Managing Director, Wakamoto Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.
June 2000 Representative Director and President, Shinei Co., Ltd.
October 2001 Study Advisory on Financial and Economic Matters, Prefectural Committee for Financial Services Information of Tokyo (Current position)
June 2004 Advisor (Non-statutory), Shinei Co., Ltd.
February 2005 Retired position as Advisor (Non-statutory), Shinei Co., Ltd.
Name Hirotaka Ikuno
Date of birth June 20, 1941
Education March, 1964 Kyoto University (Faculty of Law)
Brief History April 1964 Entered The Industrial Bank of Japan ,Limited
June 1990 Manager, The Industrial Bank of Japan ,Limited
June 1992 Director, The Industrial Bank of Japan ,Limited
December 1992 Manager, Securities Department, The Industrial Bank of Japan ,Limited
June 1994 Retired position of Director, The Industrial Bank of Japan,Limited
June 1994 Director and Vice President, Maruwa Securities Co., Ltd.
June 1995 Representative Director and President, Maruwa Securities Co., Ltd.
June 2003 Chairman, Maruwa Securities Co., Ltd.
June 2004 Advisor, Maruwa Securities Co., Ltd. (Current position)

Reference: Chart of Executive Personnel Changes (with major appointments included)

Name Position and major appointments Position and appointments as of April 1, 2006 Planned position and appointments as of late June Change in position as of late June
Hiroto Matsuo Representative Director and Chairman See left Advisor Planned retirement of Representative Director post
Yasuaki Wakui Representative Director and President See left See left Planned reappointment
Koichi Kushida Senior Managing Director
  • Responsible for New Business Development Division
  • Responsible for Office of CSR
  • Responsible for GENESTAR Division
See left
Assistant to the President
Counselor Planned retirement of Director post
Tsutomu Yabuta Managing Director
  • Responsible for Corporate Management Division
  • Responsible for Office of Public Relations
  • Responsible for Accounting and Finance Division
  • Responsible for General Affairs and H.R. Division
  • Responsible for Kuraray Business Service Co., Ltd.
See left
Assistant to the President
Corporate Auditor (Statutory) Planned retirement of Director postPlanned appointment to Corporate Auditor (Statutory) post
Katsumi Ohashi Managing Director
  • Responsible for Business Process Innovation Team
  • Responsible for Purchasing and Logistics Division
See left
Assistant to the President
Counselor (Non-Statutory) Planned retirement of Director post
Junsuke Tanaka Managing Director and Senior Executive Officer
Responsible for
Specialty Resin and Film Sector
See left
President of Specialty Resin and Film Company
Representative Senior Managing Director and Senior Executive Officer
See left
Planned appointment to Representative Director postPlanned promotion to Senior Managing Director post
Seiji Wajiki Managing Director and Senior Executive Officer
Responsible for
Chemicals and Medical Products Sector
See left
  • Responsible for Environmental and Industrial Safety and Technology Division
  • Management of Domestic Plants
  • Responsible for Kuraray Medical Inc.
Managing Director
See left
Planned retirement of Executive Officer post
Name Position and major appointments Position and appointments as of April 1, 2006 Planned position and appointments as of late June Change in position as of late June
Osamu Asaba Managing Director and Senior Executive Officer
Responsible for Fibers and Textiles Sector
See left
  • President of Fibers and Textiles Company
  • Responsible for Kuraray Fastening Co., Ltd.
  • Responsible for Kuraray Kuraflex
See left Planned reappointment
Nobusuke Takeuchi Director
  • Responsible for Technology Division
  • Responsible for plant operations
See left
Kuraray Techno Co., Ltd.
Assistant to the President
Vice President of Kuraray Techno Co., Ltd. Planned retirement of Director post
Akira Matsuzawa Corporate Auditor (Statutory) See left See left Planned to continue post
Tatsuya Nakano Corporate Auditor (Statutory) See left   Planned retirement of Corporate Auditor (Statutory) post
Kazuhide Kashiwabara Corporate Auditor See left   Planned retirement of Corporate Auditor post
Ichiro Kobayashi Corporate Auditor See left   Planned retirement of Corporate Auditor post
Toshimitsu Kitagawa Corporate Auditor See left See left Planned to continue post
Hiroo Onodera     Corporate Auditor Planned appointment to Corporate Auditor post
Hirotaka Ikuno     Corporate Auditor Planned appointment to Corporate Auditor post
Noriaki Yoshimura Senior Executive Officer
General Manager, New Business Development Division
See left
Responsible for New Business Development Division
Director
See left
Planned appointment to Director post
Nobuo Iwawaki Senior Executive Officer
General Manager, Corporate Management Division
See left
  • Responsible for Internal Control Reform Team
  • Responsible for Office of Global Business Development
  • Responsible for Accounting and Finance Division
  • Responsible for General Affairsand H.R. Division
  • Responsible for Kuraray Business Service Co., Ltd.
Managing Director
See left
Planned appointment to Director post
Toshihiro Tomii Senior Executive Officer
Specialty Resin and Film Sector
President, Methacrylate Company
See left
Assistant to the President, Chemicals Company
  Planned retirement of Executive Officer post
Name Position and major appointments Position and appointments as of April 1, 2006 Planned position and appointments as of late June Change in position as of late June
Yoichi Ninagawa Senior Executive Officer
Chemicals and Medical Products Sector President, Chemicals Company
See left
President, Chemicals Company
Managing Director and Senior Executive Officer
See left
Planned appointment to Director post
Fumio Ito Senior Executive Officer
General Manager, Purchasing and Logistics Division
See left
  • Specialty Resin and Film Company General Manager, Poval Resin Division
  • Responsible for Office of CSR and Communications
  • Responsible for Purchasing and Logistics Division
Managing Director
See left
Planned appointment to Director post
Shiro Kataoka Senior Executive Officer
Specialty Resin and Film Sector President, Poval Resin Company
See left
Specialty Resin and Film Company General Manager, Poval Resin Division
Director and Senior Executive Officer
See left
Planned appointment to Director post
Kanji Shimoda Executive Officer
General Manager, GENESTAR Division
See left
Assistant to the President Techno Soft Co., Ltd.
President, Techno Soft Co., Ltd. Planned retirement of Executive Officer post
Hiroaki Yoshino Executive Officer
President, Kuraray America, Inc.
See left
General Manager, Office of CSR and Communications
Director and Senior Executive Officer
See left
Planned appointment to Director postPlanned assumption of Senior Executive Officer post
Toshihide Sakai Executive Officer
General Manager, Okayama Plant
See left
See left
See left
See left
Planned reappointment
Susumu Gotanda Executive Officer
General Manager, Niigata Plant
See left
See left
See left
See left
Planned reappointment
Noboru Yanagida Executive Officer
Assistant Responsible for Specialty Resin and Film Sector
See left
Assistant to the President, Chemicals Company
President, SEPTON Company of America Planned retirement of Executive Officer post
Kenzo Sawada Executive Officer
Vice President, Kuraray Specialties, Europe GmbH
See left
General Manager, Office of Global Business Development
Senior Executive Officer
See left
Planned assumption of Senior Executive Officer post
Hideo Tomita Executive Officer
General Manager, General Affairs and H.R. Division
See left
See left
Senior Executive Officer
See left
Planned assumption of Senior Executive Officer post
Name Position and major appointments Position and appointments as of April 1, 2006 Planned position and appointments as of late June Change in position as of late June
Katsuya Hashimoto Associate Director
Fibers and Textiles Sector President, Clarino Company
See left
Fibers and Textiles Company General Manager, Clarino Division
Executive Officer
See left
Planned appointment to Executive Officer post
Mitsuo Matsumoto Associate Director
General Manager, Purchasing and Logistics Division
See left
General Manager, New Business Development Division
Executive Officer
See left
Planned appointment to Executive Officer post
Kohei Maeda Associate Director
General Manager, Office of Public Relations
See left
General Manager, Office of Internal Auditors
Executive Officer
See left
Planned appointment to Executive Officer post
Tokio Aikura Associate Director
Specialty Resin and Film Sector Vice President, Methacrylate Company
See left
Chemicals Company General Manager, Methacrylate Division
Executive Officer
See left
Planned appointment to Executive Officer post
Mitsuaki Manabe Associate Director
General Manager, Accounting and Finance Department
See left
See left
Executive Officer
See left
Planned appointment to Executive Officer post
Yuichi Kawarasaki Deputy General Manager, Corporate Management Division See left
General Manager, Corporate Management Division
Executive Officer
See left
Planned appointment to Executive Officer post
Keiji Murakami Specialty Resin and Film Sector President, Eval Company See left
Specialty Resin and Film Company General Manager, EVAL Division
Executive Officer
See left
Planned appointment to Executive Officer post
Gerd Lepper Executive Officer
Assistant Responsible for Specialty Resin and Film Sector
See left Executive Officer
See left
Planned appointment to Executive Officer post
Jean-Marie Baetens President, Eval Europe N. V. See left Executive Officer
See left
Planned appointment to Executive Officer post
Nobuya Tomita President, Eval Company of America See left Executive Officer
See left
Planned appointment to Executive Officer post