The Board of Directors of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (the "Company"), at its meeting held on February 22, 2011 has decided a plan for changes to its management. Those changes as of late June 2011 are subject to approval at the General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company scheduled to be held in late June 2011 and/or decision at the meeting of the Board of Directors to be held immediately thereafter.
Particulars
- 1.Changes in Management Structure
(1) Structure for Operating Officers
The Company implemented an operating officer system in 2005 to strengthen execution of regional and on-site operations and to carry out prompt and appropriate management decisions, and in doing so established a structure that differentiates roles between (a) directors whose duties are both business execution and monitoring and supervision of business execution and (b) operating officers who attend exclusively to business execution.
With the aim of further strengthening the Company's management structure to enable it to swiftly adapt to changes in the economic environment, the Company will designate all of the directors who have business execution roles, including the President, as operating officers and clarify roles and responsibilities relating to business execution. In conjunction with these changes to the structure for the operating officers, titles such as "senior managing," "managing," and the like will be attributed to officers within the operating officer system.
In addition, the time of assumption of office for operating officers, which had been late June, will now be changed to April 1 in alignment with the beginning of the business year.
(2) Changes to Composition of Board of Directors
The Company deliberates and decides on material matters provided by law and monitors and supervises business execution through the Board of Directors composed of internal directors who are well acquainted with the Company's business and two external directors.
In addition to the chairman, president, vice president, external directors, and advisor and director, the Company will elect as a candidate for director a necessary member from the operating officers who will be responsible for deliberating and deciding material matters provided by law and for monitoring and supervising business execution, in order to speed-up and streamline decision making by the Board of Directors, further strengthen its monitoring and supervisory functions, and respond to the requests of shareholders and investors.
As a consequence, it is planned that the number of Directors will change from twenty to twelve Directors as of late June 2011.
There will be no change to the number of Corporate Auditors, which will remain at five as of late June 2011.
Planned changes in Directors (as of March 1, 2011)
Change in Director
| Name | New Title | Current Title |
| Shigeru Takagi | Director | Senior Managing Director |
Mr. Shigeru Takagi has been appointed as President and Representative Director of Honda Trading Corporation since February 14, 2011.
Planned changes in Directors (as of April 1, 2011)
Change in Directors
| Name | New Title | Current Title |
| Koichi Kondo | Chairman and Representative Director | Executive Vice President and Representative Director |
| Takanobu Ito | President, Chief Executive Officer and Representative Director | President and Representative Director |
| Akio Hamada | Executive Vice President, Executive Officer and Representative Director | Senior Managing Director |
| Tetsuo Iwamura | Senior Managing Officer and Director | Senior Managing Director |
| Tatsuhiro Oyama | Senior Managing Officer and Director | Senior Managing Director |
| Fumihiko Ike | Senior Managing Officer and Director | Managing Director |
| Tomohiko Kawanabe | Senior Managing Officer and Director | Managing Director |
| Masaya Yamashita | Managing Officer and Director | Managing Director |
| Hiroshi Kobayashi | Managing Officer and Director | Director |
| Sho Minekawa | Managing Officer and Director | Director |
| Takuji Yamada | Operating Officer and Director | Director |
| Yoichi Hojo | Operating Officer and Director | Director |
| Tsuneo Tanai | Operating Officer and Director | Director |
| Masahiro Yoshida | Operating Officer and Director | Director |
| Seiji Kuraishi | Operating Officer and Director | Director |
| Hiroyuki Yamada | Operating Officer and Director | Director |
Planned changes in Operating Officers (as of April 1, 2011)
Operating Officers to be newly appointed
| Name | New Title | Current Title |
| Takashi Yamamoto | Managing Officer | President and Representative Director of Yutaka Giken Co., Ltd. |
| Yoshiharu Yamamoto | Managing Officer | Vice President and Director of Honda R&D Co., Ltd. |
| Toshihiko Nonaka | Managing Officer | Senior Managing Director of Honda R&D Co., Ltd. |
| Soichiro Takizawa | Operating Officer | Deputy Managing Director of Honda of the U.K. Manufacturing Ltd. |
| Yuji Shiga | Operating Officer | General Manager of Overseas Operation Office No. 2 for Asia and Oceania Operations |
| Kohei Takeuchi | Operating Officer | General Manager of Accounting Division for Business Management Operations |
Planned changes in Directors (as of late June 2011)
Director to be newly appointed
| Name | New Title | Title as of April 1, 2011 |
| Yoshiharu Yamamoto | Managing Officer and Director | Managing Officer |
Directors to retire / Directors to change titles
| Name | New Title | Title as of April 1, 2011 |
| Shigeru Takagi | Director | |
| Tetsuo Iwamura | Senior Managing Officer | Senior Managing Officer and Director |
| Masaya Yamashita | Managing Officer | Managing Officer and Director |
| Hiroshi Kobayashi | Managing Officer | Managing Officer and Director |
| Sho Minekawa | Managing Officer | Managing Officer and Director |
| Yoichi Hojo | Operating Officer and Director | |
| Tsuneo Tanai | Operating Officer and Director | |
| Seiji Kuraishi | Operating Officer | Operating Officer and Director |
| Hiroyuki Yamada | Operating Officer | Operating Officer and Director |
Mr. Shigeru Takagi has been appointed as President and Representative Director of Honda Trading Corporation since February 14, 2011. Mr. Yoichi Hojo is expected to take office as President and Representative Director of Showa Corporation and Mr. Tsuneo Tanai is expected to take office as President and Representative Director of Keihin Corporation.
Planned changes in Corporate Auditors (as of late June 2011)
Corporate Auditors to be newly appointed
| Name | Present Post/Previous Post |
| Hirotake Abe | Hirotake Abe Office, Certified Public Accountant |
| Tomochika Iwashita | Former President and Director of Tokio Marine & Nichido Life Insurance Co., Ltd. |
Corporate Auditors to retire
| Name | Present Post |
| Koukei Higuchi | Corporate Auditor |
| Yuji Matsuda | Corporate Auditor |
Planned changes in Operating Officers (as of late June 2011)
Operating Officers to retire
| Name | Title as of April 1, 2011 |
| Suguru Kanazawa | Managing Officer |
| Eiji Okawara | Operating Officer |
Mr. Eiji Okawara is expected to take office as President and Representative Director of Nissin Kogyo Co., Ltd.
Also, Mr. Hiroyuki Yoshino who has been appointed as Advisor of the Company is to retire as of late June 2011.