US Fund Demands Yamato Holdings Chairman Step Down
Listen to the story
A US investment fund has demanded that the chairman of Japanese delivery company Yamato Holdings step down from the board.
The fund, called Farallon, owns about 5% of Yamato's shares, making it a major shareholder in the company.
Farallon is asking Yutaka Nagao, Yamato's chairman, to leave his position as a director. Nagao currently sits on Yamato's board.
The US fund says it wants management reform at Yamato. This means it wants changes to how the company is run.
Funds like Farallon that push companies to change their business or leadership are sometimes called activist investors.
Yamato Holdings is well known in Japan for its home delivery services, including its famous black cat logo.
At this stage, it is not clear exactly what reforms Farallon wants, beyond the chairman's departure from the board.
Yamato has not yet made a public statement responding to Farallon's demand.
This kind of pressure from foreign shareholders has become more common at Japanese companies in recent years, as overseas funds take bigger stakes and push for change.
Vocabulary10 words
- fund
- a company that invests money in other businesses
- shares
- small parts of a company that can be bought and sold
- shareholder
- a person or company that owns shares in a business
- chairman
- the person who leads a company's board of directors
- director
- a person who helps run and make decisions for a company
- management
- the people and methods used to run a company
- activist investor
- an investor who pushes a company to make big changes
- reform
- a change made to improve something
- stake
- the share or part a person owns in a company
- logo
- a symbol or picture that represents a company
📚 Ready to use these words in a real conversation?
Practice live with a real tutor on Preply.
Quiz
Answer key
1. Step down from the board 2. 5% 3. Management reform at Yamato
✅ Nice work on the quiz!
Keep the momentum going — book a live English lesson with a Preply tutor.
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
A US investment _____ has demanded that the chairman of Japanese delivery company Yamato Holdings step down from the _____.
The fund, called _____, owns about 5% of Yamato's shares, making it a major _____ in the company.
Farallon is asking Yutaka Nagao, Yamato's _____, to leave his position as a director.
The US fund says it wants _____ reform at Yamato. This means it wants changes to how the company is run.
Funds like Farallon that push companies to change their business or leadership are sometimes called _____ investors.
At this stage, it is not clear exactly what _____ Farallon wants, beyond the chairman's departure from the board.
This kind of pressure from foreign shareholders has become more common at Japanese companies, as overseas funds take bigger _____ and push for change.
Discussion questions
- Why might a shareholder want a company's chairman to resign?
- Do you think foreign investors should be able to influence Japanese companies' leadership?
- What risks or benefits could management reform bring to a company like Yamato?
- How might Yamato's employees or customers react to this kind of dispute?
🎓 Enjoyed this story?
Turn today's reading into real speaking practice with a live Preply tutor.
