Japanese Corporate Governance Codes in Global Investor Spotlight

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - May 31, 2016) - Institutional Investor, a world leading financial information company founded in 1967, is pleased to announce the results of the 2016 rankings of Japan's top CEOs, CFOs, Investor Relations Officers and Investor Relations Departments. Institutional Investor's CEO, David Antin, is the founder of the Executive Team rankings, which are supported by deep data and have become a key benchmark globally. This year, 443 Japanese companies received nominations across 25 business sectors. Corporate governance proved a key factor in determining the winners.

"Japan's recently enacted stewardship and corporate governance codes are spurring investors from around the world to learn more about Japanese companies and to request meetings with their chief executives," observes Thomas W. Johnson, Institutional Investor's director of research. "Voting in this year's All-Japan Executive Team survey, our annual ranking of the nation's top business leaders as seen through the eyes of investment professionals, surged by roughly 40 percent year over year."

Three companies sweep their sectors -- capturing first place in every category in which they are eligible to compete -- on the 2016 All-Japan Executive Team, Institutional Investor's exclusive annual ranking of the nation's corporate leaders as seen through the eyes of investment professionals:

• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, a multinational engineering and electronics outfit
• Mizuho Financial Group, the nation's second largest financial services firm, in terms of holdings
• Nidec Corp., a manufacturer of electric motors for appliances, computers and other devices

Other companies that finish in the top three in every category (and the sector in which they rank) are:

• Asahi Group Holdings (Beverages, Food & Tobacco)
• Astellas Pharma (Health Care & Pharmaceuticals)
• Daiwa House Industry Co. Construction)
• Dentsu (Broadcasting)
• Komatsu (Machinery)
• Mitsubishi Corp. (Trading Companies)
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp. (Electronics/Industrial)
• Mitsui Chemicals (Chemicals)
• Murata Manufacturing Co. (Electronics/Components)
• Nissan Motor Co. (Autos)
• Rakuten (Internet)
• Sony Corp. (Electronics/Consumer)
• Tokio Marine Holdings (Insurance & Other Nonbank Financials)
• Yamato Holdings Co. (Transportation)

To see the top 3 winners per category, visit http://www.institutionalinvestor.com/Research/6279/Overview.html.