Company Info

Corporate Governance System

Chart of Corporate Governance System

  1. Special Directors are put in place in accordance with Paragraph 1, Article 373 of the Companies Act.

  2. Of the five External Board Directors, four are designated as Independent Officers.

  3. All four External Audit & Supervisory Board Members are designated as independent Officers.

  4. Supervisory Committee is put in place to supervise matters such as investments and loans of the certain subsidiaries.

Board of Directors

SoftBank Group Corp. (“SBG”)'s Board of Directors consists of nine Board Directors, including five External Board Directors (of whom four are designated Independent Board Directors). The Representative Director, Corporate Officer, Chairman & CEO serves as the chairman of the Board. The Board's purpose is to make important decisions on execution of duties and oversee Board Directors' execution of duties. SBG ensures adequate independence of each of the External Board Directors, who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Board related to business management and other matters. Each of the External Board Directors participates actively in the discussions at the Board meetings and SBG makes management judgments and decisions based on these discussions.

Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at least once every three months.
Agenda items for discussion at the Board of Directors meetings are set forth in the Board of Directors Regulations. The Board discusses the following:

 

  • (ⅰ) Statutory matters


  • (ⅱ) Critical matters related to business management, such as (a) fundamental management policy, business plans, and (b) matters such as investments and loans and borrowings, etc. exceeding a certain amount


  • (ⅲ) Certain matters related to subsidiaries (excluding listed subsidiaries and their subsidiaries), such as investments and loans and borrowings, etc. exceeding a certain amount


  • (ⅳ) Other matters

 

Furthermore, Special Directors are put in place in accordance with Paragraph 1, Article 373 of the Companies Act, and matters related to “disposal and acceptance of important assets” and “borrowing in a significant amount” are resolved by the Board of Special Directors meeting for the purpose of prompt decision-making.

Authority to decide matters other than these agenda items discussed by the Board of Directors is delegated to committees, Board Directors, Heads, and department managers to enable speed and flexibility in corporate activities.

To elect Board Directors, the Board of Directors selects candidates in accordance with SBG's Articles of Incorporation and the Board of Directors Regulations, based on deliberations by the Nominating & Compensation Committee, which is a voluntary advisory body to the Board of Directors, and these candidates are proposed at the General Meeting of Shareholders.

SBG and each of its non-executive Board Directors Yutaka Matsuo, Kenneth A. Siegel, David Chao, Tetsuji Ohashi and Miwa Ohmori have concluded a contract to limit liability for damage stipulated in Paragraph 1, Article 423 of the Companies Act in accordance with Paragraph 1, Article 427 of the Companies Act. The amount of limit of liability for damage is stipulated in the relevant contract as ¥10 million or the minimum amount of limit of liability that the relevant laws and regulations stipulate, whichever is higher.

The contents of the matters deliberated by the Board Directors in fiscal 2025 were as follows.

CategorySpecific considerations
GovernanceCompensation of Board Director candidates and Board Directors, reports from committees, evaluation of the effectiveness of the Board of Directors, and Audit & Supervisory Board Members Audit Report
Internal management (including the management of subsidiaries)Compliance (oversight over conflict-of-interest transactions, fiscal year compliance reports), risk management, internal control and internal audits, approval of transactions by subsidiaries, etc.
Business reportsReporting on the status of the portfolio and the status of individual business segments
FinanceFund procurement, shareholder returns
InvestmentConsideration of investment projects
OthersGeneral Meeting of Shareholders, information disclosure, sustainability
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SBG conducts evaluations of the effectiveness of the Board every year. Most recently, from December 2025 to April 2026, from the perspectives of culture, composition, operation, and other aspects of the Board of Directors as a whole, and evaluated the effectiveness of the Board of Directors based on the results thereof.

As a result of the evaluation, continuing from Fy2024, it was confirmed that a relationship of trust and healthy checks has been maintained between Representative Director, Corporate Officer, Chairman & CEO and the Board of Directors, and that open discussions are conducted at meetings of the Board of Directors with independence and diversity, which has become established as part of the Board of Directors’ culture. Particularly in Fy2025, the Board of Directors continued to make discussions and resolutions on significant strategic investments. It was confirmed that in this process, the Board of Directors made every effort to fulfill its responsibilities effectively, including sharing the vision and strategy through implementation of executive sessions with External Board Directors, securing time for thorough discussions, and each Board Director raising issues proactively.

As for future initiatives, the Board of Directors will continue to fulfill strong supervisory and checking functions and carry out monitoring of strategic investments to ensure that CEO’s sound leadership is exercised.

These evaluation results were reported at a Board of Directors meeting held in April 2026, where it was confirmed that continuous improvements will be made regarding specific initiatives to address the above priority issues and other aspects of operations.

SBG stipulates the maximum number of Board Directors at eleven in its Articles of Incorporation.The Board of Directors elects Board Director candidates who are considered most suitable for the position, in consideration of their nationality, ethnicity, gender, or age. There are nine Board Directors serving, all of whom have a wealth of knowledge and experience regarding business management and a global perspective. Five of the nine Board Directors are External Board Directors, two are non-Japanese, and one is a woman, thereby ensuring constructive and lively discussion at the Board of Directors meetings from diverse perspectives.

Skill matrix of Board Directors and Audit & Supervisory Board members

SBG believes it is important for Board Directors and Audit & Supervisory Board members who participate in the Board of Directors to have a wide range of viewpoints and experience, as well as a high level of expertise, to ensure the Board maintains diversity and engages in active discussions and decision-making. As of June 24, 2026, the skill matrix (skill set desired by SBG) of the Board Directors and Audit & Supervisory Board members was as follows.


Masayoshi Son

Yoshimitsu Goto

Ken Miyauchi

Rene Haas

Yutaka Matsuo

Kenneth A. Siegel
Position at SBGRepresentative DirectorBoard DirectorBoard DirectorBoard DirectorExternal Board DirectorExternal Board Director
Independent Officer
Corporate
management
Banking /
M&A
Finance /
Accounting
Law /
Governance
Technology
Academic
background
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David Chao

Tetsuji Ohashi

Miwa Ohmori

Maurice Atsushi Toyama

Yuji Nakata

Kuniko Nishibashi

Yuko Kanamaru
Position at SBGExternal Board DirectorExternal Board DirectorExternal Board DirectorFull-time External Audit & Supervisory Board MemberFull-time External Audit & Supervisory Board MemberExternal Audit & Supervisory Board MemberExternal Audit & Supervisory Board Member
Independent OfficerIndependent OfficerIndependent OfficerIndependent OfficerIndependent OfficerIndependent OfficerIndependent Officer
Corporate
management
Banking /
M&A
Finance /
Accounting
Law /
Governance
Technology
Academic
background
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Nominating & Compensation Committee (Voluntary Advisory Body to the Board of Directors)

The Nominating & Compensation Committee, which is a voluntary advisory body to the Board of Directors, was established to deliberate regarding matters related to nominations and compensation and to report the results of the deliberation to the Board of Directors and other appropriate approval organizations.

The Nominating & Compensation Committee members are elected by the Board of Directors from among Board Directors, and a majority of the Committee members are Independent External Board Directors, thereby enhancing independence and objectivity.

The Committee currently comprises the Chairman (Independent External Board Director Yutaka Matsuo) and two members (Independent External Board Director David Chao and Representative Director, Corporate Officer, Chairman & CEO Masayoshi Son).

The agenda items for discussion in the Nominating & Compensation Committee are set forth in the Nominating & Compensation Committee Regulations, and the Committee deliberates regarding (i) appointment and dismissal standards and proposals for candidates for Board Directors and Important Officers and Employees as defined by the Nominating & Compensation Committee, (ii) compensation policy and individual compensation proposals for Board Directors and Important Officers and Employees as defined by the Nominating & Compensation Committee, and (iii) other matters deemed necessary by the Nominating & Compensation Committee. It also conducts discussions on successors on an ongoing basis.

Meetings of the Nominating & Compensation Committee are comprised of regular meetings and special meetings. In principle, regular meetings are held in April and special meetings are held as necessary. During this fiscal year, the Nominating & Compensation Committee a total of two times, and each meeting was attended by all Committee members.

Investment Committee

The Investment Committee was established for the purpose of making decisions on matters for which it has been delegated authority by the Board of Directors, in order to carry out corporate activities flexibly. The Committee comprises five members elected by the Board (Representative Director, Corporate Officer, Chairman & CEO Masayoshi Son, Board Director, Corporate Officer, Senior Vice President Yoshimitsu Goto, Corporate Officer, Senior Vice President Kazuko Kimiwada, Corporate Officer Seiichi Morooka and Corporate Officer Yoshimasa Magata).

The agenda items for discussion by the Investment Committee are set forth in the Regulations of the Investment Committee. The committee resolves the following matters:

 

  • (ⅰ) Matters such as investments and loans and borrowings of a certain size that do not meet the criteria set forth in the Board of Directors Regulations


  • (ⅱ) Certain matters related to subsidiaries (excluding listed subsidiaries and their subsidiaries), such as (a) investments and loans and borrowings, of a certain size that do not meet the criteria set forth in the Board of Directors Regulations, (b) issue and gratis issue of new stock or stock acquisition rights etc. (except matters such as allotments to shareholders or the issue of shares with restricted voting rights that do not reduce SBG’s voting rights), (c) issue of corporate bonds, (d) overseas business expansion, and (e) entry into new business fields


  • (ⅲ) Other matters


Resolutions of the Committee are only approved by majority agreement. If a proposal submitted to the Committee is approved, and if a member who rejected the proposal considers it necessary, such proposal may be submitted to the Board of Directors. All resolutions of the committee are reported to the Board of Directors.

Brand Committee

The Brand Committee was established for the purpose of making decisions on and properly managing matters related to the SoftBank brand for which it has been delegated authority by the Board of Directors. The Committee comprises the chairman (Board Director, Corporate Officer, Senior Vice President Yoshimitsu Goto), who has been selected by the Board of Directors, and four members (Corporate Officer, Senior Vice President Kazuko Kimiwada, the head of CLO Office Natsuko Oga, the head of the Corporate Communications Office Takeaki Nukii, and the head of the General Administration Department Tatsuya Iida), who have been appointed by the chairman.

The agenda items for discussion at the Brand Committee are set forth in the Regulations of the Brand Committee. The Committee resolves the following:

 

  • (ⅰ) Certain matters related to the licensing of the SoftBank brand


  • (ⅱ) Matters related to a consideration for use of the SoftBank brand


  • (ⅲ) Certain matters related to the cancellation of licensing of the SoftBank brand


  • (ⅳ) Basic policy and important matters related to the management of the SoftBank brand


  • (ⅴ) Certain matters other than the above related to the SoftBank brand


Resolutions of the Committee are only approved by unanimous agreement from all members. All decisions made by the Committee are reported to the Board of Directors.

Group Risk and Compliance Committee

The Group Risk and Compliance Committee was established by the Board of Directors for the purpose of supervising the risk management and compliance program of the Group, and continuously discussing their material issues, promotion policies, and the like. The Committee is chaired by the Group Compliance Officer (GCO) appointed by the Board of Directors (Head of Legal Unit Yutaka Tamada), and comprises the chairperson and two members nominated by the chairperson and approved in advance by the Representative Director (Board Director, Corporate Officer, Senior Vice President Yoshimitsu Goto and Corporate Officer, Senior Vice President Kazuko Kimiwada).

The matters to be discussed by the Group Risk and Compliance Committee are set forth in the Group Risk and Compliance Committee Operation Regulations. The Committee discusses matters related to the Group’s risk management and compliance activities: (i) overall policies such as basic policy and activity themes, (ii) policies, systems and status of promotion of individual activities related to material issues, and (iii) any other matter deemed necessary by the chairperson or a member.

The Group Risk and Compliance Committee’s decisions are only approved by majority agreement. The Committee reports to the Board of Directors periodically (at least once a year) on the matters to be discussed by the Committee, the results of the discussions, and the like, in accordance with the provisions of the Board of Directors Regulations.

Sustainability Committee

The Sustainability Committee was established by the Board of Directors for the purpose of continuously discussing sustainability-related issues, promotion policies, and the like of the Group. The Committee is chaired by the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSusO) appointed by the Board of Directors (Corporate Officer, Senior Vice President Kazuko Kimiwada), and comprises the chairperson and four members nominated by the chairperson (Board Director, Corporate Officer, Senior Vice President Yoshimitsu Goto; Head of Legal Unit Yutaka Tamada; Head of Risk Management Office Kiyoshi Ichimura; and Head of Human Resources Department Yasuharu Sakurai).

The matters to be discussed by the Sustainability Committee are set forth in the Sustainability Committee Operation Regulations. In order to promote the sustainability activities of the Group, the Committee discusses: (i) overall policies such as the sustainability vision, and basic policy, (ii) sustainability issues, target setting, and policies of individual activities such as information disclosure policy, (iii) sustainability promotion systems and operation policy, and (iv) any other matter deemed necessary by the chairperson or a member in connection with the items above.

The Sustainability Committee reports to the Board of Directors as necessary on the matters to be discussed by the Committee, the results of the discussions, and the like, in accordance with the provisions of the Board of Directors Regulations.

Audit & Supervisory Board Members and the Audit & Supervisory Board

The Audit & Supervisory Board Members attend the Board of Directors meetings, allowing them to monitor and verify the decision-making of the Board and fulfillment of the Board's obligation to supervise the execution of duties by each Board Director. Moreover, the Audit & Supervisory Board Members receive regular reports from Board Directors, employees, Audit & Supervisory Board Members, and other personnel of major subsidiaries and conduct hearings, as necessary, to audit the execution of duties by the Board Directors of SBG.

The Audit & Supervisory Board has been established to receive reports on, deliberate and resolve important matters related to audits. The Audit & Supervisory Board consists of four External Audit & Supervisory Board Members (two full-time members and two part-time members), and is chaired by Maurice Atsushi Toyama, who has served as full-time Audit & Supervisory Board Member since June 2015. SBG ensures adequate independence of each of the External Audit & Supervisory Board Members, who possess a wealth of knowledge and experience in their professional roles as a certified public accountant, lawyer or Representative Executive Officer and a risk management manager at financial institutions.

The Audit & Supervisory Board meets once a month, in principle. At these meetings, in addition to formulating the audit policy and plan, details of various internal and external meetings attended only by full-time members are reported to part-time members. The Audit & Supervisory Board also explains details of the audit plan for each fiscal year, interim audit status, and audit results to the Board of Directors.

Furthermore, as described in “2. Audit by the Independent Auditor, (1) Status of audit by the Independent Auditor, iv. Policy for selection of audit corporation and evaluation of audit corporation by the Audit & Supervisory Board,” the Audit & Supervisory Board determines whether or not the reappointment of the Independent Auditor is appropriate, each term.

The Audit & Supervisory Board Office is established to support the duties of all the Audit & Supervisory Board Members and the office comprises three dedicated personnel who act under the directions of the Audit & Supervisory Board Members to gather information, investigate financial statements, requests for approval, treasury stock and matters related to the General Meeting of Shareholders, among other matters, and give other assistance.

SBG and each of its Audit & Supervisory Board Members have concluded a contract to limit liability for damage stipulated in Paragraph 1, Article 423 of the Companies Act in accordance with Paragraph 1, Article 427 of the Companies Act. The amount of limit of liability for damage is stipulated in the relevant contract as ¥10 million or the minimum amount of limit of liability that the relevant laws and regulations stipulate, whichever is higher.

The contents of the matters deliberated by the Audit & Supervisory Board in fiscal 2025 were as follows.

CategorySpecific considerations
GovernanceSupervisory and monitoring functions of the SBG’s Board of Directors
Status of the design and operation of Internal Control
Decision-making process as an investment management company
Management and supervisory structure of subsidiaries and investees
RiskStatus of operation of risk management systems
ComplianceStatus of operation of MNPI (insider information) and investment conflict management systems
Status of responses to new disclosure requirements (including sustainability)
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Internal audits

The Internal Audit Office, which comprises eight staff members, conducts internal audits of the Company's internal departments and subsidiaries to check that duties are carried out legally and correctly based on laws and regulations, the Articles of Incorporation, and internal regulations, while maintaining its independence within the Company. The results of these internal audits are reported to the CEO, and briefings are also given to the Board of Directors and the Audit & Supervisory Board.

Support system for External Board Directors and/or External Audit & Supervisory Board Members

To ensure that all officers, including the External Board Directors and External Audit & Supervisory Board Members can discuss matters fully at the Board of Directors meetings, SBG shall provide them with materials for the meeting in advance, and provide them with additional information and/or supplementary explanation upon request.

The Audit & Supervisory Board Office has been established to support the duties of all the Audit & Supervisory Board Members. The office comprises dedicated personnel who act under the directions of the Audit & Supervisory Board Members to gather information, investigate matters, and give other assistance.

Cooperation between the Audit & Supervisory Board Members, Independent Auditor, and the Internal Audit Office

Cooperation between the Audit & Supervisory Board Members and the Independent Auditor

The Audit & Supervisory Board Members receive regular briefings from the Independent Auditor (Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC) on the audit plan, interim reviews, audit results, and other matters. The Audit & Supervisory Board Members and the Independent Auditor also cooperate as necessary by exchanging information and opinions, among other measures.

Cooperation between the Audit & Supervisory Board Members and the Internal Audit Office

The Audit & Supervisory Board Members receive regular briefings from the Internal Audit Office, which is responsible for SBG's internal audits. The briefings include the audit plan and the results of internal audits performed on each department of SBG and its major subsidiaries. The Audit & Supervisory Board Members and the Internal Audit Office also cooperate as necessary by exchanging information and opinions, among other measures.

Cooperation between the Independent Auditor and the Internal Audit Office

The Independent Auditor receives briefings from the Internal Audit Office on the audit plan and, when necessary, on the results of internal audits and other matters. The Internal Audit Office receives regular briefings from the Independent Auditor regarding audit results and other matters. Moreover, both parties cooperate with each other as necessary by exchanging information and opinions, among other measures.

Reasons for adoption of current corporate governance system

SBG adopts the company with Audit & Supervisory Board system. As explained in “Governance system,” its corporate governance system is built around the Board of Directors, the Audit & Supervisory Board Members, and the Audit & Supervisory Board.

The Board Directors carry out lively discussions at each Board of Directors meetings. Moreover, since five of the nine Board Directors are External Board Directors (four of whom are Independent External Board Directors), management benefits from diverse perspectives, and the function for mutual monitoring between Board Directors are enhanced.

The Audit & Supervisory Board Members conduct strict audits of Board Directors' execution of duties from their specialist perspectives as a certified public accountant, a lawyer, or other professional. Moreover, since all of the four Audit & Supervisory Board Members are Independent External Audit & Supervisory Board Members, SBG's audit function is enhanced by ensuring more independent perspectives.

The current system is thus selected because SBG judges that it can ensure effective corporate governance.

Audit by the Independent Auditor

(1) Status of audit by the Independent Auditor

SBG concluded an independent audit agreement with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC based on the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. The names of the certified public accountants who executed audit duties, the consecutive auditing period, the number of assistants for the audit duties, the policy for selection of audit corporation and evaluation of audit corporation by the Audit & Supervisory Board for fiscal 2025 are as follows:

(a) Names of certified public accountants who executed audit duties

Designated Limited Liability Partner and Engagement Partners:
Nozomu Kunimoto, Ayato Hirano, Yusuke Masuda

(b) Consecutive auditing period

20 years

(c) Composition of assistants who supported audit duties

Certified public accountants: 33, Others: 50

(d) Policy for selection of audit corporation and evaluation of audit corporation by the Audit & Supervisory Board

The Audit & Supervisory Board sets forth criteria for appropriately selecting an Independent Auditor and appropriately evaluating the Independent Auditor in the Audit & Supervisory Board Members Audit Regulations. In accordance with such criteria, the Audit & Supervisory Board takes into account the system to ensure the proper execution of duties by the Independent Auditor, the independency required by the Independent Auditor, and its expertise including the possession of worldwide network resources, and determines whether the reappointment of the Independent Auditor is appropriate each year. The Audit & Supervisory Board has determined that reappointment was appropriate for this fiscal year. In the event that the Audit & Supervisory Board determines that reappointment is inappropriate, it considers other candidates for Independent Auditor in accordance with such criteria, upon taking into account factors such as audits at other companies.

The Audit & Supervisory Board has resolved, as its decision-making policy of dismissal or not reappointing of the Independent Auditor, that the Independent Auditor may be dismissed by the Audit & Supervisory Board with unanimity of Audit & Supervisory Board Members when the Independent Auditor corresponds to any of Paragraph 1, Article 340 of the Companies Act, and that, other than those cases above, the Audit & Supervisory Board shall submit a proposal on dismissal or not reappointing of the Independent Auditor to the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders when it is acknowledged that the execution of appropriate audit is difficult due to the occurrence of an event which impairs the qualification or independency of the Independent Auditor.

(2) Compensation for audits and other duties

(a) Compensation for auditing certified public accountants and other assistants

  • Compensation for audit certification duties

    SBG: 984 million yen
    Consolidated subsidiaries: 5,011 million yen

  • Compensation for non-audit duties

    SBG: 322 million yen
    Consolidated subsidiaries: 592 million yen

The non-audit duties for SBG consist of the preparation of comfort letters when issuing corporate bonds and assurance readiness for Sustainability Standards Board of Japan standards. The non-audit duties for the consolidated subsidiaries of SBG mainly consist of the preparation of comfort letters when issuing corporate bonds and advisory services on the disclosure of non-financial information, etc...

(b) Compensation to the same network as SBG’s auditing certified public accountants and other assistants (Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited) (excluding “Compensation for auditing certified public accountants and other assistants”)

  • Compensation for audit certification duties

    SBG: -
    Consolidated subsidiaries : ¥5,031 million

  • Compensation for non-audit duties

    SBG: ¥2 million
    Consolidated subsidiaries: ¥158 million

The non-audit duties for SBG consist of advisory services for taxation. The non-audit duties for the consolidated subsidiaries of SBG mainly consist of advisory services for taxation.

(c) Other material compensation for audit certification duties

Not applicable.

(d) Reason(s) why the Audit & Supervisory Board gave its consent to the compensation of the Independent Auditor, etc.

The Audit & Supervisory Board, based on the “Practical Guidelines for Cooperation with Accounting Auditors“ published by the Japan Audit & Supervisory Board Members Association, reviewed and examined the plan details of the audit conducted by the Independent Auditor, the performance status of accounting audit duties, and the basis for calculating compensation estimates, and from the results, has given consent prescribed in Paragraph 1, Article 399 of the Companies Act for the compensation paid to the Independent Auditor.

Governance related data

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