Directors and Executive Members

Date of birth: August 26, 1959

April 1983	Joined Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
July 2016	President, Ajinomoto North America, Inc.
June 2017	Corporate Fellow, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
July 2018	General Manager, North America Division, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
July 2018	President, Ajinomoto Health and Nutrition North America
June 2019	Corporate Vice President, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
April 2021	Senior Managing Executive Officer, In Charge of Corporate Administration, J-OIL MILLS, Inc.
June 2021	Director, J-OIL MILLS, Inc.
July 2021	In Charge of Corporate Administration, J-OIL MILLS, Inc.
April 2022	Representative Director, President and CEO of the Company
July 2023	CEO, J-OIL MILLS, Inc.
April 2025	Representative Director, President and CEO of the Company
June 2025	June 2025　Chairman of the Board（to present）

Reason for nomination

He has been involved in food and a wide variety of businesses, mainly overseas, at Ajinomoto Co., Inc., and has abundant experience and insights related broadly to overseas business and corporate management in general. By leveraging these factors, he is expected to take a role of making important decisions and supervising business execution as Director, and therefore the Company appointed him as Director. 

Date of birth: December 19, 1969

April 1993	Joined Sumitomo Chemical Industory Co., Ltd. (currently Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.)
December 2019	Senior Strategic Officer, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd. (currently Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd.)
February 2020	Sumitovant Biopharma, Inc. （currently Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.） EVP, Finance & Corporate Strategy
April 2021	CFO, Sumitovant Biopharma, Inc. (currently Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.)
September 2022	Exective Fellow, Finance, J-OIL MILLS, Inc
June 2023	Exective Officer, J-OIL MILLS, Inc.
July 2023	Exective Officer, Corporate Strategy & Finance and General Manager,Corporate Strategy, J-OIL MILLS, Inc.
June 2024	Exective Officer, Vice President & CSO, Corporate Strategy, J-OIL MILLS, Inc.
April 2025	Exective Officer, Vice President & CEO
June 2025	Director, Executive Officer, President & CEO（to present）

Reason for nomination

He has been engaged in corporate management as well as involved in finance and corporate strategy at the SUMITOMO CHEMICAL group, centered on Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd., and has abundant experience and insights related to finance, etc. and corporate management. By leveraging these factors, he is expected to take a role of making important decisions and supervising business execution as Director, and therefore the Company appointed him as a candidate for Director.

Date of birth: March 5, 1968

April 1993	Joined Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
July 2008	General Manager of Technology department, Technology and Engineering center, Ajinomoto Co, Ltd., (Thailand)
July 2011	Plant Manager, Kamphaeng Phet Ⅱ plant,  Ajinomoto Co, Ltd., (Thailand)
July 2014	General Manager, Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Technology Administration Centeroto Co., Inc.
July 2019	Member of the Board Vice President of Ajinomoto Brazil (in charge of production, technology and digital transformation)
July 2023	Executive Officer, Research & Development and General Manager, R&D center, J-OIL MILLS, Inc.
April 2025	Director, Executive Officer, Executive Vice President & CTO and General Manager, R&D Strategy Department, J-OIL MILLS, Inc. (to present)

Reason for nomination

He has been involved in food manufacture and technology development both in Japan and overseas at Ajinomoto Co., Inc. and has abundant experience and insights related to food business and overseas business. By leveraging these factors, he is expected to take a role of making important decisions and supervising business execution as Director, and therefore the Company appointed him as a candidate for Director.

Date of birth: June 25, 1963

April 1986	Joined Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
January 2011	General Manager, Nutrition Care Department, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
July 2013	General Manager, Corporate Planning Department, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
June 2017	Corporate Executive Officer, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
June 2019	Corporate Executive Officer, Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K.
July 2019	General Manager, Latin America Division, Ajinomoto Co., Inc. and President, Ajinomoto do Brasil Indústria e Comércio de Alimentos Ltda.
June 2021	Executive Officer & Vice President, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
April 2022	Executive Managing Director of the company (current position)
April 2022	General Manager, Global Corporate Division and Corporate Service Division, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
June 2022	Member of the Board the company (current position)
June 2022	Member of the Board(Outside Director) the Company (current position)
April 2023	Corporate Division General Manager of the company (current position)

Significant concurrent positions

Member of the Board, Executive Officer & Senior Vice President, General Manager, Corporate Division, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.

Reason for nomination

He has been involved in food business both in Japan and overseas at Ajinomoto Co., Inc. and has abundant experience and insights related broadly to food business and corporate management in general. By leveraging these factors, he is expected to take a role of making important decisions and supervising business execution as Director, and therefore the Company appointed him as Director.

Date of birth: April 28, 1967

April 1991	Joined MITSUI & CO., LTD.
May 2006	General Manager, Feed Grain Office, Feed and Livestock Department, Foods & Retail Business Unit, MITSUI & CO., LTD.
July 2012	General Manager, Feed, Livestock and Fisheries Business Office, Grain Dept., Food Resources Business Unit, MITSUI & CO., LTD.
January 2013	Management Company Sodrugestvo Ltd. (Assistant to CEO)
October 2014	Assistant to General Manager, Grain Dept. 1, Food Business Unit, MITSUI & CO., LTD.
January 2018	Multigrain SA (Officer, President & CEO)
April 2019	Assistant to General Manager, Grain Dept. 1, Food Business Unit, MITSUI & CO., LTD.
June 2020	Member of the Board(Outside Director) Starzen Co., Ltd. (current position)
April 2021	General Manager, Livestock & Fisheries Project Division, Food Business Unit, MITSUI & CO., LTD.
April 2024	Director of the company, Assistant to the General Manager of the Food Division (current position)
June 2024	Member of the Board(Outside Director) Feed One Inc. (current position)
June 2024	Member of the Board(Outside Director) the Company (current position)

Significant concurrent positions

Associate Officer, Assistant to General Manager, Food Business Unit, MITSUI & CO., LTD.
External Director, Starzen Co., Ltd.
External Director, FEED ONE CO., LTD.

Reason for nomination

He has been involved in businesses including overseas and food/food product businesses at MITSUI & CO., LTD., and has abundant experience and insights related to overseas business and food/food product business. By leveraging these factors, he is expected to take a role of making important decisions and supervising business execution as Director, and therefore the Company appointed him as Member of the Board.

(Note) Starzen Co., Ltd. announced its employees had committed inappropriate transactions, including fictitious circular transactions during Mr. Kaku Yoshisato's tenure as External Director at the company. He was not aware of the incident and was fulfilling his responsibilities by regularly offering proposals from the perspective of compliance with laws and regulations at Board of Directors meetings, etc. and, after the incident came to light, demanding structures be reinforced to support investigation and recurrence-prevention measures.

Date of birth: January 1, 1957

April 1979	Joined Nomura Securities Co., Ltd.
November 1997	Representative Director and President, Nomura Italy S.I.M.p.A
April 2004	Executive Officer, Nomura Holdings, Inc.
April 2005	Director, President and CEO, Nomura Europe Holdings plc
April 2008	Managing Executive Officer, Nomura Holdings, Inc.
April 2009	Executive Vice President, Nomura Asset Management Co., Ltd.
June 2011	Member of the Board, COO and President of the company (retired in August 2012)
January 2014	President Member of the Board of Lazard Japan Asset Management Co., Ltd. (Retires in January 2024)
June 2019	Member of the Board(Outside Director) the Company (current position)
February 2024	Senior Advisor, Lazard Japan Asset Management Co., Ltd. (current position)

Significant concurrent positions

Senior Advisor, LAZARD JAPAN ASSET MANAGEMENT K.K.

Reason for nomination

He has been engaged in corporate management as well as involved in finance in Japan and overseas at security companies and asset management companies, and has abundant experience and insights related to capital market and corporate management. By leveraging these factors, he is expected to take a role of making important decisions and supervising business execution as Director, and therefore the Company appointed him as Director. 

Date of birth: July 26, 1960

April 1983	Joined The Daimaru, Inc.
April 2003	Joined Ito-Yokado Co., Ltd.
March 2011	Corporate Executive Officer, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
March 2016	President Member of the Board of Jolly Pasta Co., Ltd. (retired in March 2017)
April 2017	President Member of the Board of COCO'S JAPAN Co., Ltd. (retired in September 2018)
June 2019	Director and General Manager, Merchandising Division, Okamoto Corporation
June 2020	Member of the Board Business Management Division company (retired in May 2023)
January 2023	Member of the Board(Outside Director) Kurazushi Co., Ltd. (Retired in January 2024)
June 2023	Senior Partner, People Trees LLC (current position)
June 2024	Member of the Board(Outside Director) Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd. (current position)
June 2024	Member of the Board(Outside Director) the Company (current position)

Significant concurrent positions

Outside Member of the Board, NIPPON SHOKUBAI CO., LTD.

Reason for nomination

She has been engaged in corporate management as well as involved in marketing and administrative operations at major companies in retail and restaurant operation, among others, and has abundant experience and insights related to marketing and corporate management. By leveraging these factors, she is expected to take a role of making important decisions and supervising business execution as Director, and therefore the Company appointed her as Director.

Date of birth: December 22, 1964

April 1991	Joined Fukutake Publishing Co., Ltd. (currently Benesse Corporation)
June 2000	Re-joined Benesse Corporation
April 2016	General Manager, Global Kodomo Challenge Division, Benesse Corporation
April 2018	Executive Officer, Benesse Holdings, Inc.
April 2018	Company, Benesse Corporation Director, Vice President of Global Kodomo Challenge
October 2021	Executive Officer, Deputy Head of the Kids & Family Business Company, Head of Japan Sector, Global Kodomo Challenge Group, Benesse Corporation
October 2021	Outside Director, Benesse BE studio Inc.
June 2024	Member of the Board(Outside Director) the Company (current position)

Reason for nomination

She has been engaged in corporate management as well as involved in marketing at Benesse Corporation, and has abundant experience and insights related to marketing and corporate management. By leveraging these factors, she is expected to take a role of making important decisions and supervising business execution as Director, and therefore the Company appointed her as Director.

April 1986	Joined Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
July 2014	President, Ajinomoto Heartland, Inc.
June 2017	Corporate Executive Officer, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
April 2018	President, Ajinomoto Animal Nutrition North America, Inc.
June 2019	President, Ajinomoto Animal Nutrition Group, Inc.
July 2021	President, AJINOMOTO FOODS EUROPE SAS, and Deputy General Manager, Europe & Africa Division, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
April 2022	AJINOMOTO EUROPE S.A.S. Executive Officer & Vice President, General Manager, Europe & Africa Division
April 2024	Advisor, J-OIL MILLS, Inc.
June 2024	Audit and Supervisory Board Member(Standing) of the Company (current position)

Reason for nomination

He has been involved in food business, as well as wide-ranging other businesses, mainly overseas at Ajinomoto Co., Inc. and has abundant experience and insights related to international business and corporate management. He is expected to provide objective monitoring and supervision of performance of duties by management personnel, and therefore the Company appointed him as Member of the Board.

April 1986	Joined The Hokkaido Takushoku Bank, Ltd.
April 1998	Joined Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd. (currently Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd.)
March 2012	General Manager, Legal Affairs Department, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
January 2013	General Manager, Legal Affairs Department, Kirin Company, and Director in Charge of Group Legal Affairs, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
April 2015	Executive Officer, General Manager, Legal Affairs Department, Kirin Company, and Executive Officer, Director in Charge of Group Legal Affairs, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
April 2019	Executive Officer, General Manager, Legal Affairs Department, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
March 2020	Outside Audit and Supervisory Board Member Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. (Retired in March 2024)
June 2024	Outside Audit and Supervisory Board Member (Independent Outside Director) of the Company

Reason for nomination

He has been involved in legal affairs operation at Kirin Holdings Company, Limited for many years and has served as fulltime Audit & Supervisory Board Member of Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd., and thus has abundant experience and insights related to compliance and corporate management. He is expected to provide objective monitoring and supervision of performance of duties by management personnel, and therefore the Company appointed him as Member of the Board.

April 1994	Registered as an attorney (Tokyo Bar Association)
April 1994	Joined Ohara Law Office (currently)
April 2005	Part-time Lecturer, Meiji Gakuin University Law School
April 2005	Part-time Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Keio University
December 2023	Director of the Japan Tax Litigation Association (currently)
June 2024	Member of the Board(Outside Director) Sanken Electric Co., Ltd. (current position)
June 2025	Outside Audit and Supervisory Board Member (Independent Outside Director) of the Company

Significant concurrent positions

Ohara Law Office (Attorney at Law)
Director of the Japan Tax Litigation Association
Member of the Board(Outside Director) Nken Electric Co., Ltd.

Reason for nomination

He has specialized knowledge and abundant experience as an attorney and has been involved in corporate legal affairs for many years. Although he has never been involved in company management other than as Member of the Board(Outside Director), he has been appointed as Outside Audit and Supervisory Board Member (Independent Outside Director) since he is expected to objectively monitor and Supervise the execution of duties by management.

October 1985	Joined Eiwa Audit Corporation (now KPMG AZSA LLC)
March 1989	Certified Public Accountant Registration
October 1999	Partner at Asahi Audit Corporation (currently KPMG AZSA LLC)
June 2021	Managing Director, KPMG AZSA LLC
July 2022	Director of Tanabe Certified Public Accounting Office (current position)
June 2025	Outside Audit and Supervisory Board Member (Independent Outside Director) of the Company

Significant concurrent positions

Director of Tanabe Certified Public Accountant Office (CPA)

Reason for nomination

He has specialized knowledge and abundant experience as a certified public accountant. Although he has no prior involvement in corporate management, he has been appointed as Outside Audit and Supervisory Board Member (Independent Outside Director) since he is expected to provide objective auditing and Supervise of the business execution of management.