Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1):
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the
Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7):
On December 11, 2017, the registrant filed with the Tokyo Stock Exchange a notice regarding a tender offer for share repurchase by NTT
DOCOMO, INC. Attached is an English translation of the notice filed with the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
The information included herein
contains forward-looking statements. The registrant desires to qualify for the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and consequently is hereby filing cautionary statements identifying important
factors that could cause the registrants actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the attachment.
The
registrants forward-looking statements are based on a series of assumptions, projections, estimates, judgments and beliefs of the management of the registrant in light of information currently available to it regarding the registrant and its
subsidiaries and affiliates, the economy and telecommunications industry in Japan and overseas, and other factors. These projections and estimates may be affected by the future business operations of the registrant and its subsidiaries and
affiliates, the state of the economy in Japan and abroad, possible fluctuations in the securities markets, the pricing of services, the effects of competition, the performance of new products, services and new businesses, changes to laws and
regulations affecting the telecommunications industry in Japan and elsewhere, other changes in circumstances that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results that may be derived from the forward-looking statements, as
well as other risks included in the registrants most recent Annual Report on Form
20-F
and other filings and submissions with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
No assurance can be given that the registrants actual results will not vary significantly from any expectation of future results that
may be derived from the forward-looking statements included herein.
The attached material is a translation of the Japanese original. The
Japanese original is authoritative.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by
the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
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NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
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By
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/s/ Takashi Ameshima
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Name: Takashi Ameshima
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Title: Vice President
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Investor Relations Office
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Date: December 11, 2017
December 11, 2017
Company Name: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
Representative: Hiroo Unoura, President and Chief Executive Officer
(Code No.: 9432, First section of Tokyo Stock Exchange)
NOTICE REGARDING TENDER OFFER FOR SHARE REPURCHASE
BY NTT DOCOMO, INC.
NTT
DOCOMO, INC. (NTT DOCOMO), a subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), has announced its decision, adopted at its Board of Directors meeting held today, to launch a tender offer to repurchase a
portion of its outstanding common stock. For more details, please see the attached press release by NTT DOCOMO.
Further, NTTs Board
of Directors resolved today that NTT may participate in the tender offer to sell 74,599,000 shares (approximately 200 billion yen) of its current holdings of NTT DOCOMO common stock.
Any such sale by NTT of NTT DOCOMO shares will not have a material impact on NTTs consolidated results of operations.
*
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All or a portion of tendered shares may not be purchased.
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For further inquiries, please contact:
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Takayuki Kimura or Tatsuya Watanabe
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Investor Relations Office
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Finance and Accounting Department
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Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
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Phone: +81-3-6838-5481
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Fax: +81-3-6838-5499
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THIS MATERIAL IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION OR PUBLICATION IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES. THIS
IS NOT AN OFFER TO PURCHASE SECURITIES IN THE U.S. THE COMPANY DOES NOT INTEND TO CONDUCT AN OFFER IN THE U.S. OR TO PERSONS RESIDING IN THE U.S.
NTT DOCOMO, INC.
President and CEO:
Kazuhiro Yoshizawa
Tokyo Stock Exchange: 9437
New York Stock Exchange: DCM
December 11, 2017
Notice
Regarding Tender Offer for Share Repurchase
NTT DOCOMO, Inc. (the Company) hereby provides notice that it resolved to
conduct a tender offer (the tender offer) for the repurchase of its own shares at a meeting of the Board of Directors on December 11, 2017, as outlined below, using the acquisition method specified under Article 156, Paragraph 1 of
the Companies Act, as applied pursuant to the provisions of Article 165, Paragraph 3 of the same Act, and the provisions of the Companys Articles of Incorporation.
1.
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Purpose of tender offer
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The Company believes that providing adequate returns
to shareholders, while raising corporate value through the growth and expansion of its businesses, is one of the most important issues in corporate management. The Company plans to pay dividends by taking into account its consolidated results,
consolidated financial position and consolidated dividend payout ratio, based on the principle of sustainable dividends payments.
The Companys Articles of Incorporation prescribe that the Company can repurchase its own shares by resolving at a meeting
of the Board of Directors, under the provision of Article 165, Paragraph 2 of the Companies Act, to execute a tender offer for its own shares, and, in order to promote shareholder returns, the Company has previously repurchased its own shares by
methods such as purchasing on the market via a financial instruments exchange or conducting a tender offer. In addition, the Company resolved at a meeting of the Board of Directors on October 26, 2017 to repurchase its own shares up to a
maximum limit of 120 million shares and a total acquisition cost of 300 billion yen during the period from October 27, 2017 to March 31, 2018, in order to further strengthen shareholder returns and enhance capital efficiency.
The Company considered various options regarding the specific method for repurchasing its own shares. In middle of
November 2017, when the Company consulted with its parent company Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT Corporation) on the sale of some of the Companys common shares held by NTT Corporation, from the viewpoint of being
able to anticipate a relatively rapid improvement in capital efficiency through the repurchase of a considerable number of the Companys shares, NTT Corporation indicated it would consider the possibility of sale of the Companys shares.
(NTT Corporation holds 2,469,084,400 of the Companys common shares (as of today), and its shareholding represents 63.32% of the total number of issued shares (3,899,563,000 shares) of the Company (rounded to two decimal places; the same
applies hereafter in calculating the percentage of the total number of issued shares.) The Company then considered the specific method for repurchasing its shares, based on the assumption of acquiring Company shares from NTT Corporation, and
consequently concluded that the method of a tender offer, which would ensure an opportunity for shareholders to tender their shares while watching the trend in the market price during the prescribed offer period (hereinafter referred to as the
tender offer period), was the most suitable from the viewpoint of both the equitable treatment of shareholders and the transparency of the transactions.
With respect to common shares of the Company held by NTT Corporation and other shareholders, the Company acquired 120,867,062
shares through the method of a tender offer with an offer period from February 8, 2016 to March 7, 2016 (equivalent to 2.96% of the total number of issued shares (4,085,772,000 shares) at the settlement commencement date of March 30,
2016).
1
When deciding on the purchase price for the tender offer (referred to as the
tender offer price hereafter), the Company also concluded that it would be desirable to conduct a tender offer at a price representing a certain discount to the market price. The tender offer price is based on the market price, with a
focus on ensuring the precision and objectivity of the criteria used to determine the tender offer price and with a view towards setting a tender offer price that is below the market price in order to stem the outflow of assets from the Company, to
the extent possible, from the perspective of respecting the interests of shareholders who will continue to hold the Companys common shares.
When the Company communicated with NTT Corporation in early December 2017 regarding the implementation of the tender offer, in
which the tender offer price represented a discount of 7% versus the closing price of the Companys common shares on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange on the business day before the meeting of the Board of Directors to decide the
implementation of the tender offer (December 8, 2017) where recent earnings were considered to have been sufficiently factored into the share price, based on the abovementioned examination, NTT Corporation declared its intention to tender 74,599,000
shares, a portion of the common stock of the Company that it holds (equivalent to 1.91% of the total number of issued shares), if the tender offer were implemented according to the above conditions.
The Company also concluded that it would be desirable to set a maximum limit of 93,248,787 shares (2.39% of the total number of
issued shares) on the number of shares the Company intends to purchase other than the number of shares corresponding to the above mentioned shares held by NTT Corporation, in order to provide an opportunity for shareholders to tender their shares.
After examining and determining the above issues, the Company resolved to conduct the tender offer and set a tender offer
price of 2,681 yen (rounded down to the nearest yen) by applying a discount of 7% to the closing price of the Companys common shares on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange on the business day before the meeting of the Board of
Directors to decide the implementation of the tender offer (December 8, 2017) where recent earnings were considered to have been sufficiently factored into the share price, at the meeting of the Board of Directors held on December 11, 2017.
Shinichiro Ueno, a director of the Company concurrently serving as an employee of NTT Corporation, did not take part in the
examination and resolution by the Board of Directors regarding the tender offer and was not involved in discussions and negotiations with NTT Corporation from the standpoint of the Company, from the perspective of avoiding arbitrariness in the
process of the Companys decision-making when examining and determining the tender offer.
The Company plans to
utilize funds on hand for the entire amount required for the tender offer. The Company has reported approximately 840 billion yen of liquidity on hand (cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments) on a consolidated basis as at
September 30, 2017 and, after the application of such funds, the liquidity on hand of the Company is expected to be maintained sufficiently and cash flow from operating activities also expected to accumulate to a certain degree. Thus, the
Company believes that its financial soundness and strength will continue to be maintained.
Furthermore, the Company
received an explanation from NTT Corporation that it is NTT Corporations policy at present, in principle, to hold the Companys common shares (2,469,084,400 shares, 60.43% of the total shares issued, if all of the above mentioned tendered
shares are purchased) after the tender offer as well.
With respect to 26,751,213 shares that are not part of the tender
offer, the Company resolved at a meeting of the Board of Directors on December 11, 2017 to repurchase, on the market on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange during the period from the next business day following the expiration of the tender
offer to March 31, 2018, an amount of shares equivalent to the difference between the number of shares planned to be purchased in connection with the tender offer and the number of shares actually purchased in connection with the tender offer,
if such amount is less than the number of shares planned to be purchased in connection with the tender offer, within the framework for the Company to repurchase its own shares up to a maximum limit of 120 million shares and a total acquisition
cost of 300 billion yen, as resolved at the meeting of the Board of Directors on October 26, 2017.
The Company
will, in principle, consider lump sum cancellation of the portion of Company shares acquired as a result of the tender offer exceeding 5% of the total number of issued shares, at the end of the fiscal year or at another suitable time.
2
2.
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Details of Board of Directors resolution regarding share repurchase (disclosed on October 26, 2017)
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(1)
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Details of resolution
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Share class
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Total number of shares
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Total acquisition cost
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Common
shares
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120,000,000 (maximum)
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300 billion yen (maximum)
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Note 1: Total number of issued shares: 3,899,563,000
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Note 2:
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Percentage of total number of issued shares: 3.24% (rounded to two decimal places) (excluding treasury stock (194,977,467 shares) as of September 30, 2017)
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(2)
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Listed shares for Company shares already repurchased based on this resolution
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Not applicable.
3.
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Outline of tender offer
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(A)
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Board of Directors resolution
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Monday, December 11, 2017
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(B)
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Date of tender offer commencement notice
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Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Notices will be posted electronically, and a notice to this effect will be published in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
Electronic notice address:
http://disclosure.edinet-fsa.go.jp/
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(C)
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Tender offer registration statement submission date
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Tuesday, December 12, 2017
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(D)
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Tender offer period
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From Tuesday, December 12, 2017
to Monday, January 15, 2018 (20 business days)
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2,681 yen per common share
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(3)
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Basis for calculating the tender offer price
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When calculating the tender offer price, the Company
focused on the precision and objectivity of the criteria and conducted an examination based on the market price of the Companys common shares after taking into account the fact that the Companys common shares are listed on a financial
instruments exchange and that listed companies often purchase their own shares by purchase on the market via a financial instruments exchange. To calculate an appropriate market value as a market price for the Companys common shares, the
Company also took into account the fact that it would be desirable to consider share price fluctuation over a certain period, as the market share price can change
day-to-day
due to economic and various other conditions. The Company used the closing price of 2,882.5 yen for the Companys common shares on the business day
before December 11, 2017(December 8, 2017), the date of the Board of Directors resolution on the tender offer; the simple average of the closing prices for the Companys common shares over the
one-month
period ending December 8, 2017 of 2,846.6 yen (rounded to one decimal place; the same applies hereafter in calculating the simple average of the closing prices), and the simple average of the
closing prices for the Companys common shares over the three-month period ending December 8, 2017 of 2,705.1 yen (rounded to one decimal place) on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, as reference points.
3
In order to respect the interests of shareholders who do not accept the tender
offer and continue to hold the Companys common shares, the Company also decided it would be desirable to purchase the shares at a certain discount to the closing price of the Companys common shares on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock
Exchange on the business day before the meeting of the Board of Directors to decide the implementation of the tender offer (December 8, 2017) in order to adopt a tender offer price below the closing price so as to stem the flow of assets from the
Company to the extent possible.
When the Company communicated with NTT Corporation in early December 2017 regarding the
implementation of the tender offer, in which the tender offer price represented a discount of 7% versus the closing price of the Companys common shares on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange on the business day before the meeting of
the Board of Directors to decide the implementation of the tender offer (December 8, 2017) where recent earnings were considered to have been sufficiently factored into the share price, based on the abovementioned examination, NTT Corporation
declared its intention to tender 74,599,000 shares, a portion of the common stock of the Company that it holds (equivalent to 1.91% of the total number of issued shares), if the tender offer were implemented according to the above conditions.
The Company resolved to conduct the tender offer and set a tender offer price of 2,681 yen (rounded to the nearest yen) by
applying a discount of 7% from 2,882.5 yen, which was the closing price of the Companys common shares on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange on the business day before the meeting of the Board of Directors to decide the
implementation of the tender offer (December 8, 2017) where recent earnings were considered to have been sufficiently factored into the share price, at the meeting of the Board of Directors held on December 11, 2017, following the above
mentioned examination and determination.
Please note that the tender offer price of 2,681 yen represents a discount of
6.99% (rounded to the second decimal place; the same applies hereafter in calculating the rate of a discount) on the closing price of the Companys common shares of 2,882.5 yen on the business day before December 11, 2017 (December 8,
2017), the date of the Board of Directors resolution on the tender offer; a premium of 5.82% (rounded to the second decimal place) on the simple average of the closing prices for the Companys common shares over the
one-month
period ending December 8, 2017 of 2,846.6 yen (rounded to the first decimal place), and a premium of 0.89% (rounded to the second decimal place) on the simple average of the closing prices for the
Companys common shares over the three-month period ending December 8, 2017 of 2,705.1 yen (rounded to the first decimal place) on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Through a tender offer for share repurchase that the Company resolved to conduct at a meeting of the Board of Directors on
February 8, 2016, the Company acquired 120,867,062 shares (equivalent to 2.96% of the total number of issued shares (4,085,772,000 shares) at the settlement commencement date of March 30, 2016) from common shares held by NTT Corporation
and other shareholders, at a tender offer price of 2,544 yen per common share. To determine the tender offer purchase price, the Company adopted the market price of common shares of the Company as the basis by placing emphasis on clarity and
objectivity as criteria. The 137 yen difference in the tender offer purchase price between 2,544 yen for the last tender offer and 2,681 yen for the tender offer is attributable to fluctuations in the market price of the Companys common shares
used as a reference and the difference in the discount rate.
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(B)
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Background for Calculation
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The Company believes that providing adequate
returns to shareholders, while raising corporate value through the growth and expansion of its businesses, is one of the most important issues in corporate management. The Company plans to pay dividends by taking into account its consolidated
results, consolidated financial position and consolidated dividend payout ratio, based on the principle of sustainable dividends payments.
4
The Companys Articles of Incorporation prescribe that the Company can
repurchase its own shares by resolving at a meeting of the Board of Directors, under the provision of Article 165, Paragraph 2 of the Companies Act, to execute a tender offer for its own shares, and, in order to promote shareholder returns, Company
has previously repurchased its own shares by methods such as purchasing on the market via a financial instruments exchange or conducting a tender offer. In addition, the Company resolved at a meeting of the Board of Directors on October 26,
2017 to repurchase its own shares up to a maximum limit of 120 million shares and a total acquisition cost of 300 billion yen during the period from October 27, 2017 to March 31, 2018, in order to further strengthen shareholder
returns and enhance capital efficiency.
The Company considered various options regarding the specific method to acquire
its own shares. However, in November 2017, when the Company consulted with its parent company Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT Corporation) on the sale of some of the Companys common shares held by NTT Corporation,
from the viewpoint of being able to anticipate a relatively rapid improvement in capital efficiency through the repurchase of a considerable number of the Companys shares, NTT Corporation indicated it would consider the possibility of sale of
the Companys shares. The Company then considered the specific method for acquiring its shares based on the assumption that the Company would repurchase its shares from NTT Corporation, and consequently concluded that the method of a tender
offer, which would ensure an opportunity for shareholders to tender their shares while watching the trend in the market price during the prescribed tender offer period, was the most suitable from the viewpoint of the equitable treatment of
shareholders and the transparency of the transactions.
In addition, when deciding on the tender offer price, the Company
concluded it would be desirable to conduct a tender offer at a price representing a certain discount to the market price. The tender offer price is based on the market price, with a focus on ensuring the precision and objectivity of the criteria
used to determine the tender offer price and with a view towards setting a tender offer price that is below the market price in order to stem the outflow of assets from the Company to the extent possible from the perspective of respecting the
interests of shareholders that will continue to hold the Companys common shares.
When the Company communicated with
NTT Corporation (in early December 2017 regarding the implementation of a tender offer in which the tender offer price represented a discount of 7% versus the closing price of the Companys common shares on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock
Exchange on the business day before the meeting of the Board of Directors to decide the implementation of the tender offer (December 8, 2017) where recent earnings were considered to have been sufficiently factored into the share price, based on the
above mentioned examination, NTT Corporation declared its intention to tender 74,599,000 shares of common stock of the Company that it holds (equivalent to 1.91% of the total number of issued shares), if the tender offer were implemented according
to the above conditions.
The Company also concluded that it would be desirable to set a maximum limit of 93,248,787
shares (2.39% of the total number of issued shares) on the number of shares the Company intends to purchase other than the number of shares corresponding to the above mentioned shares held by NTT Corporation, in order to provide an opportunity for
shareholders to tender their shares.
After examining and determining the above issues, the Company resolved to conduct
the tender offer and set a tender offer price of 2,681 yen (rounded to the nearest yen) by applying a discount of 7% to the closing price of 2,882.5 yen for the Companys common shares on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange on the
business day before the meeting of the Board of Directors to decide the implementation of the tender offer (December 8, 2017) where recent earnings were considered to have been sufficiently factored into the share price at the meeting of the Board
of Directors held on December 11, 2017.
5
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(4)
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Number of shares to be purchased
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Share class
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Anticipated number of
shares to be purchased
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Number of excess shares to
be purchased
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Total
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Common shares
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93,248,787 shares
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0 shares
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93,248,787 shares
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Note 1:
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If the number of shares tendered does not exceed the anticipated number of shares to be purchased (93,248,787 shares), all of the tendered shares will be purchased. If the number of tendered shares exceeds the
anticipated number of shares to be purchased (93,248,787 shares), the excess shares will not be purchased, in whole or in part. The transfer and other settlement procedures associated with the purchase of the shares will be carried out using the pro
rata method as provided in Article
27-13-5
of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (Act No. 25 of 1948, as amended; hereinafter referred to as the
Act) as applied
mutatis mutandis
pursuant to Article
27-22-2-2
of the Act and Article 21 of the Cabinet Office
Ordinance Concerning the Disclosure of a Tender Offer for Listed Shares by the Issuer (Ministry of Finance Ordinance No. 95 of 1994, as amended).
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Note 2:
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Shares of less than one unit will also be subject to the tender offer. Moreover, should the right to request the purchase of shares of less than one unit be exercised by a shareholder in accordance with the Companies
Act, the Company may buy its own shares during the tender offer period in accordance with procedures prescribed by law.
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(5)
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Funds required for the tender offer
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250,027,497,947 yen
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Note:
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This amount is the total of (1) the purchase amount if the anticipated number of shares to be purchased (93,248,787 shares) are purchased in their entirety and (2) the estimated fees and other expenses
associated with the purchase (miscellaneous expenses such as the cost of public notices associated with the tender offer, the cost of printing the tender offer statement and other documentation, and other such expenses).
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A.
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Name and head office address of the financial instruments business operator, bank, or other institution in charge of settlement of the tender offer
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Nomura Securities Co. Ltd. Nihonbashi
1-9-1,
Chuo-ku, Tokyo
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B.
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Settlement Commencement Date
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Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Notification of the purchases under the tender offer will be sent to the
address of tendering shareholders (or the standing proxy for foreign shareholders) after the conclusion of the tender offer period without delay.
Purchases will be settled in cash. Tendering shareholders will be able to receive the purchase amount for the tender offer, less applicable
withholding taxes (see note), by wire transfer or other method as instructed by the tendering shareholder without delay after the settlement commencement date (wire transfer fees may apply).
Note: Taxes on shares purchased under the tender offer
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*
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Please make any decisions after consulting a tax advisor or other professional about specific tax questions.
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(a)
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Tax treatment for individual shareholders tendering shares under the tender offer
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(i)
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For tendering shareholders who are residents, or
non-residents
with a permanent establishment in Japan
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6
When the amount of money received for accepting the tender offer exceeds the
amount of the portion of the Companys capital (or for a consolidated corporation, its consolidated individual stated capital) attributable to the shares that are the basis for that payment (when the
per-share
purchase amount is greater than the
per-share
amount of capital), the amount in excess will be deemed a dividend and taxed accordingly. Furthermore, the amount
derived after deducting the amount deemed to be a dividend from the amount received for accepting the tender offer will be deemed income from the transfer of shares. When there is no amount deemed to be a dividend (when the
per-share
purchase amount is less than the
per-share
amount of capital) the entire amount received will be transfer income.
The amount deemed to be a dividend is subject to a withholding of 20.315% (15.315% for income tax and special income tax for
reconstruction and 5% for resident tax) (There will be no special withholding of the 5% resident tax for
non-residents
with a permanent establishment in Japan). However, if the shareholder is considered a
principal shareholder, the withholding is 20.42% (income tax and special income tax for reconstruction only). As a general rule, the amount after deducting the cost of acquiring the shares from the transfer income is subject to declared separate
income taxes.
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(ii)
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For tendering shareholders who are
non-residents
without a permanent establishment in Japan
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The amount deemed to be a dividend will be subject to withholding of 15.315% (income tax and special income tax for
reconstruction only). If the shareholder is considered a principal shareholder, the withholding will be 20.42% (income tax and special income tax for reconstruction only). As a general rule, income arising from the transfer will not be subject to
taxation.
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(b)
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For corporate shareholders, when the amount of money received for accepting the tender offer exceeds the amount of the portion of the Companys capital (or for a consolidated corporation, its consolidated
individual stated capital) attributable to the shares that are the basis for that payment, the amount of this excess will be deemed a dividend. As a general rule, the portion deemed to be a dividend is subject to withholding of 15.315% (income tax
and special income tax for reconstruction only).
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A foreign shareholder who wishes to receive an income tax reduction or
exemption for such deemed dividends pursuant to an applicable tax treaty should notify the tender offer agent by the last day of the tender offer period that he plans to submit the tax treaty application form, and then submit that form to tender
offer agent by the business day prior to the settlement commencement date.
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A.
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All the procedures related to this tender offer shall be carried out in Japanese unless specifically stated otherwise. All or some of the documents related to the tender offer will be prepared in English, but if there
is any contradiction between the English documents and the Japanese documents, the Japanese documents shall take precedence.
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This press release does not constitute, or form part of, any offer or invitation to sell, or any solicitation of an offer to purchase any
securities in any jurisdiction, nor shall it (or any part of it) or the fact of its distribution form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract therefor.
The tender offer is not directly or indirectly conducted within the United States or aimed at the United States, does not use the United
States Postal Service or any methods or means of interstate commerce or international commerce (including but not limited to telephone, telex, facsimile,
e-mail
and Internet communication), and is not
conducted through securities exchange facilities within the United States. Under the tender offer, shares may not be tendered using the above methods and means, through the above facilities, or from within the United States. Any purported acceptance
of the tender offer resulting directly or indirectly from a violation of these restrictions will not be accepted. No securities or other consideration is being solicited in the United States and if sent in response by a resident of the United States
of America will not be accepted. No indications of interest in the tender offer are sought by this press release.
Furthermore, the tender
offer notice and other related purchase documents concerning the tender offer may not be sent or distributed to the United States, nor sent or distributed using postal or other methods within, to, or from the United States. Any tenders under the
tender offer which violate the above restrictions directly or indirectly shall not be accepted.
7
Depending on the country or region concerned, legal restrictions may be imposed on the
announcement or distribution of this press release. In such a case, please take heed of these restrictions and comply with the laws and regulations of the applicable country or region. In countries or regions where the implementation of this tender
offer is illegal, even if this press release or its translation is received, it shall be deemed that any solicitation to sell, or any offer to purchase any shares related to this tender offer has not been made and represents the distribution of
materials merely as information.
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B.
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The Companys parent company, NTT Corporation, has indicated that it intends to tender 74,599,000 shares (1.91% of the issued shares), which represents a portion of the 2,469,084,400 common shares that it holds
(63.32% of the total number of issued shares, as of today), under the tender offer if the Company decides to execute the tender offer.
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Furthermore, NTT Corporation has indicated to the Company that at present, in principle, it is NTT Corporations policy to continue to
hold its common shares in the Company after the tender offer (this will amount to 2,394,485,400 shares, or 61.40% of the Companys total issued shares, if the above-mentioned shares for tender are all purchased.)
4.
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Transactions with the Controlling Shareholder
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(1)
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Compliance with Guidelines on Measures to Protecting Minority Shareholders when Carrying out Transactions with the Controlling Shareholder
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The Companys parent company, NTT Corporation, owns 63.32% of the issued shares. Therefore, the acquisition of shares held
by that company through the tender offer is considered a transaction with a controlling shareholder as defined in the Securities Listing Regulations of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
According to the Guidelines on Measures to Protect Minority Shareholders when Carrying Out Transactions with the
Controlling Shareholder, a corporate governance report that the Company published on June 27, 2017, the substance and terms for business transactions are determined through fair and appropriate procedures, and NTT Corporation and the NTT
Corporation group have adopted similar policies.
The acquisition of its own shares from NTT Corporation through the tender
offer does not constitute a business transaction. Nevertheless, in acquiring its own shares the Company is taking the following measures from the standpoint protecting the minority shareholders. Because the substance and terms of the transaction
have been determined through fair and appropriate procedures, the Company has determined that the transaction complies with these guidelines.
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(2)
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Measures to ensure the fairness of the tender offer and measures to avoid conflicts of interest
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As a result of an extensive and thorough review from the standpoint of shareholder equality and transaction transparency, the
Company is carrying out the tender offer by using a method that ensures that shareholders other than NTT Corporation also have the opportunity to accept the offer after having been given a certain period of time to review it and observe the trend in
the market price.
From the standpoint of respecting the interests of the shareholders who do not accept the tender offer
and continue to hold its common stock, the Company also decided to purchase the shares at a certain discount from the market price and set a purchase price below the market price so as to stem the flow of assets from the Company to the extent
possible.
Furthermore, because its Director, Shinichiro Ueno, concurrently serves as an employee of NTT Corporation, he
has not participated in the Board of Directors discussions or decisions concerning the tender offer and has not participated in the deliberations or negotiations with the NTT Corporation on behalf of the Company, from the standpoint of
eliminating arbitrariness in the decision-making process when examining and deciding the tender offer, thereby ensuring the independence of the decisions made.
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At the meeting of the Board of Directors held on December 11, 2017, with all
of the 13 directors and all of the 5 corporate auditors in attendance except Shinichiro Ueno and Kaoru Kato, the directors in attendance unanimously voted to execute the tender offer. Furthermore, all of the auditors expressed the opinion that they
have no objection to the execution of the tender offer.
Additionally, as stated below in (3) Opinion Obtained from
Disinterested Party Stating that the Transaction is Not Disadvantageous to the Minority Shareholders, in order to ensure the fairness of the tender offer, on December 11, 2017 the Company obtained a written opinion to the effect that the
tender offer is not disadvantageous to minority shareholders from two outside directors (Teruyasu Murakami and Noriko Endo) and two outside audit & supervisory board members (Yutaka Kawataki and Eiko Tsujiyama), independent director /
auditor who have no interests in NTT Corporation and no possible conflicts of interest with the ordinary shareholders.
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(3)
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Opinion Obtained from Disinterested Party Stating that the Transaction is Not Disadvantageous to the Minority Shareholders
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The Company asked two outside directors (Teruyasu Murakami and Noriko Endo) and two outside audit & supervisory board
members (Yutaka Kawataki and Eiko Tsujiyama), independent director / auditor who have no interests in NTT Corporation and no possible conflicts of interest with the ordinary shareholders, for their opinion as to whether the tender offer is
disadvantageous to minority shareholders. The outside director and outside corporate auditors received and examined information from the Company about the purpose and history of the tender offer, the calculation method used for the purchase price as
well as other terms and conditions, and the propriety and fairness of the procedures used in the Companys decision-making concerning the tender offer, including a review by the Companys Board of Directors. As a result, on
December 11, 2017 the Company received a written opinion to the effect that it had generally been determined that (i) the tender offer was not found to be unreasonable from the standpoint of the Companys business or finances;
(ii) that the specific method of acquiring the Companys shares is a method that ensures that the minority shareholders have the opportunity to accept the offer after having been given a certain period of time to review it and observe the
trend in the market price and, furthermore, that the details of the tender offer are not especially disadvantageous to the minority shareholders from the standpoint of shareholder equality and transaction transparency; (iii) that the purchase
price is a price that represents a certain discount from the market price so as to stem the flow of assets from the Company to the extent possible, and therefore does not constitute a transaction that is particularly advantageous to NTT Corporation;
and (iv) that reasonable measures have been taken as measures to eliminate arbitrariness in the Companys decision-making process; and it has therefore been determined that the tender offer is not disadvantageous to the Companys
minority shareholders.
(Additional reference information)
Treasury shares held as of September 30, 2017
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Number of issued shares (excluding treasury shares):
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3,704,585,533 shares
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Number of treasury shares:
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194,977,467 shares
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For further information, please contact:
Investor Relations Department
NTT DOCOMO, INC.
Tel:
+81-3-5156-1111
About NTT DOCOMO
NTT DOCOMO, Japans leading mobile
operator with over 75 million subscriptions, is one of the worlds foremost contributors to 3G, 4G and 5G mobile network technologies. Beyond core communications services, DOCOMO is challenging new frontiers in collaboration with a growing
number of entities (+d partners), creating exciting and convenient value-added services that change the way people live and work. Under a medium-term plan toward 2020 and beyond, DOCOMO is pioneering a leading-edge 5G network to
facilitate innovative services that will amaze and inspire customers beyond their expectations. DOCOMO is listed on stock exchanges in Tokyo (9437) and New York (DCM).
www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english
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