There is no provision in the Japanese Corporate Code on whether it is permissible for a target's board to take defensive measures against hostile takeovers. This kind of legal problem involves the rule of primary purpose, which has been created by the courts. The Tokyo High Court in the Livedoor litigation adhered to the rule of primary purpose and enunciated it as follows: Where a contest for corporate control emerges, if the primary purpose of the target corporation in issuing shares (or warrants) to a white knight is to preserve or protect management's control rights, the issuance should be enjoined as “grossly unfair,” since it violates the theory of division of authorities. The Court clarified that management should not intervene in the contest for corporate control and that the shareholders should decide the winner. The Court also declared an exception to the rule: If the hostile bidder has the abusive motive of exploiting the target corporation, the target's issuance of shares (or warrants), whose primary purpose is to preserve the management's right of control, may be permitted to the extent the defensive measures are recognized as necessary and appropriate. Even though this is only obiter dictum, the court's opinion has had an influence on business. The rule of primary purpose has the function of regulating the target's management. The courts have based their decisions on the rule and stated that the target's management should not intervene in the contest for corporate control; the decision of whether the target should take defensive measures must be made by the shareholders. However, shareholders are not good decision-makers regarding hostile takeovers, which involve skilled business judgment. Moreover, for the target corporation, it is difficult to apply the exception to the rule. It is time to consider how to enact takeover law that can deal with the problems arising from the rule of primary purpose.
목차
I. はじめに II. 裁判例の分析 III. 結びに代えて 참고문헌 ABSTRACT
키워드
hostile takeoverrule of primary purposedistribution of authoritiesdefensive measureright to seek an injunction主要目的ルール敵対的企業買収権限分配論防衛策差止請求権
전북대학교 동북아법연구소 [Institute for North-East Asian Law]
설립연도
2007
분야
사회과학>법학
소개
전북대학교 동북아법연구소는 동북아법에 관한 국내외의 이론과 실제를 연구하고 교육하며, 그 결과를 발표하여 동북아법에 대한 이해의 증진과 동북아의 법률문화발전에 기여하기 위한 목적으로 2006년 7월 설립되었다.
서해안시대의 중심지역을 표방한 전라북도의 지리적 여건과 동북아시아의 여러 국가와의 인적 물적 교류가 확대되면서 그에 따른 여러 가지 법률문제가 발생됨에 따라 동북아시아의 지역적 특성을 고려한 법제도의 연구와 이들 국가와 거래하는 전북지역 자치단체와 기업에 대한 실질적 교육의 필요성이 대두되었다.
이러한 요청에 따라 법제도의 연구와 교육을 담당할 기관으로 전북지역 거점국립대학인 전북대학교가 동북아법연구소를 설립하게 되었고 전북 지방자치단체와 기업에 대한 교육과 자문프로그램을 운영하고 있다.