Taku Matsuda

The Shonai Bank Ltd. engages in the business of credit card operations and consulting services. The company provides centered on deposits, loans, domestic exchange, foreign exchange, sale of commodity securities and trust bonds; and registration for banking. It also provides the individual and corporate credit card sales, card membership expansion, and credit guarantee services for consumer housing loans, consulting services and capital investment venture capital. The company was founded on December 1, 1878 and is headquartered in Yamagata, Japan.

Mizuho Trust & Banking Co. Ltd. engages in the trust banking services. Its services include custody and administration, pension trust business, and asset management business. The company was founded on March 12, 2003 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co. is engaged in the provision of life insurance services. Its business activities include individual insurance marketing, general agent marketing, group insurance marketing, underwriting, policyholder services, claim payments, asset management and international insurance services. The company was founded on July 9, 1881 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

The Norinchukin Bank operates as a financial institution for agricultural, forestry and fishery cooperatives in Japan. It operates through the following divisions: Food and Agriculture, Retail, and Investment. The Food and Agriculture business provides risk money through capital investments and human resources development; provides support services for agriculture-related technologies and management improvement; and promotes export support of agricultural, fishery and forestry products. The Retail business provides a range of financial functions as a member of JA Bank and JF Marine Bank. The Investment business manages funds entrusted with JA Bank and JF Marine Bank. The company was founded in December 20, 1923 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

The Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), a unique public-private partnership aimed at promoting innovation and enhancing the value of businesses in Japan, was launched in July 2009. Leveraging the rich history of Japanese technological prowess, the INCJ aims to provide financial, technological and management support in order to promote the creation of next-generation businesses through 'open innovation,' or the flow of technology and expertise beyond the boundaries of existing organizational structures. The INCJ will draw on funding as well as management and technological expertise from the public and private sectors. The INCJ is actively reviewing various investment opportunities in areas of environment and energy, electronics and IT, bio-tech, and infrastructure such as water supply, railway service, and nuclear power supply. Each investment will be thoroughly vetted to ensure it meets the exacting standards of the INCJ's Innovation Network Committee, which will make the final investment decisions. The INCJ is capitalized at 92 billion yen, with the Japanese government injecting 82 billion yen and 19 private corporations (refer to details in Appendix below) providing a further 10 billion yen. The government will also provide guarantees up to a total of 800 billion yen for INCJ investments, giving it an investment capability of approximately 900 billion yen (US$10 billion). The INCJ will be established for a period of 15 years.

Mizuho Bank Ltd. engages in financial service business. It offers services such as buying and selling of securities, lending, deposits, securities investment, domestic exchange settlement, foreign exchanges transaction, and corporate bond trustee and register services. It also deals in buying and selling of gold, public bond underwriting, sale of public bonds, lottery, trust agent, and consulting services. The company was founded on May 7, 1923 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

Fidea Information & Research Institute, Inc. engages in the provision of information technology (IT) solutions. It also offers data center and regional policy and management consulting services. The company was founded on February 27, 1974 and is headquartered in Akita, Japan.