(Translation)
December 11, 2013
Company name: West Japan Railway Company
President: Seiji Manabe
Code number: 9021, Stock listings: Tokyo Stock Exchange, Nagoya
Stock Exchange and Fukuoka Stock Exchange
For further information, please contact: Fumito Ogata, General
Manager, Corporate Communications Department
Telephone: +81-6-6375-8889

Notice of Share Acquisition and Business Alliance with Asia Air Survey Co., Ltd.(Stock Code: 9233)

West Japan Railway Company (JR-West) decided to acquire shares in Asia Air Survey Co., Ltd. (Asia Air Survey), and conclude a business alliance agreement with the company at a meeting of the Board of Directors held on December 11, 2013.
1. Purpose of the Business Alliance
Since first acquiring shares in Asia Air Survey in 2008, JR-West has leveraged the company's surveying, geographical information, and other technologies, increasing safety and saving work through improved
equipment management methods.
Also, in the "JR-West Group Medium-Term Management Plan 2017," together with its core component, the
"Safety Think-and-Act Plan 2017," announced in March 2013, JR-West is working to use technology to solve management issues to contribute to the creation of a safe, comfortable society through sustainable
management of railways.
Going forward, by bolstering its technical and other collaboration with Asia Air Survey even further, JR-West will continue to promote a railway operations system change through such activities as further improving
safety and reducing maintenance work, and work to reinforce disaster measures. The results of these initiatives will contribute to maintenance and management of social infrastructure and disaster measures in local communities.
2. Specifics of the Business Alliance
JR-West and Asia Air Survey will work together on a number of initiatives including construction of a unified system for information about locations of necessary equipment for train operation and trains themselves; implementation of non-contact inspections by trains with built-in inspection equipment; reinforcement of disaster measures including for areas beside the railway lines; and community management support.
3. Specifics of the Share Acquisition
JR-West will acquire all Asia Air Survey stock owned by Kokusai Kogyo Holdings Co., Ltd., amounting to
4,402,000 shares or 23.6% of total issued stock.
This disclosure has been made because the content falls under "an acquisition specified by Cabinet Order as an act equivalent to a tender offer" prescribed by Article 167 of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and Article 31 of the Enforcement Order for the Act.
* JR-West currently owns 710,000 Asia Air Survey shares, equivalent to 3.8% of total issued stock. As a result of this share acquisition, JR-West will own 5,112,000 shares, which is equivalent to 27.4% of total
issued stock and 28.7% of stock carrying shareholder voting rights.
4. Schedule
December 11, 2013: Conclusion of business alliance agreement
December 12, 2013: Completion of stock acquisition (planned)
5. Results forecasts
The Company is carefully considering the forecasts for the third quarter cumulative period of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014, and for the full fiscal year (consolidated and non-consolidated). If the forecasts need
to be revised, a separate disclosure will be made.
End

distributed by