Showa Denko k.k. at its board meeting held on December 1, 2014, approved the changes in corporate management. Kyohei Takahashi, currently Representative Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors, will become Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors in late March 2015. Meanwhile, Masaharu Oshima, Professor Emeritus, the University of Tokyo, will be newly elected Director (outside director) of SDK at the shareholders meeting in late March 2015.

Yoshiharu Mizuno will resign as Corporate Officer in charge of complex and plants (Oita Complex, and Kawasaki, Higashinagahara, Tokuyama, Isesaki, Tatsuno, Yokohama, Shiojiri, Chichibu, Omachi, Oyama, and Kitakata plants) on January 4, 2015, and become Assistant to President on January 5. He will be appointed Standing Statutory Auditor of Showa Denko Gas Products Co. Ltd. in late March, 2015. Tetsuo Nakajyo will resign as Corporate Officer, General Manager, Business Development Center on January 4, 2015, and become Technical Advisor, Corporate R&D Department on January 5, 2015.

Three new corporate officers will be appointed on January 5, 2015. They are Takayuki Sato (General Manager, Corporate R&D Department), Motohiro Takeuchi (General Manager, Ceramics Division), and Taichi Nagai (Plant Manager, Kawasaki Plant). Meanwhile, Sato will be moved to General Manager, Business Development Center on January 5, 2015.

Takashi Nakayama, Senior Corporate Fellow, Assistant to President (in charge of new business creation relating to chemicals) will be concurrently appointed to President, Nippon Polytech Corporation on January 5, 2015. Hiroshi Sakai (Corporate Fellow, General Manager, Technology Development Control Department, HD Division) will be promoted to Senior Corporate Fellow on January 5, 2015. Five new corporate fellows will be appointed on January 5, 2015.

They are Yoshikazu Sakamoto (Director, Showa Denko Packaging Co. Ltd.), Kenzo Hanawa (General Manager, Hanawa Research Laboratory, Institute for Advanced and Core Technology, Business Development Center), Masaharu Tochigi (General Manager, Oyama Plant), Hitoshi Iwade (Temporary transferred to Showa Denko HD Yamagata K.K., serving as Managing Director), and Toru Kuroe (General Manager, Production & Technology Control Department, HD Division). Sakamoto will resign as Director of Showa Denko Packaging Co.

Ltd. and become General Manager, Aluminum Rolled Products Division, and Iwade will come back from temporary transfer and become General Manager, CSR Department, both on January 5, 2015. Furthermore, there will be the following changes in responsibilities of corporate officers effective January 5, 2015: Shinji Sakai (Executive Vice President) will take charge of some plants (Yokohama, Shiojiri, and Omachi plants) in addition to Ceramics Division, Carbons Division, Corporate R&D Department, and Corporate Strategy Department. Akira Koinuma (Managing Corporate Officer) will be promoted to Senior Managing Corporate Officer.

Masaru Amano, Saburo Muto, and Jiro Ishikawa (Corporate Officers) will be promoted to Managing Corporate Officers. Yoshiyuki Nishimura (Corporate Officer in charge of Electronic Chemicals Division, Functional Chemicals Division, Electronics Materials Division, and Advanced Battery Materials Department) will become Corporate Officer in charge of Electronics Materials Division, Advanced Battery Materials Department, and Chichibu Plant. Keiichi Kamiguchi (Corporate Officer, General Manager, Corporate Strategy Department) will become Corporate Officer in charge of Industrial Gases Division, Basic Chemicals Division, Kawasaki Plant, and Higashinagahara Plant.

Kanji Takasaki (Corporate Officer in charge of Aluminum Rolled Products Division, Aluminum Specialty Components Division, and Aluminum Can Division) will additionally take charge of Oyama Plant and Kitakata Plant. Tatsuharu Arai (Corporate officer, General Manager, Petrochemical Division and Olefins Department) will additionally take charge of Oita Complex. Jun Tanaka (Corporate Officer, General Manager, Advanced Battery Materials Department, and President, Showa Denko Packaging Co.

Ltd.) will resign as President, Showa Denko Packaging Co. Ltd. Kohei Morikawa (Corporate Officer, General Manager, Electronic Chemicals Division) will additionally take charge of Functional Chemicals Division, Tokuyama Plant, Isesaki Plant, and Tatsuno Plant.