Reno, a fund associated with a prominent activist investor Yoshiaki Murakami, had asked Yorozu that a proposal to abolish defence measures be voted on at its annual shareholders meeting, Yorozu said in a statement.

The move follows Yorozu's rejection last year of Reno's request to put forward its proposal to a general shareholders meeting, saying whether or not to abolish defence measures could be discussed at its board meeting.

Reno is Yorozu's top shareholder with a 8.1% stake as of March, according to Yorozu's website.

Activist investors are becoming increasing vocal in Japan amid the government push for better corporate governance.

This month Tokyo Dome Corp, an owner of a baseball stadium in Tokyo, accepted an activist fund's request to hold an extra shareholders meeting to vote on a proposal to oust its top management.

(Reporting by Junko Fujita; editing by Jason Neely)