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Operating risks and non-operating risks which may materially influence investor decisions are described below. The management maintains awareness of the possibility that these scenarios may emerge and, to the fullest possible extent, implements measures to avoid their emergence and to minimize their impact on corporate performance in the event that they do emerge.
The description of risks given here includes elements which may emerge in the future, but as it is based on current evaluations at the time of preparation of this report, it does not include risks which could not be foreseen.
Operating costs in operations based on petrochemicals are affected by prices for crude oil and naphtha. If crude oil and naphtha prices rise, selling prices for products derived from these feedstocks must be increased in a timely manner to maintain sufficient price spreads. Price spreads may diminish, thereby affecting our consolidated performance and financial condition.
Operations based overseas maintain accounts in the local currency where they operate. The yen value of items carried in these accounts is affected by the rate of exchange at the time of conversion to yen. Although measures such as currency exchange hedges are utilized to minimize the short-term effects of exchange rate fluctuations, such fluctuations may exceed the foreseeable range over the short to long term, thereby affecting our consolidated performance and financial condition.
Overseas operations may face a variety of risks which cannot be foreseen, including the existence or emergence of economically unfavorable circumstances due to legal and regulatory changes, vulnerability of infrastructure, difficulty in hiring/retaining qualified employees, or other factors, and social or political instability due to terrorism, war, or other factors. Overseas operations may be impaired by such scenarios, thereby affecting our consolidated performance and business plans.
Operations in the Homes segment are affected by Japanese tax policies as they relate to home acquisition and by fluctuations in Japanese interest rates. Changes in Japanese tax policy, including consumption taxes, or fluctuations in Japanese interest rates may result in diminished housing demand, thereby affecting our consolidated performance and financial condition.
The electronics industry is characterized by sharp market cycles. The profitability of electronics-related businesses may decline significantly in a relatively short time, thereby affecting our consolidated performance and financial condition. Because products in this field rapidly become obsolete, the timely development and commercialization of leading-edge devices and materials is required. New product development may be delayed, or demand fluctuations may exceed expectations, thereby affecting our consolidated performance and financial condition.
Pharmaceutical and medical device businesses may be significantly affected by government measures to curtail health care expenditure or other changes in government policy. Unforeseeable side effects or complications may emerge, significantly affecting these businesses. The pharmaceutical business additionally faces the possibility that product approval may be withdrawn as a result of Japan’s reexamination system, and that competition may intensify as a result of the market entry of generics. For pharmaceuticals and medical devices under development, regulatory approval may fail to be obtained, market demand may be lower than expected, and the national reimbursement prices may be lower than expected. Such scenarios may affect our consolidated performance and financial condition.
The occurrence of a significant industrial accident or natural disaster at a plant or elsewhere may result in a loss of public trust, the emergence of costs associated with accident response, including compensation, and opportunity loss due to plant shutdown caused by damage to plant facilities, supply chain disruptions which impede raw materials procurement, etc., thereby affecting our consolidated performance and financial condition.
An unfavorable ruling may emerge in a dispute relating to intellectual property, a product defect resulting in a large scale recall and compensation whose costs exceed insurance coverage may emerge, and detrimental legal and regulatory changes may emerge in any country where we operate. Such scenarios may affect our consolidated performance and financial condition.
Credits extended to customers may become irrecoverable to an unforeseeable extent, necessitating additional losses or allowances to be recorded in financial accounts, and thereby affecting our consolidated performance and financial condition.
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