Questions about shares

• When was the stock first listed?

  Yakult Honsha was first listed in January 1980.

• What is the securities code for Yakult?

  The Yakult Honsha securities code is 2267.

• How many shares are in one unit?

  1 unit = 100 shares

• What stock exchange is Yakult Honsha listed on?

  Yakult Honsha is listed on the prime market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

• When is the fiscal year end?

  March 31.

• When are the financial results announced?

  We announce our financial results around late July every year for the first quarter, around mid-November every year for the second quarter, around mid-February every year for the third quarter, and around mid-May every year for the full-year financial results.

• When is the General Meeting of Shareholders held?

  It is held around the late June.

• When are the vesting dates?

  Voting rights at the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders and year-end dividends are vested on March 31. The record date for interim dividends is September 30.

Questions about business

• Where does the Yakult name originate from?

  "Yakult" is a word coined, to make it easier to say, from the word “Jahurto”, which means yogurt in Esperanto. Esperanto is a universal language that was invented in 1887 by a Polish man named Zamenhof.

• What is Yakult's corporate philosophy?

  Based on our corporate philosophy, "We contribute to the health and happiness of people around the world through pursuit of excellence in life science in general and our research and experience in microorganisms in particular," Yakult aims to be a Company that develops together with local communities by helping to create lifestyles where people can feel healthy and happy, and have a sense of purpose in life.

• What kind of business does Yakult do? What are your main areas of business?

  Yakult's main business activities are centered in the domestic food and beverages business, the overseas food and beverages business, and other businesses (cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, professional baseball, etc.).

• What is your domestic food and beverages business about?

  In our domestic business, we manufacture and sell mainly probiotic drinks including Yakult based on the concept of “preventive medicine”, “a healthy intestinal tract leads to a long life" and "a price anyone can afford" (Shirota-ism) advocated by Minoru Shirota, the founder of Yakult. In addition we sell health foods and drinks in the soft drinks field.
  

• What is your overseas food and beverages business about?

  We began our overseas business in Taiwan in 1964, and now manufacture and sell mainly the Yakult probiotic drink in 40 countries and regions, including Japan.
  

• What other types of businesses do you engage in?

  Other businesses include the manufacture and sale of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, as well as professional baseball related promotions.
  In our cosmetics business, we mainly develop basic cosmetics containing our original moisturizing ingredients under the brand name "Yakult Beautiens".
  In our pharmaceutical business, we conduct our business activities to meet medical needs by handling prescription drugs and designated quasi-drug.

• Why is Yakult sold by Yakult Ladies?

  To widely and deeply convey to customers the benefits of our probiotic products based on the concepts of "preventive medicine" and "a healthy intestinal tract leads to a long life" espoused by Minoru Shirota, the founder of Yakult, we need to explain individually to every customer so they can understand. This is why we conduct door-to-door sales with the help of the Yakult Ladies.