ASKUL : 【Delayed】Partial Amendments to the Articles of Incorporation

	News Release Dated: July 2, 2021
To whom it may concern:
Company name	ASKUL Corporation
	Akira Yoshioka
Representative	President and Chief Executive
	Officer
	(Code No.: 2678, Tokyo Stock
	Exchange First Section)
Contact Person:
	Tsuguhiro Tamai
	Director and Chief Financial
	Officer
	Phone: [phone]

Partial Amendments to the Articles of Incorporation

ASKUL Corporation (hereinafter referred to as the "Company") hereby announces that the Board of Directors, in its meeting held today, resolved to propose the "Partial Amendments to the Articles of Incorporation" at the 58th Ordinary General Shareholders' Meeting (hereinafter referred to as the "General Shareholders' Meeting") to be held on August 4, 2021, as described below:

1. Reasons for the Amendments

The Act of Partial Revision of the Industrial Competitiveness Enhancement Act, etc. (hereinafter referred to as the "Revised Industrial Competitiveness Enhancement Act") came into force on June 16, 2021. This enables listed companies to hold general shareholders' meetings without a designated location (shareholders' meeting where directors, shareholders, and others attend using means such as internet, without having a physical venue, or in other words "a virtual-onlyshareholders' meeting"), under certain conditions by stipulating it in the Articles of Incorporation. The Company has decided to amend its Articles of Incorporation so as to abolish the current limitations on venue for shareholders' meetings, which would not only enable holding shareholders' meetings without designating the location, but also make it easier for a large number of shareholders to attend, including those in remote areas, and thus make the shareholders' meeting more active, efficient, and smooth, while reducing infections and risks from large disasters, including natural disasters.

In addition to the resolution at the General Shareholders' Meeting, the virtual-only shareholders meeting held by the Company, as an opportunity to strengthen industrial competitiveness, with consideration for securing interests of shareholders in accordance with the Revised Industrial Competitiveness Enhancement Act, must obtain the confirmation (hereinafter referred to as "the Confirmation") of both the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Minister of Justice as conforming to the criteria stipulated by the Ministry of

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Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Justice, and the amendment will come into effect on the day the Company obtains the Confirmation.

2.

Proposed Changes

The proposed changes are as follows:

(Underlined texts indicate changes.)

Current text

Amended text as proposed

(Ordinary General Shareholders' Meeting

(Ordinary General Shareholders' Meeting

Venue)

Without Designated Venue)

Article 15 The venue for the Company's

Article 15 The Company may hold its

Ordinary

General Shareholders' Meeting

Ordinary

General

Shareholders'

Meeting

shall be within any of the wards of the

without designating a specific location.

Metropolis of Tokyo.

Supplementary provision

(New)

(Interim measure related to Ordinary General

Shareholders' Meeting Venue)

The changes to Article 15 (Ordinary General

Shareholders' Meeting Venue) shall come into

effect on the date the Company obtains the

confirmation from the Minister of Economy,

Trade and Industry and the Minister of

Justice that the fully electronic Ordinary

General Shareholders' Meeting, held by the

Company in accordance with theAct of

Partial

Revision

of the

Industrial

Competitiveness Enhancement Act, etc.,

satisfies the criteria stipulated by the

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and

the Ministry of Justice. This supplementary

provision shall be removed after the

enactment of the amendment.

3.

Schedule

Date

of

Ordinary

General

Wednesday, August 4, 2021

Shareholders'

Meeting for

amending

the Articles of Incorporation

Date on which the amendment to the

Wednesday, August 4, 2021

Articles of Incorporation comes into

effect

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