Daio Paper : （Delayed）Fourth Medium-term Business Plan

ENGLISH TRANSLATION FOR REFERENCE PURPOSE ONLY

This notice is an English translation of the original Japanese text of the timely disclosure statement dated May 27 issued by Daio Paper Corporation, and is for reference purposes only. In the event of any discrepancy between the original Japanese text and this English translation, the Japanese text shall prevail.

May 27, 2021

To whom it may concern:
Name of Company:	Daio Paper Corporation
Name of Representative:	Yorifusa Wakabayashi
	President and Representative Director Chief Executive Officer
Securities Code:	3880
	(First Section, Tokyo Stock Exchange)
Contact Person:	Shuhei Shinagawa
	Senior Executive Officer
	General Manager of Corporate Planning Department
Telephone No.:	[phone]

Fourth Medium-term Business Plan

Daio Paper Corporation (hereinafter "Daio") has formulated its Fourth Medium-term Business Plan (hereinafter "4th MTBP") for the three years from the fiscal 2021 to fiscal 2023, and hereby announces a summary of the plan.

1. Overview of the 4th MTBP

Under the 4th MTBP, Daio shifts up a gear to implement initiatives for a new future, under the motto "GEAR UP: The Next Growth Stage, to a New Future," aiming to realize the long-term vision of the Daio Group to achieve "net sales of 800-1,000 billion yen" by fiscal 2026.

The numerical targets and basic policies of the 4th MTBP are as follows. 1) Numerical targets

	3rd MTBP	4th MTBP	5th MTBP
	FY2020 Results	FY2023 Targets	FY2026 Vision
Net sales	562.9	billion yen	720.0	billion yen	800.0-1,000.0	billion yen
Operating profit	36.9	billion yen	51.0	billion yen	80.0-100.0	billion yen
[Operating profit ratio]	[6.6	%]	[7.1	%]	[10	%]
H&PC Overseas sales ratio	11.1	%	18.8	%	30	% or more
ROE	10.1	%	10	% or more	12	% or more
Net D/E ratio	1.3		1.0		1.0	or less
(Ref.) Interest-bearing debt	299.8	billion	270.0	billion	-
*Assumptions
Exchange rate	106.1	JPY/USD	110	JPY/USD	-
Dubai crude oil	45	USD/barrel	63	USD/barrel	-

[Targets for each business]

	FY2020 Results		FY2023 Targets
		Operating			Operating
	Net sales	profit	Sales ratio	Net sales	profit	Sales ratio
	(billion yen)	(billion yen)		(billion yen)	(billion yen)
Paper & Paperboard	302.5	19.6	6.5%	330.0	18.0	5.5%
Business
H&PC Business	238.0	14.7	6.2%	360.0	30.0	8.3%
Domestic	175.4	15.5	8.8%	225.0	23.0	10.2%
Overseas	62.6	-0.8	-	135.0	7.0	5.2%
Other Businesses	22.5	2.6	11.4%	30.0	3.0	10.0%
(including adjustments)
Total	562.9	36.9	6.6%	720.0	51.0	7.1%

2) Investment plan

Daio will implement total capital expenditure of 125.0 billion yen over the three-year duration of the 4th MTBP, comprising growth investment of 76.5 million yen and maintenance investment of 48.5 billion yen, with a priority allocation to the growing Home & Personal Care (H&PC) business.

A further 30.0 billion yen in M&A investment is planned, to accelerate the pace of growth in combination with organic growth.

[Breakdown of capital expenditure of 125.0 billion yen]

Purpose	Business/details	Capital expenditure
(billion yen)
	H&PC	55.5
Growth	Paper & Paperboard	10.5
investment	Other (CNF, IT, logistics)	10.	5
	Total	76.	5
Maintenance	-	48.5
investment
Total		125.	0

1. Basic policies
2. 1. Establish a strong and resilient business portfolio
   • Build an even greater competitive advantage in the P&P business by capitalizing on the results of strategic investment and continuing with structural reforms
   • Lead the Company's growth and expansion through faster multi-category business expansion and further acquisitions in the H&PC business
   • Create future growth opportunities through new businesses such as cellulose nanofibers (CNF)
   1. Improve financial strength
   • Strengthen cash generating capacity and improve cash flow to enable further growth under the 5th MTBP, while rigorously selecting capital expenditure projects for the 3 years of the 4th MTBP, with the aim of obtaining a credit rating of A during the plan

• Introduce ROIC as an internal management indicator for evaluating profitability for each business and investment decision standards, to promote management with a consciousness of capital cost and return on capital

1. Respond to climate change (achieve carbon neutrality by 2050)

• Promote the use of renewable energy, and aim to reduce coal usage to zero by 2050
• Continually engage in proper plantation management and expansion of plantation areas
• Promote a shift to environmentally-friendly materials through CNF and plastic-free product businesses

2. Business Group Strategies

1. Industrial Paper and Corrugated Container Business
2. 1. CSV (Creating Shared Value: economic activity that simultaneously addresses social issues) action policy:
      Provide environmentally-friendly packaging and wrapping paper, indispensable for the transport of goods
   2. Strategic policy under the 4th MTBP:
      Pursue more stable domestic supply and accelerate overseas expansion
      Forecasting strong demand in Japan and overseas, Daio will increase containerboard production by the Mishima mill's N7 machine to 30,000 tons per month, to expand exports throughout Asia and strengthen the system of stable supply in Japan.
      Daio will also expand the downstream corrugated container businesses, partly through M&A, and implement integrated operations with the industrial paper business, with a view to enhancing total profitability.
3. Newsprint and Paper Business
4. 1. CSV action policy:
      Ensure stable supply of graphic paper, an indispensable part of people's lives
   2. Strategic policy under the 4th MTBP:
      Examine production systems and sales systems in anticipation of a further shift in product mix, and strengthen downstream printing paper businesses
      Amid an accelerating decline in demand for graphic paper, Daio will develop this into a stronger and leaner business, by adjusting its product mix to pursue higher added value and maintain machine operation rate.
      It will also strengthen sales of high value-added printed material such as adhesive labels, further

strengthening the printing business, while enhancing earning power through integrated operation of the paper and printing businesses.

1. H&PC Domestic Business
2. 1. CSV action policy:
      Support consumers to live their daily lives their own way
   2. Strategic policy under the 4th MTBP:
      Further grow the household paper business and increase market share in the absorbent products business, through the continuation of structural reforms and capital expenditure from the 3rd
      MTBP
      Daio will further solidify its position as market leader in the household paper business, through product offerings that capture the needs of consumers, and additional equipment to enhance supply capabilities.
      For absorbent products, Daio will effectively invest in digital marketing and other means to extend the image of high-quality and trustworthy products established by the Elleair brand in the household paper business to absorbent and other products. At the same time, it will enhance the lineup of absorbent products and develop into peripheral categories, to expand the entire H&PC Domestic Business in tandem with household paper.
3. H&PC Overseas Business
4. 1. CSV action policy:
      Contribute to development in our markets overseas, enhancing the standard of living
   2. Strategic policy under the 4th MTBP:
      Expand overseas businesses, with multi-category business expansion in existing markets and entry into new markets as the pillars of our growth engine
      Daio will accelerate its pace of growth through business expansion in China and the rest of the Asia region, by realizing synergies in Brazil and Turkey, where it has completed a full-scale entry through M&A activities, and by considering new business acquisitions in overseas growth markets.
      In addition, while continuing to expand sales of its mainstay baby diaper products overseas, Daio will increase the sales contribution from products such as household paper, sanitary pads and adult diapers, and pursue the multi-category business expansion model it has established in Japan, to solidify its business platform overseas.
5. New business development
6. 1. CNF
      CNF has already passed the R&D stage, with increasing instances of commercialization and the

development of new uses during the past few years, including as part of Daio's own Kirekira! Toilet cleaning wipes, in the material used for table tennis bats, and its utilization in both outside and inside race car bodies.

Under the 4th MTBP, Daio will achieve productivity improvements and substantial cost reductions for composite resin containing CNF, which is expected to have broad applications in areas such as automotive parts and consumer electronics, accelerating the development of applications to expedite the commercialization process. Through the addition of CNF, Daio will contribute to reducing CO2 emissions by achieving weight savings and reductions in the use of plastics.

1. 1. RFID (radio frequency identification: a general term for systems including IC tags and readers) Daio has utilized the expertise of its subsidiary DAIO Engineering in card inspection devices to enter the RFID business, primarily in the healthcare field. From 2019, Daio introduced manufacturing equipment for IC tags, for the purpose of conserving manpower, increasing efficiency and preventing human error. Under the 4th MTBP, Daio will expand its targets beyond healthcare to fields such as logistics and apparel, providing RFID solutions in each industry, to achieve new value creation.
2. Global response by the Corporate Unit

The expansion of overseas businesses is indispensable for the development of the Daio Group. Together with investment in overseas growth markets, Daio considers appropriate risk management to be a vital factor in this expansion.

To this end, the Corporate Unit, composed of human resources, legal affairs, accounting, finance and other functions, is engaged together with the business units in integrated operations to expand overseas businesses, with an emphasis on "stable procurement and optimal allocation of management resources necessary for business growth and expansion" and the "further reinforcement of the Group governance structure and enhancement of risk management."

3. Policy on Shareholder Returns

Daio regards the return of profits to all shareholders as a key management issue. In addition to continuing to pay stable dividends in consideration of factors such as business status and the enhancement of internal reserves, it is Daio's policy to add DOE (dividends on equity) as an indicator, and return to shareholders the benefits from enhancement of net assets as result of growth.

Daio will aim for a DOE level of approximately 2.0% in the medium to long term, in consideration of financial condition and investment in growth.