Questions and Answers at the General Meeting of Shareholders

< Management Policy / Strategy >

• What are WNI's thoughts on the growth image and expected fields in terms of overseas strategies in the next 5~10 years?
  Due to the impact of COVID-19, it is difficult to achieve the initial plan(sales ratio of 50:50 between Japan and overseas) during the fourth growth period. However, now that the economy is recovering, we have established Global Business Development team, so we will focus on expanding our global business. For example, we will work on business areas that are easy to convert into content, such as providing solutions for extreme weather.


• The role expected of a technical director.
  Prior to the fifth growth period, the position was newly established as a full-time position responsible for innovation initiatives such as technological innovation and research and development, and we expect Mr. Nishi to play exactly these roles.

< Stock Price / Dividend >

• The stock price seems to fluctuate greatly throughout the year. How is WNI dealing with institutional investors as part of your efforts to stabilize stock prices?
  Although we are affected by interest rate policies in Europe and the United States and social unrest, we believe it is important to improve our business performance. For institutional investors, we are approaching them by increasing opportunities for IR coverage, both in Japan and overseas.


• Profits are improving, but I would like to know WNI's policy on increasing dividends such as business investment and shareholder returns.
  Our basic policy is to maintain an annual dividend of 100 yen. However, we would also like to consider aggressive investment and shareholder returns in preparation for the 5th growth period.


• Is WNI considering a stock split?
  We recognize that a stock split is effective from the perspective of gaining the support of many shareholders. However, given the unstable social situation and the fact that we are still in the midst of our Mid-term Management Plan, we will carefully consider the decision and timing of the split.

< Business content >

• I often see WNI's TV commercials. What is WNI's thoughts on advertising strategies?
  "In the past, we have focused on online advertising, which is highly efficient, but when we have achieved it to a certain extent, we are now conducting TV commercials in the mass media as an approach to the general public. In addition, due to the high frequency, we are seeing an increase in requests to place advertisements on the Weathernews app, which we believe is a virtuous cycle. We will continue to measure and carry out efficient advertising."


• About the reason for Mr. Morita's resignation and the future head of the Forecast Center.
  There was an offer from Mr. Morita himself that he would like to hand it over to his successor. From now on, Mr. Aruga , Executive Officer, will be in charge of all operations including the forecast center.


• Why does WNI use voice actors instead of weathernews casters in TV commercials?
  We produced and considered multiple patterns for TV commercials, but this time we used voice actors with high public recognition from the perspective of appealing to viewers.




Answers to pre-questions

Please note that we cannot respond to questions for which we cannot confirm the facts or questions regarding privacy.



< Proposal >

• Proposal No. 5 (Election of Accounting Auditor)
  Please tell the reason why WNI chose PricewaterhouseCoopers Aarata LLC when changing the accounting auditor. I would also like to know the details regarding the description that the accounting auditor will be reviewed periodically.
  With this change of accounting auditor, we can expect that the reliability of our financial information will be further improved through audits that are different from different perspectives and methods. We will continue to confirm the appropriateness of operations in the relationship between the Company and the accounting auditor.



< Management policy・strategy >

• I would like to hear more about WNI's M&A policy.
  At present, there is no fixed policy, and costs related to new M&A and establishment of subsidiaries are not factored into the business plan.
  However, if there are good opportunities such as M&A that can expect synergistic effects for the growth of each business, we will consider them.


• What cybersecurity measures does WNI have in place and what is its budget?
  From this fiscal year, we have set up a security readiness team, CSIRT, to strengthen our security measures. Last year, we received a third-party cyber security assessment, extracted specific security issues, and are responding to them.
  As an example, we are planning to strengthen device management (BYOD) for mobile phones and other devices. We have not disclosed our security budget, but we would like to cover the costs of introducing device management solutions for individual terminals.


• I would like to know the details of how you plan to use cash
  From the social responsibility as a weather information company, we recognize that it is necessary to secure cash of 3 billion to 4 billion yen in terms of cash flow in order to continue the service even in unforeseen circumstances such as major disasters and economic crises.
  In addition, from the fifth growth period, there is a possibility that cash may be used for investments related to M&A and establishment of subsidiaries for business growth. So we would like to consider the optimal financing plan for future.



<  Others >

• Compared to other information companies, WNI's average annual salary of employees is low. I think it is necessary to raise the salary level in order to retain excellent human resources. Is WNI considering anything in particular?
  We are currently reviewing the personnel system in line with the times for the fifth growth period starting next term as the employment system in the world progresses to job-based employment. A review of the salary system is also planned in this review.


• Please let us know if WNI has a human resource development system (other than OJT) for the future.
  Since our operational departments have unique weather-related operations, we have established a training department and conduct regular training, as well as our own internal qualification system. In addition, development and sales divisions utilize external training systems as necessary. Also, we regularly conduct training for young employees and leader training for the purpose of developing future core human resources.


• Recently, in Weathernews L!VE daytime program, I seems that the the asbsent of weathercaster has increased and the burden on the commentators from forecast center is increasing. Is the cast structure of commentators and casters appropriate?
  We are aware of the shortage of casters. Weather caster auditions have already been held and we assume the shortage will be resolved soon. However, Weathernews L!VEis becoming a media that many people are watching, so we would like to continue to consider appropriate cast structure that can respond flexibly.