Starzen to offer restricted stock plan to boost employee engagement

Starzen Company Limited announced a new restricted stock incentive plan for its employee stock ownership association, approved by the board of directors on February 20, 2025. Under this system, Starzen will dispose of up to 199,580 shares of its common stock as restricted stock, with the employee stock ownership association as the allottee. The disposition, set for October 31, 2025, will involve a payment of JPY 1,169 per share, totaling JPY 233,309,020. This price, based on the closing price on October 8, 2025, aims for fairness and is considered not particularly advantageous to the association.

Eligible employees of the Starzen Group, who are members of the association, will receive a monetary claim of JPY 100,000 to contribute to the restricted stock grant. The shares will be subject to transfer restrictions from October 31, 2025, to July 1, 2030, with conditions for lifting these restrictions, primarily continuous membership in the association. The dilution rate resulting from this treasury stock disposition is estimated at 0.34% of total issued shares and 0.35% of total voting rights as of September 30, 2025.

The audit committee reviewed the disposition, concluding that the pricing and purpose of introducing the system are reasonable and legitimate. Furthermore, the company stated that, given the dilution rate is less than 25% and there is no change in controlling shareholders, independent third-party opinions or shareholder confirmations are not required under Tokyo Stock Exchange listing regulations.