Q1 Where did Axell get its name? Q2 What does the company logo symbolize? Q3 What kind of business is Axell engaged in? Q4 What is “fabless” semiconductor manufacturer? Q5 To which semiconductor manufacturers does your company contract fabrication? Q6 Do you have any personnel or capital ties with the two semiconductor manufacturers? Q7 Are there any particular reasons why Axell contracts domestic manufacturers? Q8 Why are your sales concentrated to one particular trading company? Q9 Which market do you aim for? Q10 What direction is Axell product development headed in? Q11 Who are the customers that use Axell products? Q12 Is Axell hiring now and what are your basic recruiting policies? Q13 Will Axell’s technologies (drawing, compression/extension) ever become the international standard?   Q1 When does the fiscal term end? Q2 When are the financial results released? Q3 What are Axell’s financial results? Q4 On which exchange is your company's stock listed, and what is your securities code? Q5 What do you think about your current stock price? Q6 What are some management indexes that are important to Axell? Q7 What is the share trading unit? Q8 Are there any special shareholder benefit plans? Q9 What is your approach to investor relations? Q10 When do you plan to carry out your next round of financing? Q11 Where is your transfer agent? Q12 How can I receive dividends after the dividend receiving period? How can I receive dividends if I lost the postal money transfer payment notice? Q13 How can I transfer shares or change my address? Q1 Where did Axell get its name?   Axell’s “A” stands for “advanced”; “X” stands for “infinity”; and “ELL” is taken from “cell,” as in LSIs. Our name is a manifestation of our desire to develop LSIs with infinite possibilities. Also, Axell is phonetically pronounced the same as the first part of the positive-sounding word “accelerate.”   Q2 What does the company logo symbolize?   The triangle which makes up the base of the logo symbolizes the relationship between “needs” (market, customer), “seeds” (technology, Axell), and “products.” It also represents the leading-edge materials of the era and in technology. The square is the shape of LSIs, our product, and signifies a “complete package.” The squares moving toward the upper right-hand corner represent our determination to grow in the most advanced and progressive manner.   Q3 What kind of business is Axell engaged in?   Our company is a fabless semiconductor manufacturer (*1) engaged mainly in research and development, and the main scope of our business includes development and sales of graphics LSI (semiconductors) and sound LSI.   Q4 What is “fabless” semiconductor manufacturer?   A "fabless" semiconductor manufacturer is a semiconductor manufacturer that does not possess a fabrication facility. Currently, Axell contracts with domestic semiconductor firms to manufacture its products.   Q5 To which semiconductor manufacturers does your company contract fabrication?   We have contracted the manufacture of our products to Fujitsu Ltd. and Rohm Co., Ltd.   Q6 Do you have any personnel or capital ties with the two semiconductor manufacturers?   No, Axell has no direct relationship with the two companies in terms of personnel and capital. However, we do enjoy a healthy business relationship since there are very few manufacturers with the capacity to maintain a stable and large production of high added-value LSIs like the ones by Axell.   Q7 Are there any particular reasons why Axell contracts domestic manufacturers?   The standards in the amusement industry are extremely rigid for the delivery date of products. Due to problems arising from physical proximity and cultural differences, we have never used an offshore manufacturer, specifically those of other Asian countries. However, we may do so in the future, if the market for our products expands to the extent that contracting offshore manufacturers is a sound business decision.   Q8 Why are your sales concentrated to one particular trading company?   Our basic sales policy is to sell our products to our customers through an agent. In other words, our products are largely distributed to our customers through a trading company. Our main agent for the amusement market has been Midoriya Electric Co., Ltd.; but with the expansion of our market with the AG-9 series, we now work with two more trading companies, Internix Inc., and Okaya Electronics Company.   Q9 Which market do you aim for?   1. AG-1 series (AX51102) : graphics LSI for amusement 2. AG-2 series (AX51201) : graphics LSI for amusement 3. AS-1 series (AX31102) : sound LSI for amusement 4. AG-9 series (AX51901) : graphics LSI for IT, FA, measurement, and medical equipment 5. ASIC : graphics LSI for amusement industry, IT, FA, measurement, and medical equipment   Q10 What direction is Axell product development headed in?   (Amusement market) ・ We will develop more advanced graphics LSIs (AG-3). ・ We will further promote the integration of peripheral LSI functions and SoC (System on Chip: Semiconductor that integrate multiple circuits to be incorporated into systems) ・ We will improve the development environment, including the integration of graphics and sound LSIs. (for other embedded system markets) ・ We will research and develop multimedia LSIs that integrate graphics and sound.   Q11 Who are the customers that use Axell products?   Our business strategy and industry practice prevent us from disclosing our customers in the amusement industry. (We provide LSI to control the liquid crystal display section of pachinko and other game machines.) With respect to the information technology, factory automation, security and other industries, customer development activities are currently underway. (*In many cases, our products play key roles in differentiating the final products of our customers, so it is often difficult to disclose our customers.)   Q12 Is Axell hiring now and what are your basic recruiting policies?   We recruit our employees for their technical proficiency (and potential) but we also take into consideration their personal character as we deem it an important business tool. It is extremely difficult to keep finding people with such qualities, but through our joint research programs with Osaka University, Kyoto University, and Tsukuba University, we invite promising college students with the potential and character to become our top engineers to participate in our internship program.   Q13 Will Axell’s technologies (drawing, compression/extension) ever become the international standard?   Technological superiority and being adopted as the standard technology?we view these as two separate issues. Axell will continue to promote the development of specialized products for specific applications and will strive to become the de facto standard in the respective markets.   Q1 When does the fiscal term end?   The fiscal term ends every year on the last day of March. The mid-term ends on the last day of September. Business results are released on a quarterly basis.   Q2 When are the financial results released?   About four weeks after the end of the fiscal term.   Q3 What are Axell’s financial results?   Please refer to the Balance Sheets and Disclosed Information by accessing IR Information --> Financial Data.   Q4 On which exchange is your company's stock listed, and what is your securities code?   Our stock is listed on the JASDAQ market. The securities code is 6730.   Q5 What do you think about your current stock price?   Stock prices are a reflection of a complex web of factors, including asset values and profit per share, the social and economic situation and so on. For this reason, we regard it as inappropriate for us to comment on our current stock prices.   Q6 What are some management indexes that are important to Axell?   We continuously strive toward a steady increase in sales and a sound profitability. In our management centering around the LSI business, we aim for a sales/ordinary profit rate of 30% or more.   Q7 What is the share trading unit?   1 share   Q8 Are there any special shareholder benefit plans?   There is no special shareholder plan. However, we consider the return of profit to shareholders as one of our top management priorities. With regard to profit dividends, our basic policy is to comprehensively judge and determine term results and future business developments, taking into consideration the earning retention required for strengthening our financial standing and expanding our businesses. We set as our goal the attainment of a dividend ratio of 30% over the next few years.   Q9 What is your approach to investor relations?   We will conduct investor relations activities in a way that is fair and transparent for all investors. By maintaining transparency in the information we disclose, we hope that investors and the market will be encouraged to have faith in our investor relations activities.   Q10 When do you plan to carry out your next round of financing?   This is currently undecided.   Q11 Where is your transfer agent?   Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Bank. Address: 7-10-11 Higashisuna Koutouku Tokyo Customer service:0120-232-711   Q12 How can I receive dividends after the dividend receiving period? How can I gain dividends if I lost the postal money transfer payment notice?   Please contact any branch of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Bank, which acts as our share transfer agent, in Japan. Note that , per our Articles of Incorporation, you cannot claim dividends more than three years after the date on which the dividends for that period started to be paid.   Q13 How can I transfer the shares or change my address?   Please contact any branch of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Bank, which acts as our share transfer agent, in Japan. No handling fee shall be charged if you directly go to the headquarters or branches of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Bank. Application forms for share-related procedures can also be requested from Axell. A handling fee will be charged in the case of application through a securities company. Please contact your securities company for details. The fee differs for each securities company depending on the number of shares to be handled.