noun
sokaiya; corporate extortionist
A person or group that buys shares to attend shareholder meetings and threatens to disrupt them unless paid off. The term is specific to Japanese corporate culture and often associated with organized crime.
総会屋が株主総会で騒ぎ立てる前に、会社は金を払うことがあった。
Companies sometimes paid money before sokaiya could cause a disturbance at shareholder meetings.
総会屋対策として、多くの企業が株主総会の日程を集中させた。
As a countermeasure against sokaiya, many companies concentrated their shareholder meeting dates.
Organized crime groups; sokaiya are often affiliated with such groups.
Compound of 総会 (sōkai, 'general meeting') and 屋 (ya, 'shop' or 'person engaged in a trade'). The term literally means 'general meeting person' and refers to someone who makes a business out of shareholder meetings.