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.
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.
The company paid off the sokaiya to avoid disruption at the meeting.
Companies are strengthening measures to root out sokaiya.
Many companies have taken measures against sokaiya.