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PicoCELA Inc

For the period ended Sep 30, 2024. Filed Feb 14, 2025.

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About this filing

The yearly report of a company based outside the US. It covers much of what a 10-K does, and may follow accounting rules other than US ones.

FY2024 · Filed Feb 14, 2025

PCLA$6.10+1.7%Stored close · as of Nov 6, 2026
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Contents

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Item 10. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

A. Share Capital

B. Memorandum and Articles of Association

We incorporate by reference into this annual report the description of our articles of association and the description of differences in corporate laws contained in our registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-282931), as amended, initially filed with the SEC on October 31, 2024.

C. Material Contracts

For the two years immediately preceding the date of this annual report, we have not entered into any material contracts other than in the ordinary course of business and other than those described in “Item 4. Information on the Company” or elsewhere in this annual report.

D. Exchange Controls

Foreign Exchange Regulations

The FEFTA and related cabinet orders and ministerial ordinances, which we refer to collectively as the Foreign Exchange Regulations, govern certain aspects relating to the acquisition and holding of shares by “exchange non-residents” and by “foreign investors” (as these terms are defined below). It also applies in some cases to the acquisition and holding of ADSs representing our Common Shares acquired and held by non- residents of Japan and by foreign investors. In general, the Foreign Exchange Regulations currently in effect do not affect transactions between exchange non-residents to purchase or sell Common Shares or ADSs outside Japan using currencies other than Japanese yen.

Exchange residents are defined in the Foreign Exchange Regulations as:

(i)individuals who reside within Japan; or
(ii)corporations whose principal offices are located within Japan.

Exchange non-residents are defined in the Foreign Exchange Regulations as:

(i)individuals who do not reside in Japan; or
(ii)corporations whose principal offices are located outside Japan.

Generally, branches and other offices of non-resident corporations located within Japan are regarded as exchange residents. Conversely, branches and other offices of Japanese corporations located outside Japan are regarded as exchange non-residents.

Foreign investors are defined in the Foreign Exchange Regulations as:

(i)individuals who are exchange non-residents;
(ii)corporations or other entities organized under the laws of foreign countries or whose principal offices are located outside Japan;
(iii)corporations of which 50% or more of the total voting rights are held, directly or indirectly, by individuals and/or corporations falling within (i) and/or (ii) above;
(iv)investment partnerships and limited liability partnerships for investment, etc. (including foreign partnerships) in which the ratio of capital contribution from exchange non-residents is 50% or more of the total amount of capital contribution by all partners, or in which a majority of the managing partners are exchange non-residents; or
(v)corporations or other entities having a majority of either (A) directors or other persons equivalent thereto or (B) directors or other persons equivalent thereto having the power of representation who are non-resident individuals.

Acquisition of Shares

Acquisition by a foreign investor of shares of a Japanese corporation from a non-foreign investor requires pre or post facto reporting by the foreign investor through an exchange resident to the Minister of Finance of Japan through the Bank of Japan. No such reporting requirement is imposed, however, if:

(i) shares are acquired due to the occurrence of an event of inheritance, bequest, gratis allotment of shares, or acquisition of shares with a call provision; or

(ii) both the investment ratio and the voting right ratio (total of closely related parties) of all shares held after the share acquisition are less than 10% (provided that the nationality of the foreign investor is that of the listed country or Japan, and the business purpose of the issuing company under its articles of incorporation falls under the category of post facto reporting industry); or

(iii) the acquisition falls under any other case prescribed in Article 55-5 of the FEFTA, Article 3.1 of the Cabinet Order on Inward Direct Investment, etc., and Articles 3.2 and 3.3 of the Order on Inward Direct Investment, etc.

Dividends and Proceeds of Sale

Under the Foreign Exchange Regulations, dividends paid on, and the proceeds from sales in Japan of, shares held by exchange non-residents of Japan may generally be converted into any foreign currency and repatriated abroad.

E. Taxation

Japanese Taxation

The following is a general summary of the principal Japanese tax consequences (limited to national tax) to owners of our Common Shares, in the form of Common Shares or ADSs, who are non-resident individuals of Japan or who are non-Japanese corporations without a permanent establishment in Japan, collectively referred to in this section as non-resident holders. The statements below regarding Japanese tax laws are based on the laws and treaties in force and as interpreted by the Japanese tax authorities as of the date of this annual report, and are subject to changes in applicable Japanese laws, tax treaties, conventions, or agreements, or in the interpretation of them, occurring after that date. This summary is not exhaustive of all possible tax considerations that may apply to a particular investor, and potential investors are advised to satisfy themselves as to the overall tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership, and disposition of our Common Shares, including, specifically, the tax consequences under Japanese law, under the laws of the jurisdiction of which they are resident and under any tax treaty, convention, or agreement between Japan and their country of residence, by consulting their own tax advisors.

For the purpose of Japanese tax law and the tax treaty between the United States and Japan, a U.S. holder of ADSs will generally be treated as the owner of the Common Shares underlying the ADSs evidenced by the ADRs.

Generally, a non-resident holder of Common Shares or ADSs will be subject to Japanese income tax collected by way of withholding on dividends (meaning in this section distributions made from our retained earnings for the Companies Act purposes) we pay with respect to our Common Shares and such tax will be withheld prior to payment of dividends. Share splits generally are not subject to Japanese income or corporation taxes.

In the absence of any applicable tax treaty, convention, or agreement reducing the maximum rate of Japanese withholding tax or allowing exemption from Japanese withholding tax, the rate of the Japanese withholding tax applicable to dividends paid by Japanese corporations on their Common Shares to non-resident holders is generally 20.42% (or 20% for dividends due and payable on or after January 1, 2038) under Japanese tax law. However, with respect to dividends paid on listed shares issued by a Japanese corporation (such as Common Shares or ADSs) to non-resident holders, other than any individual shareholder who holds 3% or more of the total number of shares issued by the relevant Japanese corporation (to whom the aforementioned withholding tax rate will still apply), the aforementioned withholding tax rate is reduced to (i) 15.315% for dividends due and payable up to and including December 31, 2037 and (ii) 15% for dividends due and payable on or after January 1, 2038. The withholding tax rates described above include the special reconstruction surtax (2.1% multiplied by the original applicable withholding tax rate, i.e., 15% or 20%, as the case may be), which is imposed during the period from and including January 1, 2013 to and including December 31, 2037, to fund the reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake.

If distributions were made from our capital surplus, rather than retained earnings, for the Companies Act purposes, the portion of such distributions in excess of the amount corresponding to a pro rata portion of return of capital as determined under Japanese tax laws would be deemed dividends for Japanese tax purposes, while the rest would be treated as return of capital for Japanese tax purposes. The deemed dividend portion, if any, would generally be subject to the same tax treatment as dividends as described above, and the return of capital portion would generally be treated as proceeds derived from the sale of Common Shares and subject to the same tax treatment as sale of our Common Shares as described below. Distributions made in consideration of repurchase by us of our own shares or in connection with certain reorganization transactions will be treated substantially in the same manner.

Japan has income tax treaties whereby the withholding tax rate (including the special reconstruction surtax) may be reduced, generally to 15%, for portfolio investors, with, among others, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, and Singapore, while the income tax treaties with, among others, Australia, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States generally reduce the withholding tax rate to 10% for portfolio investors and the income tax treaties with, among others, Spain, generally reduce the withholding tax rate to 5% for portfolio investors. In addition, under the income tax treaty between Japan and the United States, dividends paid to pension funds which are qualified U.S. residents eligible to enjoy treaty benefits are exempt from Japanese income taxation by way of withholding or otherwise unless the dividends are derived from the carrying on of a business, directly or indirectly, by the pension funds. Similar treatment is applicable to dividends paid to pension funds under the income tax treaties between Japan and, among others, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Under Japanese tax law, any reduced maximum rate applicable under a tax treaty shall be available when such maximum rate is below the rate otherwise applicable under the Japanese tax law referred to in the second preceding paragraph with respect to the dividends to be paid by us on our Common Shares or the ADSs.

Non-resident holders of our Common Shares or the ADSs who are entitled under an applicable tax treaty to a reduced rate of, or exemption from, Japanese withholding tax on any dividends on our Common Shares or the ADSs, in general, are required to submit, through the withholding agent to the relevant tax authority prior to the payment of dividends, an Application Form for Income Tax Convention regarding Relief from Japanese Income Tax and Special Income Tax for Reconstruction on Dividends together with any required forms and documents. A standing proxy for a non-resident holder of our Common Shares or the ADSs may be used in order to submit the application on a non-resident holder’s behalf. In this regard, a certain simplified special filing procedure may also be available for non-resident holders to claim treaty benefits of reduction of or exemption from Japanese withholding tax, by submitting a Special Application Form for Income Tax Convention regarding Relief from Japanese Income Tax and Special Income Tax for Reconstruction on Dividends of Listed Stock, together with any required forms or documents. If the depositary needs investigation to identify whether any non-resident holders of ADSs are entitled to claim treaty benefits of exemption from or reduction of Japanese withholding tax the depositary or its agent submits an application form before payment of dividends so that the withholding cannot be made in connection with such holders for eight months after the record date concerning such payment of dividends. If it is proved that such holders are entitled to claim treaty benefits of exemption from or reduction of Japanese withholding tax within the foregoing eight-month period, the depositary or its agent submits another application form together with certain other documents so that such holder can be subject to exemption from or reduction of Japanese withholding tax. To claim this reduced rate or exemption, such non- resident holder of ADSs will be required to file a proof of taxpayer status, residence, and beneficial ownership, as applicable, and to provide other information or documents as may be required by the depositary. Non-resident holders who are entitled, under any applicable tax treaty, to a reduced rate of Japanese withholding tax below the rate otherwise applicable under Japanese tax law, or exemption therefrom, as the case may be, but fail to submit the required application in advance may nevertheless be entitled to claim a refund from the relevant Japanese tax authority of withholding taxes withheld in excess of the rate under an applicable tax treaty (if such non-resident holders are entitled to a reduced treaty rate under the applicable tax treaty) or the full amount of tax withheld (if such non-resident holders are entitled to an exemption under the applicable tax treaty), as the case may be, by complying with a certain subsequent filing procedure. We do not assume any responsibility to ensure withholding at the reduced treaty rate, or exemption therefrom, for shareholders who would be eligible under an applicable tax treaty but who do not follow the required procedures as stated above.

Gains derived from the sale of our Common Shares or the ADSs outside Japan by a non-resident holder that is a portfolio investor will generally not be subject to Japanese income or corporation taxes. Japanese inheritance and gift taxes, at progressive rates, may be payable by an individual who has acquired from another individual our Common Shares or the ADSs as a legatee, heir, or donee, even if none of the acquiring individual, the decedent, or the donor is a Japanese resident.

United States Federal Income Taxation

WE URGE POTENTIAL PURCHASERS OF THE ADSS OR OUR COMMON SHARES TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS CONCERNING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND NON-U.S. TAX CONSEQUENCES OF PURCHASING, OWNING, AND DISPOSING OF THE ADSs OR OUR COMMON SHARES.

The following does not address the tax consequences to any particular investor or to persons in special tax situations such as:

●banks;
●financial institutions;
●insurance companies;
●regulated investment companies;
●real estate investment trusts;
●broker-dealers;
●persons that elect to mark their securities to market;
●U.S. expatriates or former long-term residents of the U.S.;
●governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof;
●tax-exempt entities;
●persons liable for alternative minimum tax;
●persons holding our Common Shares or the ADSs as part of a straddle, hedging, conversion, or integrated transaction;
●persons that actually or constructively own 10% or more of our voting power or value (including by reason of owning our Common Shares or the ADSs);
●persons who acquired our Common Shares or the ADSs pursuant to the exercise of any employee share option or otherwise as compensation;
●persons holding our Common Shares or the ADSs through partnerships or other pass-through entities;
●beneficiaries of a Trust holding our Common Shares or the ADSs; or
●persons holding our Common Shares or the ADSs through a trust.

The brief discussion set forth below is addressed only to U.S. Holders (defined below) that purchase Common Shares or ADSs. Prospective purchasers are urged to consult their own tax advisors about the application of the U.S. federal income tax rules to their particular circumstances as well as the state, local, foreign and other tax consequences to them of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our Common Shares or the ADSs.

Material Tax Consequences Applicable to U.S. Holders of the ADSs or Common Shares

The following sets forth a brief summary of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences related to the ownership and disposition of the ADSs or our Common Shares. This description does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to ownership and disposition of the ADSs or our Common Shares or U.S. tax laws, other than the U.S. federal income tax laws, such as the tax consequences under non-U.S. tax laws, state, local, and other tax laws.

The following brief description applies only to U.S. Holders (defined below) that hold ADSs or Common Shares as capital assets and that have the U.S. dollar as their functional currency. This brief description is based on the federal income tax laws of the United States in effect as of the date of this annual report and on U.S. Treasury regulations in effect or, in some cases, proposed, as of the date of this annual report, as well as judicial and administrative interpretations thereof available on or before such date, and the income tax treaty between the United States and Japan (the “Tax Convention”). All of the foregoing authorities are subject to change, which change could apply retroactively and could affect the tax consequences described below.

The brief description below of the U.S. federal income tax consequences to “U.S. Holders” will apply to you if you are a beneficial owner of ADSs or Common Shares and you are, for U.S. federal income tax purposes,

●an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;
●a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;
●an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or
●a trust that (1) is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the United States and the control of one or more U.S. persons for all substantial decisions or (2) has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

If a partnership (or other entities treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes) is a beneficial owner of the ADSs or our Common Shares, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships and partners of a partnership holding the ADSs or our Common Shares are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding an investment in the ADSs or our Common Shares.

An individual is considered a resident of the U.S. for federal income tax purposes if he or she meets either the “Green Card Test” or the “Substantial Presence Test” described as follows:

The Green Card Test: You are a lawful permanent resident of the United States, at any time, if you have been given the privilege, according to the immigration laws of the United States, of residing permanently in the United States as an immigrant. You generally have this status if the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued you an alien registration card, Form I-551, also known as a “green card.”

The Substantial Presence Test: If an alien is present in the United States on at least 31 days of the current calendar year, he or she will (absent an applicable exception) be classified as a resident alien if the sum of the following equals 183 days or more (See§7701(b)(3)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code and related Treasury Regulations):

1.The actual days in the United States in the current year; plus
2.One-third of his or her days in the United States in the immediately preceding year; plus
3.One-sixth of his or her days in the United States in the second preceding year.

This summary is based, in part, upon the representations made by the depositary to us and assumes that the deposit agreement for the ADSs, and all other related agreements, will be performed in accordance with their terms.

Treatment of the ADSs

U.S. Holders of ADSs generally will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as holding our Common Shares represented by the ADSs. No gain or loss will be recognized on an exchange of our Common Shares for ADSs or an exchange of ADSs for our Common Shares if the depositary has not taken any action inconsistent with the material terms of the deposit agreement for the ADSs or the U.S. Holder’s ownership of the underlying Common Shares. A U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Common Shares received in exchange for ADSs will be the same as its tax basis in the ADSs, and the holding period in the shares will include the holding period in the ADSs.

Taxation of Dividends and Other Distributions on the ADSs or Our Common Shares

Subject to the application of the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize ordinary dividend income in an amount equal to the amount of any cash and the value of any property we distribute as a distribution with respect to the U.S. Holder’s Common Shares (or ADSs), to the extent that the distribution is paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles, when the distribution is received (or when received by the depositary in the case of ADSs). We do not intend to maintain calculations of earnings and profits under U.S. federal income tax principles. Therefore, a U.S. Holder should expect that distributions paid with respect to our Common Shares or the ADSs generally will be treated as dividends. Dividends will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction generally allowable to U.S. corporations. Dividends paid on our Common Shares or the ADSs will be treated as “qualified dividends” taxable at preferential rates, if (i) we are eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States that the IRS has approved for the purposes of the qualified dividend rules, (ii) we were not, in the year prior to the year in which the dividend was paid, and are not, in the year in which the dividend is paid, a PFIC, and (iii) the U.S. Holder satisfies certain holding period and other requirements. The Tax Convention has been approved for the purposes of the qualified dividend rules and we believe we will be eligible for the benefits of the Tax Convention.

Dividend income will include any amounts withheld in respect of Japanese taxes, and will be treated as foreign-source income for foreign tax credit purposes. Subject to applicable limitations, some of which vary depending upon the U.S. Holder’s circumstances, Japanese taxes withheld from dividends on our Common Shares or the ADSs generally will be creditable against the U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability to the extent such taxes do not exceed any reduced withholding rate available under the Tax Convention. The rules governing foreign tax credits are complex, and U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the creditability of foreign taxes in their particular circumstances. In lieu of claiming a foreign tax credit, a U.S. Holder may, at its election, deduct creditable foreign taxes, including Japanese taxes, in computing its taxable income, subject to applicable limitations. An election to deduct foreign taxes instead of claiming foreign tax credits applies to all foreign taxes paid or accrued by the U.S. Holder in the taxable year.

Dividends paid in a currency other than U.S. dollars will be includable in income in a U.S. dollar amount based on the exchange rate in effect on the date of receipt (or the date of the depositary’s receipt in the case of ADSs), whether or not the payment is converted into U.S. dollars at that time. A U.S. Holder should not recognize any foreign currency gain or loss in respect of the distribution if the foreign currency is converted into U.S. dollars on the date the distribution is received. If the foreign currency is not converted into U.S. dollars on the date of receipt, however, gain or loss may be recognized upon a subsequent sale or other disposition of the foreign currency. The foreign currency gain or loss (if any) generally will be treated as ordinary income or loss to the U.S. Holder and generally will be treated as U.S.-source income or loss, which may be relevant in calculating the U.S. Holder’s foreign tax credit limitation.

Taxation of Dispositions of ADSs or Common Shares

Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, you will recognize taxable gain or loss on any sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of a share equal to the difference between the amount realized (in U.S. dollars) for the share and your tax basis (in U.S. dollars) in the ADSs or Common Shares. The gain or loss will be capital gain or loss. If you are a non-corporate U.S. Holder, including an individual U.S. Holder, who has held the ADSs or Common Shares for more than one year, you will generally be eligible for reduced tax rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations. Any such gain or loss that you recognize will generally be treated as United States source income or loss for foreign tax credit limitation purposes which will generally limit the availability of foreign tax credits.

PFIC Consequences

A non-U.S. corporation is considered a PFIC, as defined in Section 1297(a) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, for any taxable year if either:

●at least 75% of its gross income for such taxable year is passive income; or
●at least 50% of the value of its assets (based on an average of the quarterly values of the assets during a taxable year) is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income (the “asset test”).

Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of passive assets. We will be treated as owning our proportionate share of the assets and earning our proportionate share of the income of any other corporation in which we own, directly or indirectly, at least 25% (by value) of the stock. In determining the value and composition of our assets for purposes of the PFIC asset test, (1) the cash we raise in the initial public offering of the Company will generally be considered to be held for the production of passive income and (2) the value of our assets must be determined based on the market value of the ADSs or our Common Shares from time to time, which could cause the value of our non-passive assets to be less than 50% of the value of all of our assets (including the cash raised in the initial public offering of the Company) on any particular quarterly testing date for purposes of the asset test.

Based on our operations and the composition of our assets we do not expect to be treated as a PFIC under the current PFIC rules. We must make a separate determination each year as to whether we are a PFIC, however, and there can be no assurance with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any future taxable year. Depending on the amount of cash we raise in the initial public offering of the Company, together with any other assets held for the production of passive income, it is possible that, for our current taxable year or for any subsequent taxable year, more than 50% of our assets may be assets held for the production of passive income. We will make this determination following the end of any particular tax year. In addition, because the value of our assets for purposes of the asset test will generally be determined based on the market price of the ADSs or our Common Shares and because cash is generally considered to be an asset held for the production of passive income, our PFIC status will depend in large part on the market price of the ADSs or our Common Shares and the amount of cash we raise in the initial public offering of the Company. Accordingly, fluctuations in the market price of the ADSs or Common Shares may cause us to become a PFIC. In addition, the application of the PFIC rules is subject to uncertainty in several respects and the composition of our income and assets will be affected by how, and how quickly, we spend the cash we raise in the initial public offering of the Company. We are under no obligation to take steps to reduce the risk of our being classified as a PFIC, and as stated above, the determination of the value of our assets will depend upon material facts (including the market price of the ADSs or our Common Shares from time to time and the amount of cash we raise in the initial public offering of the Company) that may not be within our control. If we are a PFIC for any year during which you hold ADSs or Common Shares, we will continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which you hold ADSs or Common Shares. If we cease to be a PFIC and you did not previously make a timely “mark-to-market” election as described below, you may still avoid some of the adverse effects of the PFIC regime by making a “purging election” (as described below) with respect to the ADSs or Common Shares.

If we are a PFIC for your taxable year(s) during which you hold ADSs or Common Shares, you will be subject to special tax rules with respect to any “excess distribution” that you receive and any gain you realize from a sale or other disposition (including a pledge) of the ADSs or Common Shares, unless you make a “mark-to-market” election as discussed below. Distributions you receive in a taxable year that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions you received during the shorter of the three preceding taxable years or your holding period for the ADSs or Common Shares will be treated as an excess distribution. Under these special tax rules:

●the excess distribution or gain will be allocated ratably over your holding period for the ADSs or Common Shares;
●the amount allocated to your current taxable year, and any amount allocated to any of your taxable year(s) prior to the first taxable year in which we were a PFIC, will be treated as ordinary income, and
●the amount allocated to each of your other taxable year(s) will be subject to the highest tax rate in effect for that year and the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the resulting tax attributable to each such year.

The tax liability for amounts allocated to years prior to the year of disposition or “excess distribution” cannot be offset by any net operating losses for such years, and gains (but not losses) realized on the sale of the ADSs or Common Shares cannot be treated as capital, even if you hold the ADSs or Common Shares as capital assets.

A U.S. Holder of “marketable stock” (as defined below) in a PFIC may make a mark-to-market election under Section 1296 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code for such stock to elect out of the tax treatment discussed above. If you make a mark-to-market election for first taxable year which you hold (or are deemed to hold) ADSs or Common Shares and for which we are determined to be a PFIC, you will include in your income each year an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the ADSs or Common Shares as of the close of such taxable year over your adjusted basis in such ADSs or Common Shares, which excess will be treated as ordinary income and not capital gain. You are allowed an ordinary loss for the excess, if any, of the adjusted basis of the ADSs or Common Shares over their fair market value as of the close of the taxable year. Such ordinary loss, however, is allowable only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains on the ADSs or Common Shares included in your income for prior taxable years. Amounts included in your income under a mark-to-market election, as well as gain on the actual sale or other disposition of the ADSs or Common Shares, are treated as ordinary income. Ordinary loss treatment also applies to any loss realized on the actual sale or disposition of the ADSs or Common Shares, to the extent that the amount of such loss does not exceed the net mark-to-market gains previously included for such ADSs or Common Shares. Your basis in the ADSs or Common Shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts. If you make a valid mark-to-market election, the tax rules that apply to distributions by corporations which are not PFICs would apply to distributions by us, except that the lower applicable capital gains rate for qualified dividend income discussed above under “— Taxation of Dividends and Other Distributions on the ADSs or our Common Shares” generally would not apply.

The mark-to-market election is available only for “marketable stock,” which is stock that is traded in other than de minimis quantities on at least 15 days during each calendar quarter (“regularly traded”) on a qualified exchange or other market (as defined in applicable U.S. Treasury regulations), including the Nasdaq. If the ADSs or Common Shares are regularly traded on the Nasdaq and if you are a holder of ADSs or Common Shares, the mark-to-market election would be available to you were we to be or become a PFIC.

Alternatively, a U.S. Holder of stock in a PFIC may make a “qualified electing fund” election under Section 1295(b) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code with respect to such PFIC to elect out of the tax treatment discussed above. A U.S. Holder who makes a valid qualified electing fund election with respect to a PFIC will generally include in gross income for a taxable year such holder’s pro rata share of the corporation’s earnings and profits for the taxable year. The qualified electing fund election, however, is available only if such PFIC provides such U.S. Holder with certain information regarding its earnings and profits as required under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations. We do not currently intend to prepare or provide the information that would enable you to make a qualified electing fund election. If you hold ADSs or Common Shares in any taxable year in which we are a PFIC, you will be required to file U.S. Internal Revenue Service Form 8621 in each such year and provide certain annual information regarding such ADSs or Common Shares, including regarding distributions received on the ADSs or Common Shares and any gain realized on the disposition of the ADSs or Common Shares.

If you do not make a timely “mark-to-market” election (as described above), and if we were a PFIC at any time during the period you hold the ADSs or our Common Shares, then such ADSs or Common Shares will continue to be treated as stock of a PFIC with respect to you even if we cease to be a PFIC in a future year, unless you make a “purging election” for the year we cease to be a PFIC. A “purging election” creates a deemed sale of such ADSs or Common Shares at their fair market value on the last day of the last year in which we are treated as a PFIC. The gain recognized by the purging election will be subject to the special tax and interest charge rules treating the gain as an excess distribution, as described above. As a result of the purging election, you will have a new basis (equal to the fair market value of the ADSs or Common Shares on the last day of the last year in which we are treated as a PFIC) and holding period (which new holding period will begin the day after such last day) in your ADSs or Common Shares for tax purposes.

IRC Section 1014(a) provides for a step-up in basis to the fair market value for the ADSs or our Common Shares when inherited from a decedent that was previously a holder of the ADSs or our Common Shares. However, if we are determined to be a PFIC and a decedent that was a U.S. Holder did not make either a timely qualified electing fund election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder held (or was deemed to hold) the ADSs or our Common Shares, or a mark-to-market election and ownership of those ADSs or Common Shares are inherited, a special provision in IRC Section 1291(e) provides that the new U.S. Holder’s basis should be reduced by an amount equal to the Section 1014 basis minus the decedent’s adjusted basis just before death. As such if we are determined to be a PFIC at any time prior to a decedent’s passing, the PFIC rules will cause any new U.S. Holder that inherits the ADSs or our Common Shares from a U.S. Holder to not get a step-up in basis under Section 1014 and instead will receive a carryover basis in those ADSs or Common Shares.

You are urged to consult your tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to your investment in the ADSs or our Common Shares and the elections discussed above.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

Dividend payments with respect to the ADSs or our Common Shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange, or redemption of the ADSs or our Common Shares may be subject to information reporting to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and possible U.S. backup withholding under Section 3406 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code with at a current flat rate of 24%. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. Holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes any other required certification on U.S. Internal Revenue Service Form W-9 or who is otherwise exempt from backup withholding. U.S. Holders who are required to establish their exempt status generally must provide such certification on U.S. Internal Revenue Service Form W-9. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the U.S. information reporting and backup withholding rules.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against your U.S. federal income tax liability, and you may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by filing the appropriate claim for refund with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and furnishing any required information. We do not intend to withhold taxes for individual shareholders. Transactions effected through certain brokers or other intermediaries, however, may be subject to withholding taxes (including backup withholding), and such brokers or intermediaries may be required by law to withhold such taxes.

Under the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act of 2010, certain U.S. Holders are required to report information relating to the ADSs or our Common Shares, subject to certain exceptions (including an exception for ADSs or Common Shares held in accounts maintained by certain financial institutions), by attaching a complete Internal Revenue Service Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets, with their tax return for each year in which they hold ADSs or Common Shares. Failure to report such information could result in substantial penalties. You should consult your own tax advisor regarding your obligation to file a Form 8938.

F. Dividends and Paying Agents

G. Statement by Experts

H. Documents on Display

We have previously filed with the SEC our registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-282931), as amended. We are subject to the periodic reporting and other informational requirements of the Exchange Act. Under the Exchange Act, we are required to file reports and other information with the SEC. Specifically, we are required to file annually a Form 20-F within four months after the end of each fiscal year. The SEC maintains a website at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding registrants that make electronic filings with the SEC using its EDGAR system. As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from the rules of the Exchange Act prescribing, among other things, the furnishing and content of proxy statements to shareholders, and our executive officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

I. Subsidiary Information

For information about our subsidiaries, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—A. History and Development of the Company.”

J. Annual Report to Security Holders

ContentsView on SEC.gov

The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.