MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT
Exhibit G.1.b.iii
AGREEMENT made on December 15, 2022, by and between JAPAN SMALLER CAPITALIZATION FUND, INC., a Maryland corporation (hereinafter referred to as the “Fund”), and NOMURA ASSET MANAGEMENT U.S.A. INC., a New York corporation
(hereinafter referred to as the “Manager”).
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, the Fund is engaged in business as a closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘Investment Company Act’’); and
WHEREAS, the Manager is willing to provide management and investment advisory services to the Fund on the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements of the parties hereto as herein set forth, the parties covenant and agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
Duties of the Manager
The Fund hereby retains the Manager to act as the manager of the Fund and to furnish the Fund with the management and investment advisory services described below, subject to the policies of, review by and overall
control of the Board of Directors of the Fund, for the period and on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement. The Manager hereby accepts such employment and agrees during such period, at its own expense, to render, or arrange for the
rendering of, such services and to assume the obligations herein set forth for the compensation provided for herein.
(a) Management and Administrative Services. The Manager shall perform, or supervise the performance of, the management and administrative services necessary for the
operation of the Fund including administering shareholder accounts and handling shareholder relations. The Manager shall provide the Fund with office space, equipment and facilities and such other services as the Manager, subject to review by the
Board of Directors of the Fund, shall from time to time determine to be necessary or useful to perform its obligations under this Agreement. The Manager shall also, on behalf of the Fund, conduct relations with custodians, depositories, transfer
agents, dividend disbursing agents, other shareholder servicing agents, accountants, attorneys, underwriters, brokers and dealers, corporate fiduciaries, insurers, banks and such other persons in any such other capacity deemed to be necessary or
desirable. The Manager shall generally monitor the Fund’s compliance with investment policies and restrictions as set forth in filings made by the Fund under Federal securities laws. The Manager shall make reports to the Board of Directors of the
Fund of the performance of its obligations hereunder and furnish advice and recommendations with respect to such other aspects of the business and affairs of the Fund as it shall determine to be desirable. The Manager and each of its affiliates shall
for all purposes herein be deemed to be an independent contractor and shall, unless otherwise expressly provided or authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Fund in any way or otherwise be deemed and agent of the Fund.
(b) Investment Advisory Services. The Manager shall provide the Fund with such investment research, advice and supervision as the latter may from time to time consider
necessary for the proper supervision of the assets of the Fund. The Manager shall act as investment adviser to the Fund and as such shall furnish continuously an investment program for the Fund and shall determine from time to time which securities
shall be purchased, sold or exchanged and what portion of the assets of the Fund shall be held in the various securities in which the Fund invests, options, futures, options on futures or in cash, subject always to the restrictions of the Articles of
Incorporation and By-Laws of the Fund, as amended from time to time, the provisions of the Investment Company Act and the statements relating to the Fund’s investment objective, investment policies and investment restrictions as the same are set
forth in filings made by the Fund under Federal securities laws. The Manager shall make decisions for the Fund as to foreign currency matters and make determinations as to foreign exchange contracts. The Manager shall make recommendations as to the
manner in which voting rights, rights to consent to corporate action and any other rights pertaining to the Fund’s portfolio securities shall be exercised. Should the Board of Directors of the Fund at any time, however; make any definite
determination as to investment policy and notify the Manager thereof in writing, the Manager shall be bound by such determination for the period, if any, specified in such notice or until similarly notified that such determination has been revoked.
The Manager shall take, on behalf of the Fund, all actions which it deems necessary to implement the investment policies determined as provided above, and in particular to place all orders for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities for the
Fund’s account with brokers or dealers selected by it, and to that end, the Manager is authorized as the agent of the Fund to give instructions to the Custodian of the Fund as to deliveries of securities and payments of cash for the account of the
Fund. In connection with the selection of such brokers and dealers and the placing of such orders, the Manager is directed at all times to seek to obtain execution and price within the policy guidelines determined by the Board of Directors of the
Fund and set forth in the filings made by the Fund under Federal securities laws. Subject to this requirement and the provisions of the Investment Company Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and other applicable provisions of law,
the Manager may select brokers or dealers with which it, or the Fund, is affiliated.
ARTICLE II
Allocation of Charges and Expenses
(a) The Manager. The Manager assumes and shall pay for maintaining the staff and personnel necessary to perform its obligations under this Agreement and shall, at its
own expense, provide the office space, equipment and facilities which it is obligated to provide under Article I hereof, and shall pay all compensation of officers of the Fund and all directors of the Fund who are “affiliated persons” (as defined in
the Investment Company Act) of the Manager.
(b) The Fund The Fund assumes and shall pay or cause to be paid all other expenses of the Fund, including, without limitation: organization costs, taxes, expenses for
legal and auditing services, costs of printing proxies, stock certificates, shareholder reports, prospectuses,
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charges of the Custodian, any Sub-Custodian and Transfer and Dividend Disbursing Agent, expenses of portfolio transactions, Securities and Exchange Commission and stock exchange fees, expenses of registering the Fund’s shares under Federal, state
and foreign laws, expenses of administering any dividend reinvestment plan (except to the extent set forth in such plan), fees and actual out-of-pocket expenses of directors who are not affiliated persons of the Manager, accounting and pricing costs
(including the daily calculation of the net asset value), insurance, interest, brokerage costs, litigation and other extraordinary or non-recurring expenses, and other like expenses properly payable by the Fund.
ARTICLE III
Compensation of the Manager
For the services rendered, the equipment and facilities furnished and expenses assumed by the Manager, the Fund shall pay to the Manager at the end of each calendar month a fee at the annual rate of 0.90% of the Fund’s
average weekly net assets (i.e., the average weekly value of the total assets of the Fund, minus the sum of liabilities of the Fund) not in excess of $250 million and 0.80% of the Fund’s average weekly net assets in excess of $250 million, commencing
on the day following effectiveness hereof.
This fee schedule is effective on December 31, 2022.
For purposes of this calculation, average weekly net assets is determined at the end of each month on the basis of the average net assets of the Fund for each week during the month. The assets for each weekly period are
determined by averaging the net assets at the last business day of the prior week. If this Agreement shall terminate before the last day of a month, compensation for that part of the month this Agreement is in effect shall be prorated in a manner
consistent with the calculation of the fee as set forth above. During any period when the determination of net asset value is suspended by the Board of Directors of the Fund, the average net asset value of a share for the last week prior to such
suspension shall for this purpose be deemed to be the net asset value at the close of each succeeding week until it is again determined.
ARTICLE IV
Retention of Investment Adviser
This Agreement is entered into with the understanding that the Manager will enter into a separate Investment Advisory Agreement with Nomura Asset Management Co., Ltd., in which the Manager will contract for advisory services and pay the Investment
Adviser compensation for its services out of the compensation received hereunder pursuant to Article Ill at the rates set forth therein. Such Investment Advisory Agreement will be coterminous with this Management Agreement. The Fund acknowledges that
the Manager, with the prior authorization of the Fund’s Board of Directors, may delegate its investment discretion set forth in Article I(b) hereof to the Investment Adviser.
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ARTICLE V
Limitation of Liability of the Manager
The Manager shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss arising out of any investment or for any act or omission in the execution and management of the Fund, except for willful
misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties, or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder. As used in this Article V, the term “Manager” shall include any affiliates of the Manager
performing services for the Fund contemplated hereby and directors, officers and employees of the Manager as well as that corporation itself.
ARTICLE VI
Activities of the Manager
The services of the Manager to the Fund are not to be deemed to be exclusive, the Manager and any person controlled by or under common control with the Manager (for purposes of this Article VI referred to as
“affiliates’’) being free to render services to others. It is understood that directors, officers, employees and shareholders of the Fund are or may become interested in the Manager and its affiliates, as directors, officers, employees, partners,
and. shareholders or otherwise and that directors, officers, employees, partners, and shareholders of the Manager and its affiliates are or may become similarly interested in the Fund, and that the Manager is or may become interested in the Fund as
shareholder or otherwise.
ARTICLE VII
Duration and Termination of this Agreement
This Agreement shall become effective on December 31, 2022 and shall remain in force until December 31, 2023 and thereafter, but only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by (i) the
Board of Directors of the Fund, or by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, and (ii) a majority of those directors who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any such party cast in person at a
meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
This Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Board of Directors of the Fund or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, or by the Manager, on
sixty days’ written notice to the other party. This Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its assignment.
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ARTICLE VIII
Amendments of the Agreement
This Agreement may be amended by the parties only if such amendment is specifically approved in accordance with applicable requirements under the Investment Company Act.
ARTICLE IX
Definitions of Certain Terms
The terms ‘‘vote of a majority of outstanding voting securities,” “assignment,” “affiliated person” and “interested person,” when used in this Agreement, shall have the respective meanings specified in the Investment
Company Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject, however, to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
ARTICLE X
Governing Law
This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York and the applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act. To the extent that the applicable laws of the State of New York, or any
of the provisions herein, conflict with the applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act, the latter shall control.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed and delivered this Agreement as of December 15, 2022.
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NOMURA ASSET MANAGEMENT U.S.A. INC.
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By:
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/s/ Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
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Xxxxx Xxxxxx, President
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JAPAN SMALLER CAPITALIZATION FUND, INC.
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By:
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/s/ Xxx X. Xxxxxx
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Xxx X. Xxxxxx, Treasurer
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