mESSAGES FRom ThE oUTSIDE DIREcToRS 84 Astellas Pharma Inc.  _ Annual Report 2014 In my view, governance at Astellas is characterized by a transparent decision-making process and timely and accurate  information disclosure. What makes this possible is the integrity of the people who make up the organization—people  with a commitment to always engaging in business activities with a strong sense of ethics.  As an outside Corporate Auditor, I have the mission to protect the value of Astellas. I have been involved in a  large number of companies as a business consultant, and I believe that providing a neutral and objective perspec- tive—the perspective of common sense—can help in the monitoring of corporate activities, even when opinion may  be divided internally. Astellas has an advanced corporate governance system, and the Board of Directors engages in active discussion and  debate on agenda items from a variety of perspectives. I believe that fair, highly transparent decisions are made with an  awareness of the raison d’être, mission and beliefs that comprise the Company’s business philosophy.  While further deepening information exchange with the Accounting Auditors and Internal Auditing Department and  coordination with internal Corporate Auditors, I intend to actively provide input and opinions, particularly in accounting  and finance, which are my areas of specialty, and contribute to further enhancing the Company’s corporate gover- nance system.  As a research and development-oriented global pharmaceutical company, it is essential for Astellas to conduct both  sustained and destructive innovation in order to realize its business philosophy, which is to contribute toward improving  the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. I intend to help Astellas to accelerate its efforts to create a corporate culture and environment that enable its  employees to continue to generate innovation with a sense of urgency. To this end, I will leverage my knowledge as  a “family doctor” (consultant for strengthening management teams), drawing on my experience of making diagnoses  and prescriptions for human resources-related issues for management teams from over 200 companies every year to  oversee and provide support for business execution.  Astellas’ business philosophy is to contribute toward improving the health of people around the world. To realize its  philosophy and basic strategy through creation of innovative new drugs with leading-edge technologies, Astellas has insti- tuted the Corporate Executive System to enable swift and precise management.  The Board of Directors has held active discussion and debate that challenges the proposals from the business  execution body and has overseen business execution from a broad range of perspectives including CSR management.  The Board has also made determinations on the basic direction of various management matters. Based on my long  experience as a legal professional, I will actively provide input and opinions with a strong focus on risk management  in various issues. In doing so, my goal is to help to maximize the interests of shareholders and other stakeholders.  As chair of the Nomination Committee and Compensation Committee, I work to ensure that appropriate processes are  followed in selecting executives and determining compensation and that sound management is maintained. In addition,  with globalization progressing rapidly not only in Europe and North America but in emerging and other countries as well,  it is inevitable that the ratio of business outside of Japan will increase at Astellas in the future. It will therefore be neces- sary to adequately monitor the implementation of governance and compliance measures not only in Japan but overseas  as well.  I intend to fulfill my duties as an outside Director, with a particular focus on sound management, to help Astellas  create a firm foundation for contributing wholeheartedly to the global community through new drug discovery.  Comprised of seven Directors, four of whom are outside Directors, the Board of Directors oversees management from  perspectives that are both diverse and broad-ranging.  For Astellas to develop sustainably as a R&D-oriented pharmaceutical company and meet the expectations of its  stakeholders, particularly shareholders and patients, it is essential that resources be allocated for the development of  a succession of innovative new drugs. In addition, steady efforts such as monitoring side effects also contribute to  maintaining a stable supply of safe prescription drugs. Based on my experience in university medical research and as  a clinician, I intend to offer input and opinions to help ensure that the Company’s decision-making is appropriate  for a global pharmaceutical company.  Naoki Aikawa, M.D., Ph.D. Outside Director Yutaka Kase Outside Director Hironobu Yasuda Outside Director Etsuko Okajima Outside Director Shigeru Nishiyama Outside Corporate Auditor Toshiko Oka Outside Corporate Auditor