Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
NSK Ltd. and Consolidated Subsidiaries For the year ended March 31, 2007
1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
(a) Basis of Presentation
NSK Ltd. (the “Company”) and its domestic subsidiaries maintain their books of account in conformity with the financial accounting standards of Japan, and its foreign subsidiaries maintain their books of account in conformity with those of their countries of domicile.
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been compiled from the consolidated financial statements prepared by the Company as required under the Securities and Exchange Law of Japan and have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in Japan, which are different in certain respects as to the application and disclosure requirements of International Financial Reporting Standards.
As permitted by the Securities and Exchange Law of Japan, amounts of less than one million yen have been omitted. As a result, the totals shown in the accompanying consolidated financial statements (both in yen and in U.S. dollars) do not necessarily agree with the sums of the individual amounts.
Certain amounts in the prior year’s financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current year’s presentation.
(b) Principles of Consolidation and Accounting for Investments
in Unconsolidated Subsidiaries and Affiliates
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and any significant companies controlled directly or indirectly by the Company. Significant companies over which the Company exercises significant influence in terms of their operating and financial policies have been included in the consolidated financial statements on an equity basis. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Investments in subsidiaries which are not consolidated or accounted for by the equity method are carried at cost or less. Where there has been a permanent decline in the value of such investments, the Company has written down the investments.
39 overseas consolidated subsidiaries and one domestic consolidated subsidiary have changed their fiscal year ends from December 31 or February 28 to March 31, effective the year ended March 31, 2007.
Certain subsidiaries, however, are still consolidated on the basis of fiscal periods ending December 31, which differs from the year end of the Company; any significant effects of this difference in fiscal periods have been adjusted appropriately in consolidation.
Goodwill is being amortized by the straight-line method over a period of 10 years except for immaterial amounts which have been charged or credited to income in the year incurred.
In consolidating the financial statements of NSK Brazil Ltda. (“NSK Brazil”), the amount of the Company’s investment in NSK Brazil has been offset against the adjusted amount of NSK Brazil’s shareholders’ equity as of March 31, 1997 based on the indexation accounting system.
(c) Foreign Currency Translation
Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into yen at the exchange rates prevailing at the balance sheet dates, except for assets and liabilities hedged by forward foreign exchange contracts.
All revenues and expenses associated with foreign currencies are translated at the rates of exchange prevailing when such transactions were made. The resulting exchange gains and losses are credited or charged to income.
The revenue and expense accounts of the foreign subsidiaries are translated at the average exchange rates prevailing during the year, and, except for the components of net assets excluding minority interests, the balance sheet accounts are translated into yen at the rates of exchange in effect at the balance sheet date. The components of net assets excluding minority interests are translated at their historical exchange rates.
(d) Cash Equivalents
The Company and its consolidated subsidiaries consider all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.(e) Securities
In general, securities other than those of subsidiaries and affiliates are classified into three categories: trading, held-to- maturity or other securities. Securities held by the Company and its subsidiaries are classified as either held-to-maturity or other securities. Held-to-maturity securities are carried at amortized cost. Other securities with a determinable market value are stated at fair value with any changes in unrealized holding gain or loss, net of the applicable income taxes, included directly in net assets. Other securities without a determinable market value are stated at cost. Cost of securities sold is determined by the moving average method.(f) Inventories
Finished products are stated at the lower of cost or market, cost being determined by the weighted average method. Work in process is stated at cost determined principally by the weighted average method. Supplies are stated at cost determined principally by the moving average method. Raw materials are stated at the lower of cost or market, cost being determined principally by the weighted average method.(g) Property, Plant and Equipment and Depreciation
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment is determined mainly by the declining-balance method at rates based on the estimated useful lives of the respective assets. The useful lives of property, plant and equipment are summarized as follows:
| Buildings | 20 to 50 years |
| Machinery and equipment | 3 to 10 years |
Effective the year ended March 31, 2006, the Company has adopted the new accounting standard for the impairment of fixed assets which requires that tangible and intangible fixed assets be carried at cost less depreciation, and be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Companies are required to recognize an impairment loss in their statement of income if certain indicators of asset impairment exist and the book value of an asset exceeds the undiscounted sum of future cash flows of the asset. The standard states that impairment losses should be measured as the excess of the book value over the higher of (1) the fair market value of the asset, net of disposition costs and (2) the present value of future cash flows arising ongoing utilization of the asset and from disposal after asset use. The standard covers land, factories, buildings and other forms of property, plant and equipment as well as intangible assets. Fixed assets are grouped at the lowest level for which there is identifiable cash flows that are independent of cash flows of other groups of assets.
The effect of the adoption of this new standard was immaterial.
(h) Leases
Noncancelable leases are primarily accounted for as operating leases (whether such leases are classified as operating or finance leases) except that leases which stipulate the transfer of ownership of the leased assets to the lessee are accounted for as finance leases.(i) Retirement Benefits
Accrued employees’ retirement benefits or prepaid pension cost are recorded mainly at an amount calculated based on the retirement benefit obligation and the fair value of the pension plan assets at the balance sheet dates, as adjusted for unrecognized actuarial gain or loss and unrecognized prior service cost. The retirement benefit obligation is attributed to each period by the straight-line method over the estimated years of service of the eligible employees. Actuarial gain and loss are amortized in the year following the year in which the gain or loss is recognized, primarily by the straight-line method and principally over 10 years. Certain foreign subsidiaries adopt the corridor approach for the amortization of actuarial gain and loss. Prior service cost is amortized as incurred by the straight-line method principally over 10 years.
Until the year ended March 31, 2006, retirement benefit plans of consolidated subsidiaries in the United Kingdom had been accounted for in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United Kingdom (“U.K. GAAP”). Effective the year ended March 31, 2007, the Company has accounted for the plans in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in Japan (“Japanese GAAP”).
This change was made to present more appropriately the Group’s financial position and operating results by unifying the Group’s accounting policies with respect to transactions which are substantively the same and are executed under the same environment in recognition of the significant difference between U.K. GAAP and Japanese GAAP as to the accounting treatment of prior service cost arising from amendments to their retirement benefit plans made in the year ended March 31, 2007.
The effect of this change was to decrease operating income by ¥5 million ($42 thousand) and income before income taxes and minority interests by ¥5,468 million ($46,339 thousand) for the year ended March 31, 2007 from the corresponding amounts which would have been recorded under U.K. GAAP. Prior service cost arising from the plan amendment by the U.K. consolidated subsidiaries is amortized as incurred by the straight-line method principally over 10 years.
The effect of the above changes on segment information is explained in Note 19.
Members of the Board of Directors and executive officers of the Company are customarily entitled to severance payments. Provisions for retirement benefits for them are made at estimated amounts.