Bylaws of The Society of Fluorine Chemistry, Japan

（ver.1 H19.8.31 (Katagiri), ver.2 H19.10.12 (Yamazaki), ver.3 H20.02.09 (Yamazaki), ver.4 H20.02.27 (Yamazaki), ver.5 H20.05.07 (Yamazaki)，ver.6 H23.09.27 (Yamazaki), ver. 7 H27.10.19 (Amii)）

Chapter 1. General Rules

Article 1. The society shall be known as The Society of Fluorine Chemistry, Japan (SFCJ).

Article 2. The society shall be headquartered at Amii Laboratory, Department of Molecular Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Gunma University (1-5-1 Tenjin-cho, Kiryu-shi, Gunma Prefecture 376-8515).

Article 3. The society may establish chapters in other areas as necessary by resolution of the Board of Trustees.

Article 4. The purpose of the society shall be to contribute to the development of science and culture by facilitating communication, collaboration, and research among members and with other related scientific societies related to pure and applied fluorine chemistry.

Article 5. The society shall pursue the following programs in order to fulfill its purpose as described in the preceding article:
(a) Hosting scientific meetings such as international conferences, fluorine chemistry discussions, fluorine chemistry seminars, symposia, and basic courses
(b) Publishing a journal and books
(c) Communicating research, exchanging information, and cooperating with related groups in Japan and overseas
(d) Conferring awards and encouraging excellence
(e) Undertaking other such programs as it deems necessary in order to fulfill its purpose

Article 6. The society may establish such committees, subcommittees, and sectional meetings in specific fields of research as are necessary in order to facilitate its activities.

Article 7. The Board of Trustees shall adopt such rules as are necessary in order to implement these bylaws.

Chapter 2. Membership

Article 8. The society shall accept four types of members: honorary members, regular members, student members, and supporting members.

Article 9. Honorary members shall be recommended by the Board of Trustees from among regular members who will have reached retirement age and retired by April 1 of the year in question after having either accomplished remarkable achievements in the area of fluorine chemistry and its applications or made numerous contributions to the fulfillment of the society’s purpose. Regular members recommended for honorary membership shall then be subject to approval by the General Meeting. Deceased members may be made honorary members even if they died before April 1.

Article 10. Regular members shall be individuals who have an interest in pure and applied fluorine chemistry.

Article 11. Student members shall be currently enrolled college or university students who have an interest in fluorine chemistry.

Article 12. Supporting members shall be corporations or groups that share the society’s mission and support its programs.

Article 13. An individual, corporation, or organization wishing to become a member shall apply using the designated application form and then receive the approval of the Board of Trustees.

Article 14. Members shall pay each year’s annual membership dues in advance. The society shall not collect membership dues from honorary members. Collected dues shall not be refundable for any reason.
(a) Honorary members: No dues
(b) Regular members: ¥5,000 per person
(c) Student members: ¥2,000 per person
(d) Supporting members: ¥30,000 per membership

Article 15. Members shall enjoy the following rights and privileges:
(a) To participate in scientific meetings hosted by the society and to contribute to publications such as the journal
(b) To make known their views concerning the society’s programs and management and to offer proposals regarding the same
(c) For supporting members, to register up to four individuals in addition to one representative and to have up to five individuals per membership be treated as members for the purpose of participating in seminars, discussions, and other events, without regard to who has been registered for other purposes

Article 16. Any member wishing to resign his membership shall make this fact known to the chairperson in writing.

Article 17. In the following circumstances, a member may be stripped of his membership by the chairperson as per resolution by the Board of Trustees:
(a) In the event the member is late paying his membership dues
(b) In the event the member has engaged in conduct that brings discredit to the society or runs counter to its purpose

Chapter 3. Officers and Trustees

Article 18. The society shall name the following officers: (a) At least 10 but not more than 15 trustees (of whom one shall serve as chairperson and up to two as deputy chairpersons) (b) Not more than two auditors

Article 19. In the election of trustees and auditors, candidates shall be determined in advance and their names disclosed, after which they shall be approved by the General Meeting. The chairperson shall be chosen following discussion by the Board of Trustees. Deputy chairpersons shall be chosen from among trustees and asked to serve by the chairperson.

Article 20. The society shall adopt a separate set of internal rules concerning the election of officers for the upcoming term.

Article 21. Trustees shall serve a two-year term. They may serve one additional term, for a total of not more than two terms. Each term shall begin on December 1.

Article 22
(a) The chairperson shall serve as the society’s representative by overseeing its affairs and convening its General Meeting as well as meetings of the Board of Trustees. The chairperson shall chair the General Meeting as well as meetings of the Board of Trustees.
(b) Deputy chairpersons shall assist the chairperson, including by serving in his place in the event that he is unable to do so due to accident or absence.
(c) Standing trustees shall assist the chairperson and deputy chairpersons, including by carrying out daily operations in accordance with resolutions of the Board of Trustees and handling matters as resolved by the General Meeting.

Article 23. Trustees shall meet as the Board of Trustees. In addition to making and implementing resolutions related to the society’s programs, they shall make and implement resolutions concerning matters other than those for which the General Meeting has responsibility.

Article 24. Quorum for meetings of the Board of Trustees shall require the attendance of a majority of trustees (including by letter of proxy), and approval of resolutions shall require agreement by a majority of the trustees in attendance. Ties shall be broken by the chairperson.

Article 25. Matters concerning the operations of the society’s secretariat and workers shall be determined separately by the Board of Trustees.

Chapter 4. General Meeting

Article 26. The Ordinary General Meeting shall serve as the society’s highest decision-making entity, and it shall convene once every year. The society’s chairperson shall chair the General Meeting. The General Meeting may also be convened on an extraordinary basis upon the request of at least one-tenth of the society’s membership or by resolution of the Board of Trustees.

Article 27. The following matters shall be submitted to the General Meeting for approval:
(a) Program plan and budget
(b) Program reports and financial statements
(c) Auditing reports
(d) Agenda items discussed at extraordinary sessions of the General Meeting, as addressed in Article 26.

Article 28. Quorum for the General Meeting shall require of the attendance of at least one-tenth of all regular members, who may submit letters of proxy in lieu of actual attendance.

Article 29. Approval of resolutions by the General Meeting shall require agreement of a majority of members in attendance, except as described in Article 32 below.

Chapter 5. Accounting

Article 30. The society’s expenses shall be covered by membership dues, program revenue, and donations.

Article 31. The society’s fiscal year shall begin on April 1 and end on March 31 of the following year.

Chapter 6. Changes to Bylaws

Article 32. Changes to bylaws shall require the agreement of at least two-thirds of the members in attendance at the General Meeting, who may submit letters of proxy in lieu of actual attendance.

Supplementary Provision

These bylaws entered into effect on April 1, 2008.