To quote the U.S. Supreme Court opinion in the recent Hobby Lobby case: “Modern corporate law does not require for-profit corporations to pursue profit at the e

To quote the U.S. Supreme Court opinion in the recent Hobby Lobby case: “Modern corporate law does not require for-profit corporations to pursue profit at the expense of everything else, and many do not.” - https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/04/16/what-are-corporations-obligations-to-shareholders/corporations-dont-have-to-maximize-profits https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/04/16/what-are-co... Granted Nikon is a Japanese company, but preserving a company's good name and consumer good will can also be seen as a duty to shareholders. In other words, they are not legally compelled or even legally incentivized to act this way. They are only, as you say, allowed to act this way, which is not any kind of excuse.