This 89-Year-Old Scion’s Defiance Threatens a $1.7 Billion Merger

In Japan’s carefully-choreographed, corporate world, public power struggles are generally frowned upon. Shosuke Idemitsu, 89, apparently doesn’t roll that way. At an Idemitsu Kosan Co. shareholder meeting in June, investors were expected to vote in favor of reappointing directors who are supporting the government-backed, $1.7 billion merger with rival Showa…