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July 05, 2025
 

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Taiga Uranaka
A stock board at the Tokyo Stock Exchange
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 3, 2024
Japan FSA to examine bank risks in ‘world with interest rates’
In its annual policy guidance released on Friday, the Financial Services Agency pointed to uncertainty over the global economy and markets.
Fukuoka Financial Group President Hisashi Goto
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 16, 2024
Regional bank that hired JPMorgan’s Japan strategist seeks more
Fukuoka Financial Group is seeking specialists in alternative investment and equities as it faces pressure to boost returns for shareholders.
Hideki Ito, commissioner of the Financial Services Agency, says Japan needs to be cautious about approving crypto-linked exchange-traded funds.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 8, 2024
Japan’s top finance regulator hesitant on crypto ETF approvals
Whether to follow the likes of Hong Kong and the U.S. by approving crypto-linked exchange-traded funds requires "cautious consideration,” he said.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group CEO Hironori Kamezawa (center) and other executives bow during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 19, 2024
MUFG heads to take pay cut after information firewall breach
21 MUFG officials, including some retired executives, will give up part of their pay after the bank was penalized for the unauthorized sharing of client information.
Brokers such as Nomura are busy handling transactions for the offloading of cross-shareholdings among Japanese companies, which bring in hefty fees.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 18, 2024
Block trades herald $5 billion fee windfall for Japan’s brokers
Pressure to improve corporate governance is leading firms to whittle down an estimated ¥50 trillion ($320 billion) they hold in companies with which they do business.
Keisuke Mukunashi, CEO of Yamaguchi Financial Group, says the regional bank is ready to pay compensation comparable to that of Japan’s biggest banks.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 14, 2024
Regional Japan lender dangles megabank pay for market hires
Competition among financial institutions to hire bond traders and other specialists is intensifying as the Bank of Japan nudges interest rates higher.
Nintendo is among the big name companies in which Kyoto Financial Group has cross-held shares.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 9, 2024
Kyoto bank defies call to unwind holdings after $6-billion gain
Kyoto Financial Group has amassed unrealized profits of more than $6 billion on holdings in other firms.
Traditional boat parties on the Sumida River in Tokyo are popular for informal gatherings among professionals that deal in Japanese government bonds.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 9, 2024
Tokyo’s exclusive circle of government bond traders in demand amid policy shift
The world’s top hedge funds are shaking up the closed community that was, for a time, a sleepy backwater of global finance.
Masahiko Kato, president and chief executive officer of Mizuho Bank
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 3, 2024
Mizuho seeks to back more strategic deals by Japan’s mid-caps
Though companies such as automakers grab the attention of global investors, smaller firms dominate in terms of the number of companies in Japan.
MUFG Bank and two joint ventures in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group have been penalized for violating client confidentiality rules.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 24, 2024
MUFG penalized by Japan’s financial regulator for client breach
The flagship bank and joint ventures allegedly inappropriately exchanged client information at least 26 times to win business, according to a market watchdog.
Kazuto Oku, CEO of Norinchukin Bank, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on May 22.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 20, 2024
Norinchukin sounds warning as higher-for-longer rates inflict losses
Signals from central banks that they are in no rush to cut rates have caught out many investors who'd been betting on more aggressive moves.
The Iyogin Holdings headquarters in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
May 31, 2024
Bond traders make one-of-a-kind gain at tiny bank in Ehime
Iyogin Holdings, a regional bank based in the prefectural capital of Matsuyama, has delivered record net income for two years in a row.
Kazuto Oku, CEO of Norinchukin Bank, during a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday
BUSINESS / Companies
May 23, 2024
Failed bond bets at Norinchukin force it to change strategy
Given its ownership structure, there are limits on the bank’s investment options.
Norinchukin Bank is one of Japan’s largest institutional investors with a ¥55.9 trillion ($357 billion) securities portfolio, and bonds make up more than half of its investments.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 21, 2024
Norinchukin weighs $7.7 billion fundraise to cover bond loss
As a result of restructuring its securities portfolio, the Tokyo-based bank may book about ¥500 billion in losses for the current fiscal year, one source said.
Japan's banks are benefiting from the Bank of Japan's policy shift and strong loan demand among their corporate clients.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2024
Japan’s biggest banks forecast record profits as rates rise
The banks are benefiting from an earnings boost following the Bank of Japan’s policy shift in March.
Tatsufumi Shibata, deputy director-general at the Financial Services Agency, is pushing for greater disclosure by companies of their cross-shareholding practices.
BUSINESS
May 2, 2024
Japan suspects firms are evading disclosure of cross-shareholdings
Some companies are thought to be masking cross-shareholdings as being owned for purely trading purposes.
Dai-ichi Life Holdings has begun to include more alternative investments in its ¥33.9 trillion portfolio, and is also looking at increasing mergers and acquisitions.
BUSINESS
Apr 18, 2024
Shifting market spurs Dai-ichi to adjust ¥33.9 trillion portfolio
The firm is cutting its holdings of domestic equities, which are surging, to avoid too much exposure to the asset class.
Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2024
Rakuten considers combining financial units
A proposed IPO of its securities unit may not proceed if the integration is realized, while the banking arm is expected to remain listed.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group said it is already managing to enhance its tolerance to an anticipated rise in yen interest rates.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 6, 2024
Japan’s biggest bank readies for BOJ shift on rate policy within weeks
Hiroyuki Seki, head of global markets business at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, predicts that the BOJ will raise rates not once but twice by October.
Toru Nakashima, CEO of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, says he is considering an expansion of the bank’s alliance with Jefferies Financial Group into Asia.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 27, 2024
Sumitomo Mitsui may expand Jefferies pact into Asia amid focus overseas
The partners won more than 30 deals since expanding their tie-up last year, in which Sumitomo Mitsui agreed to triple its stake in the U.S. bank.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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