Business / Corporate Oct 27, 2020

Japan set for blockbuster bonds after NTT revives M&A push

For investors, giant bond sales are attractive because issuers usually need to pay a premium to compensate for the added risk of large repayments.

National / Social Issues Oct 9, 2020

Suicide spike in Japan shows mental health toll of COVID-19

The numbers hint at what may be going on around the world as countries grapple with the fallout from mass unemployment and social isolation.

Business Jun 25, 2020

Japanese investors favoring firms that let people work from home

Being good employers and business partners may ultimately pay off with sustainable returns in the long term, the investors believe.

Business / Economy May 29, 2020

Japan bankruptcies seen rising to seven-year high amid pandemic

A global economic slowdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic is causing companies to go out of business around the world.

Business / Corporate Feb 19, 2020

Shift to cleaner power sparks landmark green bond sale in Japan

In the gusty northeast, a power company is looking to fund offshore wind projects with a landmark sale of green bonds that seeks to muscle in on the growing pool of money available for environmentally friendly investments. Tohoku Electric Power Co. plans to price what ...

Business / Corporate Jan 27, 2020

A new type of bond could help Japan's utilities cut emissions

Japanese power producers have been emitting more carbon dioxide since the 2011 nuclear disaster led to an increased reliance on fossil fuels, but a new kind of bond could help them reverse that trend. So-called transition bonds can pay for not-so-green companies to move toward ...

Business / Corporate Jan 18, 2020

Toshiba CEO Nobuaki Kurumatani to be given additional title of president in April

Toshiba Corp. Chief Executive Officer Nobuaki Kurumatani will add the title of president effective April, part of a revamp among top management aimed at speeding up decision-making. Satoshi Tsunakawa, the current president who was promoted in 2016 following an accounting scandal, will resign and become ...

Business / Corporate Jan 7, 2020

Increase in environmentally friendly debt may limit slowdown of corporate bond sales in Japan

Japan's record corporate bond issuance will likely slow down, but a boom in environmentally friendly debt could limit the downside. Companies have sold ¥13 trillion worth of bonds this business year, which ends March 31, already the most ever with three months still remaining in ...

Business Nov 13, 2019

Kyoto considers entering Japan's nascent local green bond market

The city of Kyoto is exploring a possible sale of debt to finance environmental, social and governance projects, in what may be the country's only such municipal bond after Tokyo, the mayor has said. The historic former capital, which has more than 1,600 temples, is ...

Business / Corporate Sep 4, 2019

Japan's regional banks load up on risk as they fight to survive

Troubled regional banks are plunging into riskier corners of the credit markets, in a battle to survive ultralow interest rates and an industry shakeout. As debt yields tumble globally, the lenders are also facing weak business at home, where a shrinking population is hitting outlying ...