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April 26, 2024
 

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Hideyuki Sano
For Hideyuki Sano's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
The government, and the Tokyo Stock Exchange in particular, have been pushing for better governance among the country’s 3.7 million companies.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 25, 2024
Japan’s retail investors care about governance too, poll shows
Investors are increasingly aware of the need to hold corporate boards and executives to high standards.
The yen’s slide has pushed up import bills in Japan, keeping domestic consumer spending tepid, with analysts saying any gains in real wages may evaporate if the yen depreciates further.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 24, 2024
Investors loved weak yen boosting shares until it went too far
Concern is growing that the currency is becoming a liability for Japan’s economy and stocks.
Call loan brokers at Tokyo Tanshi in Tokyo in November. After decades of setting its benchmark rate near zero, the Bank of Japan is poised to tighten, spurring new opportunities for veteran traders after decades of setting its benchmark rate near zero.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 17, 2024
Japan’s $4 trillion offshore funds will ignore first BOJ hike
Only 40% of 273 respondents said the BOJ's first interest-rate hike since 2007 will prompt investors to sell foreign assets and repatriate the proceeds.
Currency dealers work in front of an electronic board showing the Korean Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at a dealing room of a bank in Seoul. Officials in South Korea are taking a cue from Japan, where a push for corporate reforms has been one of the key drivers for a world-beating equity rally.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Mar 2, 2024
South Korea faces long road in unlocking corporate value like Japan
As global investors scrutinize South Korea’s plans, they note a key hurdle — the prevalence of family-controlled businesses, or chaebols.
The National Stock Exchange of India building in Mumbai, India. Japanese investors are increasingly shifting their focus to the Indian stock market on bets that the South Asian nation will be the next China.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 2, 2024
Japanese retail investors pile billions into Indian equities
In contrast, flows into Chinese shares have dropped the most among 14 emerging markets covered by Japan’s data on international investment positions.
A screen displays the Nikkei 225 Stock Average figure on the trading floor at the Nomura Securities headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 13, 2024
Tokyo stocks find their mojo as bubble-era highs draw nearer
The roaring start to 2024 looks to be on far more solid ground than last time stocks reached these levels as investors bet the country is escaping deflation.
Packages of tofu on the production line at the Yamami factory in Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 18, 2023
Tofu-maker Yamami sees shares surge after automating ancient craft
At its newest factory at the foot of Mount Fuji, the company, one of the few that’s listed, can produce 15,000 units of the bean curd each hour.
With the 225-issue Nikkei stock average up by 28% this year and trading near its highest level since 1990, foreign investors who have plowed more than $35 billion into Japanese stocks in 2023 after years of shying away are seen as especially demanding.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 22, 2023
‘Tourist investors’ punish Japan’s earnings misses
Traders relatively new to the market with unrealistically high expectations have exited positions due to nervousness.
Members of the United Auto Workers pickett outside of the Michigan Parts Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 27, 2023
Japanese automakers stand to gain from Detroit’s labor strike
Many firms receive a large percentage of their overall revenue from U.S. markets, so the labor action there may give a tailwind to Japanese carmakers.
Hiromi Yamaji, chief executive officer of Japan Exchange Group, says the yen is too weak and its benefits for Japanese stocks are diminishing.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 24, 2023
Yen’s too weak and benefits are waning, Japan bourse chief says
The yen has slipped below the levels where Japanese officials intervened last September to rein in the weakness in the currency.
More investors in the Tokyo stock market are beginning to see higher pay as a useful barometer of a company’s strength.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 18, 2023
Stock pickers cheer for wage hikes in post-deflationary Japan
A group of companies that raised wages higher than many of their peers has outperformed the Topix index by 5 percentage points so far this quarter.
Hitachi CEO Keiji Kojima. The company’s metamorphosis belies the argument that the bastions of Japan Inc. are set forever in their ways.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 4, 2023
Hitachi reinvents itself in sign of hope for Japan
The old-school conglomerate revamped its governance, shrank its empire to focus on growth and evolved into a more global enterprise.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2023
Japan's retailers see earnings windfall as consumers tolerate inflation
Profits and rising share prices in the sector, undiminished by customer hesitancy, are adding to speculation the Bank of Japan may upgrade its inflation forecast next week.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 22, 2023
Japanese startups are catching up to broader market rally
An upcoming rush of initial public offerings has lifted sentiment toward startups, with more than 10 new stocks expected to start trading in Tokyo between now and the end of June.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 13, 2023
Japan’s sticky inflation is key to a long-lasting bull market
Investors are hoping that under inflation, companies will be able to raise prices without encountering too much pushback from customers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 22, 2023
Hedge funds pushing for Japan returns get help from Tokyo exchange
The number of proposals submitted for this year’s shareholder meetings has jumped about 60% from the same time last year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 17, 2023
At three-decade high, Japan stocks expected to rally further 10% by year-end
Up more than 12% in 2023, the Topix is already among the best performing national equity gauges in Asia and is beating a broader regional index by more than 8 percentage points.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 23, 2023
Nintendo family office sees success in engineering firm takeover
The saga pits Yamauchi No. 10 Family Office (YFO), which manages about ¥200 billion ($1.5 billion) in assets, against Toyo Construction, a firm known for its marine engineering operations.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2023
SVB blowout may drive SoftBank shares below Son’s pain point and trigger buyback
Silicon Valley Bank's failure has fueled investor concern over the exposure of startup firms in the SoftBank Vision Funds.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 14, 2023
SVB crisis drives concern over Japanese banks’ exposure to U.S. bonds
While there aren’t any major alarm bells ringing over the health of Japan’s banking sector, investors are nonetheless worried about potential losses.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Over 40% of Japan's municipalities at risk of vanishing, study finds
Of 1,729 local municipalities nationwide, 744 have been identified as being at risk of disappearing.
Princess Aiko makes debut at imperial garden party
Princess Aiko attends an imperial garden party in Tokyo on Tuesday.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Japan's former PM Aso meets Trump for talks on security and economy
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Taro Aso, vice president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, in New York on Tuesday. The Japanese government’s top spokesman on Wednesday played down the meeting as one conducted "in the capacity of one lawmaker" and “without the government’s involvement.”
For amateur sumo, a fresh start offers hope against time-wasting and gamesmanship
Wrestlers prepare for the start of a bout at the 2023 Sumo World Championships in Tokyo. Starting this month, placing one hand on the clay first is no longer allowed.
LDP veteran Nikai's youngest son expected to succeed him in Wakayama
Toshihiro Nikai, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced in March that he would not run in the next Lower House election to take responsibility for the political funds scandal that rocked his party and his own faction.
New workers name Shohei Ohtani as 'dream boss' for two years running
Shohei Ohtani has been overwhelmingly voted as the “dream boss” for people who started working in April, according to a survey.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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