NEW YORK (Kyodo) Japanese media companies are out of the loop regarding the global realignment of the media sector, due partly to impediments to the entry of foreign funds and partly to low demand for Japanese-based information worldwide, analysts say.
"Japanese media companies are off the list of acquisition targets of foreign funds," said Shinichi Ichikawa, chief strategist at Credit Suisse Group in Tokyo.
"We are seeing strong interest from foreign funds in Japan, but not in the media sector," said Andre Hilton, executive vice president of Daiwa Securities America Inc. "This is a highly regulated and protected sector that will not easily open up to foreign investment."