Tag - investments

 
 

INVESTMENTS

Naoki Suzuki, KJRM Holdings’ president, says the KKR unit’s real estate holdings jumped 20% to about ¥2.53 trillion in 2025, among the biggest in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 13, 2026
KKR unit to boost buying in ¥450 trillion Japan property market
Japanese companies are facing pressure from policymakers and investors to divest non-core assets including real estate, and KJRM Holdings says it sees profit potential there.
Members of Nihon Hidankyo at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2026
Nihon Hidankyo urges investment ban on makers of nuclear weapons
The organization will make the request directly to financial institutions, including some of Japan’s largest banks.
Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, is known for its traditional townscape, including shrines and stone-paved streets, but turning this heritage into a stronger draw for tourists had long been a challenge.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 10, 2026
Financial support program for community-focused startups draws growing interest
The continuation rate for supported projects is high, and the program has received positive reviews from communities for providing tangible benefits.
Mizuho Trust & Banking President & CEO Kenichi Sasada at the group's office in Tokyo last month
BUSINESS
Apr 7, 2026
Mizuho Trust to partner with Nasdaq to attract global investors
“Companies need dialogue” with overseas investors to spur investment for growth, President and CEO Kenichi Sasada said.
Nippon Life Insurance's Tokyo headquarters
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 7, 2026
SMFG and Nippon Life discuss $3 billion LBO loan fund
The move would mark a milestone in Japan’s credit market, where the three biggest banks have dominated lending.
Women walk under a sign of the Financial Services Agency in Tokyo. By conditionally easing capital adequacy regulations for banks, the FSA aims to promote industrial reorganization and support startups and midsize companies in rural areas.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 4, 2026
FSA to ease bank capital rules to promote investment
The plan is to reduce capital buffers against loss risks while still maintaining fiscal soundness, informed sources said Friday.
Workers process copper at the Glogow smelting plant in southwestern Poland.
WORLD
Apr 3, 2026
‘Metals of the future’: copper and silver flow beneath Poland’s surface
Driven by the rise of artificial intelligence, renewable energies, and global defense needs, demand for metals found underneath Poland is expected to keep increasing in the future.
Share buybacks by Japanese companies dropped in fiscal 2025 as uncertainty over U.S. tariff policy likely made companies more inclined to hold onto cash.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 3, 2026
Japanese firms reduce share buybacks for first time since 2020
Uncertainty over U.S. tariff policy under U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration likely made companies more inclined to hold onto cash.
The Ajinomoto headquarters building in Tokyo. Activist fund Palliser Capital has built a stake in Ajinomoto and is urging the firm to raise prices for its chip-insulation products.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 2, 2026
Activist fund Palliser presses Ajinomoto to raise prices for chip material
The U.K.-based fund is calling for a more than 30% increase in prices for Ajinomoto Build-Up Film, used to package high-performance semiconductors.
Japanese companies including Mitsubishi, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking and Toyota Ventures invested in a $147 million Africa-focused venture fund, highlighting rising interest in African startups.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 31, 2026
Japanese investors back new VC fund targeting African startups
The backing by large firms underscores the growing interest from the nation in African companies as they contend with a shrinking market and relatively low interest rates at home.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation meeting in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 28, 2026
Japan to promote research and development for dual-use technology
The policy direction reflects the fact that various countries are advancing the military application of advanced technologies.
An oil tanker docked at an oil refinery in Yokohama. Japan is feeling the pain of the war in Iran acutely as it imports more than 90% of its crude oil from the Middle East.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 27, 2026
Investors game out stagflation risk in Japan as oil prices rise
Global funds including Allianz Global Investors and Amundi are already hedging against stagflation with the Iran conflict nearing the one-month mark.
Tim Rowe, the founder and executive chair of Cambridge Innovation Center, at CIC Tokyo on March 6.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 25, 2026
Global startup hub chief calls for more government support from Japan
The founder of Cambridge Innovation Center said boosted policy support is key to reach the country’s goal of ¥10 trillion a year in investments by 2027.
Berkshire Hathaway's investment in Tokio Marine Holdings underscores the company's growing ambitions in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 24, 2026
Berkshire Hathaway to invest $1.8 billion in Tokio Marine
National Indemnity Company, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, will make a 2.49% strategic investment in Tokio Marine, underscoring Berkshire’s growing ambitions in Japan.
Investors are starting to focus on shipping assets, as good-quality Japanese-built used vessels command high prices, and transport disruptions due to the Iran war have further boosted valuations of large tankers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 23, 2026
Activists target Japan’s shipping stocks on rising vessel prices
Quality Japanese-built used vessels command high prices, and transport disruptions due to the Iran war have further boosted valuations of large tankers.
Traders view the time-saving benefits of AI as increasingly essential for navigating markets whipsawed by a war that has upended energy supplies and left at least 4,000 dead.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 21, 2026
Traders overwhelmed by Iran news are turning to AI for help
Many say the time-saving benefits of AI are essential for navigating markets whipsawed by a war that has upended energy supplies and left at least 4,000 dead.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (center) and other ministers prior to a Cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2026
Japan approves bill to support overseas projects that can boost economic security
A bill approved Thursday to revise the economic security promotion law is intended to attract private-sector funds to invest in such projects.
Sumitomo Life Insurance’s headquarters in Osaka
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 18, 2026
Sumitomo Life plans to invest $1.9 billion in private credit
The Osaka-based insurer has been gradually increasing its private credit holdings.
The administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi adopted a bill Tuesday to set up the Japanese version of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), aiming to prevent information and technologies crucial to national security being leaked outside Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 17, 2026
Government adopts bill to establish CFIUS-like body in Japan
It is hoped the committee will prevent information and technologies crucial to national security being leaked outside Japan.
An LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton-backed private equity firm is planning to invest in consumer businesses in Japan ranging from cosmetics to food, pet care and restaurants.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 16, 2026
LVMH-backed private equity firm targets ¥50 billion in Japan deals
L Catterton has focused most of its investments on private, family-run businesses with succession challenges or newer companies that need help expanding.

Longform

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