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November 21, 2024
 

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Lisa Du
Nissan Motor slashed its earnings outlook earlier this month and said it would cut 9,000 jobs and a fifth of its manufacturing capacity.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 21, 2024
Hedge fund Effissimo stirs speculation with its stake in Nissan Motor
News of the investment sent Nissan’s shares soaring 13% on Nov. 12.
A lobby lounge of a luxury hotel inside Tokyo Garden Terrace Kioicho in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 20, 2024
Blackstone nears $2.6 billion deal to buy Seibu’s Tokyo complex
Any sale around that amount would make it one of the most expensive single real estate transactions in Japan.
A standard Chocozap location is small and unmanned, which has made it easy for Rizap to add locations amid a chronic labor shortage.
BUSINESS
Oct 20, 2024
Gyms in Japan offer laundry, karaoke and hair-removal machines
Chocozap's oddball gyms were created as an experiment during the coronavirus pandemic.
Washing stations at a hot spring bath at Hoshinoya Tokyo, operated by Hoshino Resorts, in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 18, 2024
Luxury Japan hot springs brand to open first U.S. location in New York state
The president of Hoshino Resorts had made it his personal goal to bring Japanese hot spring resorts to North America.
A Tokyo Star Bank branch in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2024
Tiny Japan bank looks to grow by lending to offshore homebuyers
Japan’s weak yen and low interest rates have drawn overseas interest in Japanese property and boosted prices.
A Canadian retailer's bid to buy the operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores follows the introduction last year of government guidelines on mergers and acquisitions instructing companies to seriously consider takeover offers.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Aug 27, 2024
Seven & I takeover proposal tests Japan’s evolving investor-friendly stance
The proposed purchase of the convenience store operator follows government guidelines instructing companies to seriously consider takeover offers.
As investors look for opportunities in the new environment created by the Bank of Japan and the resulting market turmoil, there is broad consensus that they will have to reevaluate what they thought they knew about the country.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 7, 2024
Japan morphs into the center of worry for global investors
In less than a week, Japan has completely upended the world’s expectations for its markets and economy.
Japan's personal mortgages are set to rise for the first time in a generation following the Bank of Japan's rate hike.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 1, 2024
Japan’s ultralow mortgages to see first increase in 17 years
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group said it plans to increase the short-term prime rate for the first time in 17 years in September.
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.
Shareholders queue to enter a venue for SoftBank Group's annual general meeting in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 26, 2024
Activist investing booms in Japan amid corporate governance reforms
International hedge funds and home-grown investors have turned the country into the world’s second-largest market for activists.
Blackstone will look to grow original content from Infocom’s network of manga artists, developing more works around themes enjoyed by its reader base of women.
BUSINESS
Jun 18, 2024
Blackstone taps steamy romance manga fans in $1.7 billion deal
The deal will allow the world’s largest alternative asset manager to tap into Japan’s digital manga market.
Carlyle will probably announce another two or three transactions in Japan this year, the fund's co-head of the Japan buyout advisory team says.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 11, 2024
Carlyle sets sights on 300 Japanese businesses as PE deals boom
Carlyle, which has been operating in Japan since 2000, has made more than 40 private equity investments locally.
Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture will host one of three ryokan Hyatt is set to launch with Kyoto-based developer Kiraku in 2026.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 2, 2024
Hyatt doubles down on Japan with line of luxury ryokan
The first three locations are scheduled to start opening in 2026 in Kanagawa, Oita and Kagoshima prefectures.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 21, 2024
Carlyle raises $2.8 billion for largest Japan buyout fund
It’s the largest Japan-focused buyout fund ever raised, according to Carlyle, and about 70% bigger than the previous one it pulled together in 2021.
Global investment firms are increasingly seeing hidden value in Japanese companies that own properties that could be sold.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2024
Bain Capital to boost Japan real estate team as prospects grow
The firm is interested in opportunities around hospitality, data centers and residential properties, among others.
Pending the offer’s success, I’rom Group will be delisted and Blackstone will own 55% of the company.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2024
Blackstone to take Japan drug trial firm private in management buyout
A tender offer will be made to acquire I’rom Group shares at ¥2,800 per share — a roughly 50% premium to Monday’s closing price of ¥1,873.
In Japan, there’s a huge gap between how companies value their real estate assets on their books against what those same properties would fetch if sold in the market.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 16, 2024
Hidden billions in Tokyo real estate lure activist hedge funds
Billions in value can be unlocked by pressuring companies to sell off holdings, a tactic that activist funds are now employing.
International bankers in Tokyo say their compensation remain a fraction of pay in other financial hubs despite booming markets in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 26, 2024
Bonuses at Japan's global banks underwhelm despite booming markets
Bonuses at international investment banks fell by about 10% on average in Tokyo for 2023, bankers and recruiters have said.
Some prominent private equity-related dealmakings in Japan in 2023 include the ¥2.1 trillion ($14 billion) takeover of Toshiba.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 25, 2024
Japan private equity deals jump in otherwise gloomy year for Asia
Japan’s momentum is expected to continue into 2024 as companies face pressure to improve shareholder value.
The volume of mergers and acquisitions linked to Japan has grown 43% so far this year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 22, 2024
Japan sees dealmaking boom as mergers and acquisitions rise 43%
A strong stock market is giving companies more scope for acquisitions at a time when the government and investors are pressuring firms to bolster growth.
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

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