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September 27, 2024
 

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Lisa Du
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.
The Aozora Bank headquarters in Tokyo. The bank surprised investors with losses tied to U.S. commercial property, sending shares down by the limit and heightening concern over global banks' exposure to souring real estate bets.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 2, 2024
Gamble on U.S. commercial property blows up for Japan’s Aozora
Shares went down by the limit and heightened concern over global banks' exposure to souring real estate bets.
The average price of a new apartment for sale in Tokyo and surrounding areas surged 29% to a fresh high of ¥81 million in 2023.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 25, 2024
Tokyo apartment prices reach record high for third straight year
Prices are expected to keep climbing in 2024 even as the economy slows and the Bank of Japan looks to abandon its negative interest-rate policy.
Data center development is time-consuming and complex — requiring a mix of expertise around real estate, technology, local regulations and environmental requirements. Asia’s highly fragmented market makes navigating these factors even more onerous.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 15, 2024
Global investors plow into Asia data centers on AI boom
Asia is becoming the latest hunting ground for investors in data centers, as companies bet on the region’s growing computing and data storage needs.
Mori Building CEO Shingo Tsuji speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Nov. 30.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 15, 2023
Mori’s CEO eyeing the next Roppongi Hills, casino resort in Tokyo
The real estate developer behind the towers that have reshaped central Tokyo’s skyline isn’t done yet.
China fires long-range missile into Pacific Ocean in rare test
Chinese military vehicles carrying DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles travel past Beijing's Tiananmen Square during a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, on Oct. 1, 2019.
Russia has a secret war drones project in China, intel sources say
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits a drone production facility of the the Special Technology Center in St. Petersburg on Sept. 19.
As Onosato dominates the spotlight, former sumo stars exit the stage
Takakeisho during a one-day tournament at Kokugikan in Tokyo in February 2020
Does Sanae Takaichi have a real shot at becoming Japan's first female leader?
Economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, a candidate in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election, speaks during a debate in Tokyo on Sept. 14.
Does Sanae Takaichi have a real shot at becoming Japan's first female leader?
Economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, a candidate in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election, speaks during a debate in Tokyo on Sept. 14.
China fires long-range missile into Pacific Ocean in rare test
Chinese military vehicles carrying DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles travel past Beijing's Tiananmen Square during a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, on Oct. 1, 2019.
A first look inside the new Nintendo Museum
The Nintendo Museum opens to the public on Oct. 2, but unlike the company's all-ages games, the new attraction may be geared more toward older rather than younger gamers.
People of all ages and sizes scale new heights amid climbing boom in Japan
A climbing wall at a kindergarten in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture. The sport has been on the rise in Japan, mainly due to the popularity it gained from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and new climbing walls are popping all over the place.
Why is Shigeru Ishiba so unpopular among his LDP peers?
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba reacts during a news conference ahead of the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election in Tokyo on Sept. 6.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

A woman passes an "akichi" (vacant lot) in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. The capital is littered with such small lots in part because of Japan's aging and shrinking population.
Dealing with rising land vacancies as Japan shrinks
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

mission sustainability vol.12 : Kose Corp.Kose takes pride in creating beauty in the world
mission sustainability vol.12 : Kose Corp.Kose takes pride in creating beauty in the world

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