The combined pretax profits of 434 major Japanese companies rose 14.2 percent in the six months to Sept. 30 from a year earlier to 6.82 trillion yen due to greater cost-cutting efforts, the Shinko Research Institute said Thursday.
The companies represent about 40 percent of the 1,006 firms listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's prestigious First Section, excluding financial institutions and insurers.
The remaining 572 companies are slated to publish earnings reports for the April-September period shortly. The number of companies to announce earnings results for the period is to peak Nov. 21.
The earnings results already released indicate that combined pretax profits by all of the 1,006 companies would likely reach a record high, according to institute officials.
Combined net profits of the 434 companies also showed a hefty 45.9 percent rise due largely to a sharp drop in securities appraisal losses following the recovery in the stock market, the institute said.