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June 30, 2026
 

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Kentaro Tsutsumi
Japanese liquefied natural gas-related stocks stand to benefit from the Middle East supply risk.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 25, 2026
Japan’s LNG stocks seen to benefit from Middle East supply risk
The country’s firms are an indispensable part of every stage in the LNG supply chain, which includes plant contractors and turbine suppliers.
Some see Japanese equities as an attractive way to diversify away from U.S. stocks while still benefiting from the global artificial intelligence rally.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 24, 2026
AI boom sees investors shift from Japan’s value to growth stocks
Investors had classified Japan’s equities as low-growth value stocks, but the rising prominence of high-growth firms suggests a meaningful shift in the investment narrative.
Shares of SoftBank group climbed as much as 10% in Tokyo trading Monday, as AI-related shares climbed across the region.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 1, 2026
SoftBank overtakes Toyota as Japan’s most valuable company
Shares of the Masayoshi Son-led technology group climbed 14% in Tokyo trading, pushing its market capitalization past Toyota’s for the first time in more than two decades.
Yields on longer-term Japanese government bonds have recently risen to multidecade highs as high energy prices due to the Middle East conflict stoke inflation fears.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 25, 2026
Japan bond yield surge widens regional bank stock divide
When lenders have holdings that are vulnerable to higher yields, they’re punished by investors for the unrealized losses.
U.S. President Donald Trump bought shares of Kura Sushi USA in February.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 18, 2026
Trump filing reveals stake in sushi chain alongside Big Tech
Trump bought shares of Kura Sushi USA on Feb. 2 with the transaction size in a range of around $1 million to $5 million, according to his latest financial disclosure.
Oil storage tanks in the Keihin industrial area in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. Japan’s chemical manufacturers and other oil-dependent sectors face extreme vulnerability as the Strait of Hormuz remains largely blocked.
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2026
High oil prices force Japan equity analysts to slash forecasts
Japan’s chemical manufacturers and other oil-dependent sectors face extreme vulnerability as the Strait of Hormuz remains largely blocked.
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.
The government is planning a new revision to corporate governance code, which might prompt companies to divert unused cash to higher-yielding returns, thus making Japanese stocks more attractive to investors.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 25, 2026
Drive to unlock $840 billion in cash lifts Japan stocks outlook
Despite significant improvement in corporate governance in recent years, mountains of unused cash have been piling up on Japanese company balance sheets.
Global investors are looking at earnings-supportive factors following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s historic election triumph that gives her the mandate to push ahead with bold spending plans.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 10, 2026
Takaichi may beat Abe in luring global money to Japan stocks
Global investors are looking at earnings-supportive factors after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s historic election triumph that allows her to push ahead with bold spending plans.
A monitor showing the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, which hit a record closing high, in Tokyo's Chuo Ward on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 3, 2026
Nikkei reaches new high as earnings help fuel rebound
The Nikkei rebounded from Monday’s drop to rise 3.9%, closing at a record 54,720.66, with tech-related firms like TDK and Kyocera among the top gainers.
Shareholder activism in Japan has intensified in recent years as the government and Tokyo Stock Exchange have aggressively pushed corporate governance reforms.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 23, 2026
Activist says Japanese founding families failing to boost shares
The shares of Tsutsumi Jewelry and staffing services provider Pasona Group are being allowed to stagnate to the detriment of minority investors, the investor argued in letters.
Akio Toyoda, the chairman of Toyota Motor, leads unlisted real estate company Toyota Fudosan, which is leading the offer to take Toyota Industries private.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 18, 2025
Elliott woos other Toyota industries investors in buyout fight
The activist fund wants to push Toyota group to sweeten its ¥4.7 trillion bid.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange is pushing companies to improve capital efficiency and tightening listing standards, prompting more buyouts.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 18, 2025
Activist pushback in Japan management buyouts drives higher bids and share gains
Japan’s equity markets are shifting, with the Tokyo Stock Exchange pushing companies to improve capital efficiency and tightening listing standards, prompting more buyouts.
The number of Japanese firms trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange is on track to drop by 58 to 3,778 by the end of the year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 4, 2025
M&A boom fuels record decline in Japan’s listed companies
The number of Japanese firms trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange is on track to drop by 58 to 3,778 by the end of the year.
SoftBank shares have plunged around 40% since late October as it sits at the forefront of a global AI selloff.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 26, 2025
SoftBank’s 40% slide from peak shows worry over giant OpenAI bet
Growing unease over frothy artificial intelligence valuations is weighing on shares of SoftBank Group, which traders increasingly view as a proxy for privately held OpenAI.
The prospect of faster inflation and rising asset prices under Sanae Takaichi, who’s likely to become the next prime minister, is seen as favoring loose monetary policy that would probably further boost paper gains in corporate property, luring activist funds.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 10, 2025
Japan’s political shakeup opens door for real estate activism
The prospect of faster inflation and rising asset prices is seen as favoring loose monetary policy that would probably further boost paper gains in corporate property.
Japan Real Estate Investment is weighing a plan to raise tens of billions of yen in new capital to buy office buildings in high-rent districts.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 19, 2025
Mitsubishi Estate-backed REIT plans equity offering
The REIT’s management company has started scouting out office properties in high-rent districts.
A screen displays share prices outside a securities firm in Tokyo. Some activists believe Japan’s corporate governance reforms will touch more firms, especially smaller ones.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2025
Activist AVI poised to boost holdings of Japan small-cap shares
The plan is an example of how activists are shaking up corporate Japan as they plow capital into the country given the Tokyo bourse telling firms to raise their enterprise value.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange requires companies exiting the market through management buyouts or acquisitions by controlling shareholders to provide explanations regarding procedures and price fairness.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 1, 2025
Tokyo Stock Exchange pressed for more disclosure on management buyouts
The book value of companies has been one area of focus for investors amid the TSE’s yearslong campaign to unlock higher returns to shareholders.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange. Analysts say some cash-rich, big tech firms in Japan have failed to respond to the TSE’s yearslong campaign to improve valuations and capital efficiency.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 15, 2025
Investors seek bigger payouts from Japanese tech firms’ cash hoard
Growth companies that had been getting a free pass amid the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s yearslong campaign to improve valuations and capital efficiency are now facing closer scrutiny.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

Podcast

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

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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