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July 12, 2026
 

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BONDS

Evening commuters in front of Tokyo station.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 11, 2026
Japan’s top pension fund likely to brush off political pressure
The Government Pension Investment Fund, one of the world’s largest, will likely ignore the finance minister’s call to boost domestic investment, at least in the short run.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has encouraged households and pension funds to buy more yen-denominated assets.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 10, 2026
Yen gains after finance minister urges pension funds to invest more at home
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama’s remarks caught markets off guard, leading to a jump in the yen and a drop in bond yields.
Mizuho Financial Group is seeking an equity capital market license and plans to bolster its stock underwriting team in Seoul to capitalize on South Korea’s booming semiconductor market, said Joris Dierckx, head of banking for Asia-Pacific.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 10, 2026
Mizuho targets South Korea and India hires to join top dealmaking ranks
The bank aims to become Asia’s top investment bank in as soon as five years, mainly by strengthening its equity underwriting and M&A advisory operations.
Some analysts have said that the Bank of Japan is not raising rates fast enough.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 9, 2026
Yields hit three-decade highs as BOJ behind-the-curve narrative debated
Some analysts argue that the central bank is not being overtaken by the market even as the 10-year yield crosses 2.9%.
Japanese companies issued ¥1 trillion ($6.2 billion) worth of convertible bonds in the first half, the highest amount since 2004, as rising interest rates boosted demand for cheaper financing.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 3, 2026
Japan’s convertible bonds regain favor as rates continue to rise
Japanese companies issued ¥1 trillion ($6.2 billion) worth of convertible bonds in the first half, the highest amount since 2004.
Mizuho Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group propelled foreign-currency bond sales by Japanese companies to a record.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2026
Mizuho and SMFG fuel record Japanese corporate bond sales overseas
The surge in issuance in overseas currencies is in part being fueled by the depreciating yen, which slid to its weakest level against the dollar since 1986 this week.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a meeting on economic policy at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 27, 2026
Japan government to avoid deficit-covering bonds for food tax cut
The move to avoid the issuance of deficit-covering bonds follows a policy that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has consistently emphasized.
Sony is preparing its first U.S. investment-grade bond sale in nearly 30 years, according to a source familiar with the matter.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 23, 2026
Sony plans its first dollar-bond sale in nearly three decades
Selling dollar-denominated debt is more attractive to Japanese companies since BOJ policy tightening has put its benchmark interest rate at the highest level since 1995.
A live feed shows SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on the day of SpaceX's initial public offering at the Nasdaq MarketSite, in New York City on June 12.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 23, 2026
SpaceX readies its $20 billion bond debut to fund AI ambition
Much of what the company offers investors now is hope about future profitability, but for bond buyers, that may be a harder sale.
While Japanese government bonds saw yields rise to multiyear highs in May, the attractiveness has been offset by concerns that the Bank of Japan is unlikely to tighten monetary policy quickly enough to contain inflation.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 22, 2026
Japanese insurers sold domestic superlong bonds as yields soared
Local insurers sold a net ¥201.2 billion ($1.25 billion) of Japanese sovereign debt due in more than 10 years, according to the latest Japan Securities Dealers Association data.
The Bank of Japan made its first move since the end of 2025 on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 16, 2026
Bank of Japan takes rates to 1%, the highest level since 1995
Inflation and the weak yen forced its hand and made it difficult to wait and see any longer.
Kenji Miyoshi, CEO of Iyogin Holdings, says investment opportunities have arrived for Japanese government bonds.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 15, 2026
Japan’s top bond-trading regional bank buys JGBs after decade break
Iyogin Holdings started testing the $7 trillion market in April with small purchases of superlong bonds, according to its CEO.
The most up-to-date data for April shows that overseas investors sold more superlong Japanese debt than they bought for the first time since 2024.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 15, 2026
Global funds pull back from long-dated JGBs amid concern of pressure on BOJ
Data for April shows that overseas investors sold more superlong Japanese debt than they bought for the first time since 2024.
The Bank of Japan last raised rates in December 2025.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 11, 2026
Bank of Japan rate hike a ‘done deal’ given inflation and weak yen
With markets worried the BOJ might be falling behind the curve, the bank is increasingly compelled to act.
Nippon Steel raised ¥90 billion ($560 million) in its first straight-bond offering since acquiring United States Steel, with a 10-year tranche carrying a 3.202% coupon, its highest in about 30 years, according to Bloomberg data.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 10, 2026
Nippon Steel gets ¥90 billion via first bond since U.S. Steel acquisition
The yen-denominated bond sale is an early test of investor appetite for Japanese companies pursuing growth through large overseas acquisitions.
Former Bank of Japan Gov. Hideo Hayakawa
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 9, 2026
BOJ may raise rate in June and October, former official says
The BOJ is widely expected to raise its benchmark interest rate a quarter percentage point, in what would be the first adjustment since December.
Bank trust accounts bought a net ¥3.16 trillion ($19.7 billion) in May, the highest in data going back to 2005.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 8, 2026
Japanese pension fund proxies buy record foreign bonds in May
Bank trust accounts bought a net ¥3.16 trillion ($19.7 billion) in May, preliminary figures from the Finance Ministry showed on Monday.
A trading room at Hana Bank in Seoul in April
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 8, 2026
South Korea’s AI impact sparks pressure across government bond market
The nation’s government bonds have lost 7.5% this year in local-currency terms, the worst performance among 44 markets.
Vice Finance Minister for International Affairs Atsushi Mimura speaks to reporters in Tokyo on May 1 following reports of Japan's possible intervention in the currency market.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 5, 2026
Japan likely sold Treasurys to fund yen intervention
Treasury sales may not go down well in Washington where officials have become increasingly focused on the stability of the U.S. government bond market.
The won fell on Wednesday and was a whisker away from 1,536.95 per dollar, the lowest level since 2009.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 4, 2026
South Korea pledges action to curb volatility as won nears 2009 low
South Korea joins authorities in Indonesia and the Philippines in stepping up measures to defend currencies as elevated oil prices hurt the region’s importers.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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