Market Opportunities & Business Tips

FDI into Japan Reaches Record High for Second Straight Year in 2008

Net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow into Japan (balance of payment basis) reached a record high for the second consecutive year in 2008, reaching US$24,550 million, up 10.7% from US$22,181 million recorded the previous year, while figures for 2009 appear to be declining...

Japan Expert Committee on FDI Promotion Proposes Measures for Drastic Expansion

Japan’s Expert Committee on FDI (foreign direct investment) Promotion released its recommendations for increasing FDI into Japan. These recommendations will be...

U.S. Direct Investments in Japan Offer the Highest Yields Among Major Industrialized Nations

For U.S. companies, Japan is an attractive investment destination offering high investment yields. U.S. direct investments in Japan offer the highest yields among...

The Skinny on Triangular Mergers in Japan

September 2006 – Next May, foreign-affiliated companies in Japan will be allowed to engage in triangular mergers—that is, using shares of their parent companies to engage in mergers and acquisitions of...

New Corporation Law to Grow Market for Professional Services, Improve Landscape for Investors

September 2006 – The reforms to Japan's Corporate Laws that went into effect this past May are expected to increase demand for professional services, such as cross-border legal, accounting, consulting and...

Merrill Lynch CEO Stan O'Neal remains bullish on Japan

When a hedge fund client asked Stan O'Neal, chairman and CEO of Merrill Lynch, for an investment prediction last year, he cited Japan as a strong bet. Mr. O'Neal reiterated that prediction this year to the same client...

New Personal Information Protection Act generates areas for revenue

November 2005 -- Japan’s Personal Information Protection Act that took effect April 1, 2005 is generating sources of revenue for a handful of American data security companies helping...

Spotlight Interview: Al Zencak - Revisions to Japan's Commercial Code

October 2005 -- Continuing its efforts to simplify and streamline the process of opening and managing business operations, the Japanese government recently revised its...

Spotlight Interview: Steven Vogel - Market Reform in Japan

April 2005 -- Steven K. Vogel is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. He specializes in the political economy of the advanced industrialized nations, especially...

Japan's M&A Activity Continues to Grow

September 2005 -- The hostile acquisition attempt of Nippon Broadcasting System (NBS) by Takafumi Horie’s Livedoor Inc. has brought to the forefront fundamental changes in Japan’s...

Spotlight Interview: Satoshi Kusakabe - Guidelines on M&A Activity

September 2005 -- The recent bid for Nippon Broadcasting System (NBS) by startup Livedoor brought to the limelight a host of issues surrounding M&A activity in Japan. In order to actively promote discussion surrounding...