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June 30, 2026
 

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MUFG Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking and other lenders have agreed to extend the maturity of about ?75 billion ($463 million) in loans to Godiva Japan by nine months.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2026
Godiva¡¯s Japan lenders agree on 9-month loan extension
The chocolate maker posted a net loss of about ?30 billion for the year ended December 2025.
Godiva Japan, which was taken over by Asian private equity fund MBK Partners in 2019, owes about ?75 billion ($464 million) by the end of this month, according to people familiar with the matter.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 23, 2026
Godiva Japan said to seek extension on $464 million leveraged buyout loan
Godiva Japan, which was taken over by Asian private equity fund MBK Partners in 2019, owes about ?75 billion ($464 million) by the end of this month, according to informed sources.
SoftBank, which already has a foothold in the payment services industry, is among the parties that have advanced to the second round of bidding for SP.Links.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 3, 2026
SoftBank among the bidders for Blackstone¡¯s Japanese payment firm
Japan¡¯s cashless payments market has expanded for more than a decade as consumers who once overwhelmingly favored paper money turn to electronic services.
SMBC Nikko Securities is considering a new fund to invest in subordinated loans and preferred shares for acquisition deals involving Japanese companies.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 2, 2026
SMBC Nikko mulls ?100 billion mezzanine fund amid Japan mergers and acquisitions boom
Mezzanine financing is between senior debt and equity in terms of risk, offering potential extra returns for investors.
Tokyo-based Nikkon has selected financial advisers for a privatization process and has also set up a special committee made up of outside directors to consider the matter, sources have said.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 21, 2026
Nikkon weighs going private; Bain Capital, Blackstone and others likely to bid
The logistics company has selected financial advisers for the privatization process and set up a committee of outside directors to consider the matter, sources have said.
Masakazu Osawa, chief executive officer of MUFG Bank, at the company's headquarters in Tokyo on April 17
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 22, 2026
MUFG Bank seeks more acquisitions after $4.3 billion India deal
Nonbank financial companies are potential targets, MUFG banking unit CEO Masakazu Osawa said, without ruling out further forays.
Nippon Life Insurance's Tokyo headquarters
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 7, 2026
SMFG and Nippon Life discuss $3 billion LBO loan fund
The move would mark a milestone in Japan¡¯s credit market, where the three biggest banks have dominated lending.
The Japanese Bankers Association will release risk management guidelines for lenders funding leveraged buyout deals, according to sources.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 12, 2026
Japan main bank lobby to establish risk guidelines for leveraged loans
Smaller regional banks have become more active in the market for such debt as a shrinking population weighs on their traditional lending operations.
An elevator test center at Toshiba's Fuchu factory in Tokyo. Finnish elevator maker Kone already owns just under 20% of Toshiba's elevator unit.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 18, 2026
Toshiba weighs reducing elevator unit stake as Kone circles
Finnish elevator maker Kone has spoken with potential advisers about possibly increasing its stake in Toshiba Elevator and has held initial discussions with the group.
Masayoshi Son, chairman and chief executive officer of SoftBank Group, speaks during the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute Priority Asia conference in Tokyo in December.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 26, 2026
SoftBank hits the brakes on talks to buy data center firm Switch
The two sides remain in active discussions about a partial investment or a partnership.
Known for its Salonpas pain-relief patches, Hisamitsu joins a growing list of Japanese companies exiting the public market to shield themselves from regulatory and investor pressure to lift valuations and implement more oversight.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 7, 2026
Hisamitsu shares jump most since 1978 on $2.9 billion buyout
The proposed offer of ?6,082 per share represents a roughly 35% premium to Hisamitsu¡¯s unaffected closing price on Monday.
Boxes of Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical¡¯s Salonpas-branded pain-relieving patch. Hisamitsu¡¯s management is considering a takeover bid to privatize the company.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2026
CEO of Salonpas maker seeks to take $2.9 billion drug firm private
A growing list of companies are exiting the public market to shield themselves from growing regulatory and investor pressure to lift valuations and implement more oversight.
U.S. investment firm KKR plans to finalize terms, such as the purchase price, and launch a tender offer in January for Yomeishu Seizo, people familiar with the matter say.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 30, 2025
KKR gets first negotiation rights to take Yomeishu private
A wave of corporate governance reforms in Japan has led to more buyouts by investment funds, management and founders.
Goldman Sachs Group is looking for Japanese corporate clients in areas such as management buyouts, subsidiary sales and business succession planning.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 23, 2025
Goldman to ramp up investment in Japan¡¯s mid-cap companies
The bank is planning to expand its acquisitions and investments in Japan¡¯s corporate deals market over the next decade by about $5.1 billion, with a focus on mid-sized firms.
Junichi Hanzawa, incoming CEO of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 16, 2025
MUFG¡¯s next CEO seeks growth to close gap with global rivals
Junichi Hanzawa, 60, who is currently the head of the main banking unit, will succeed Hironori Kamezawa as CEO on April 1.
SoftBank Group Chairman Masayoshi Son speaks in Tokyo earlier this month. Sources have said the group is considering acquiring data-center operator Switch. The move would give it outright ownership of a large portfolio of the facilities at a time when demand for their computing power is growing rapidly.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 12, 2025
SoftBank may acquire Switch data-center group deal in AI infrastructure bid
The Japanese company has also been in advanced talks on a potential purchase of one of Switch¡¯s main private equity backers, according to recent reports.
The Nissan Motor global headquarters in Yokohama
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 6, 2025
Nissan sells headquarters to Minth Group in $630 million deal
Nissan¡¯s CEO had pledged earlier this year to cut 20,000 jobs and reduce the automaker¡¯s global manufacturing operations from 17 sites to 10.
Mizuho Securities President Yoshiro Hamamoto
BUSINESS
Sep 29, 2025
Mizuho vies with Nomura to manage money for Japan¡¯s wealthy
Through its brokerage unit, Mizuho is targeting individuals with assets exceeding ?500 million ($3.4 million).
Mizuho Financial Group plans to deepen ties between its banking and securities units in Asia and Europe in order to boost revenues, according to Yutaka Nanjo, head of global investment banking at Mizuho Securities.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 2, 2025
Mizuho plans more dealmaking to become top Asia investment bank
Japan¡¯s third-largest financial group is seeking to replicate the headways it has made in the U.S., where it far outranks its Japanese peers.
The entrance of Nissan's global headquarters, in Yokohama
BUSINESS
Aug 21, 2025
KKR is a front-runner in Nissan¡¯s $610 million HQ sale
KJR Management, a Japanese real estate unit of KKR, offered around ?90 billion ($610 million) for the 22-story office building.
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 Troubl¨¦, 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
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