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June 23, 2026
 

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Hideki Suzuki
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.
More than 15 firms submitted bids for Sankei Building last month, with several offers exceeding ?1 trillion.
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2026
Fuji Media¡¯s real estate unit attracts ?1 trillion bids
More than 15 firms submitted bids for Sankei Building last month, with several offers exceeding ?1 trillion ($6.3 billion).
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.
Mizuho Financial Group¡¯s CEO Masahiro Kihara said on Wednesday that he expects the Bank of Japan to raise interest rates in June or July, though any modest hike is unlikely to have a major market impact.
BUSINESS
May 27, 2026
Mizuho CEO floats idea of first outsized BOJ hike since 1990
Masahiro Kihara says whether the BOJ raises rates in June or July is unlikely to have a big impact on the market unless the increase is large.
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.
PAG President and co-founder Jon-Paul Toppino says competition for property investment in Japan has intensified as more global firms enter the market.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 30, 2026
PAG beefs up Japan investment with $13 billion in targeted deals
The Asian alternative asset manager plans to invest in real estate and private equity in the next three to four years.
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.
MUFG has about 1,300 staff involved globally in the transaction-banking business.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 2, 2026
MUFG to take on global peers for slice of $1.3 trillion transaction-banking pie
Japan¡¯s largest lender is looking to capitalize on its competitive strengths in key Asian markets as it strives to catch up with global peers.
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group CEO Toru Nakashima says the banking group is seeking growth without large acquisitions.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 31, 2026
SMFG cools on acquisitions as banking giant sets new profit goal
Japan¡¯s second-largest lender is aiming for ?2 trillion in profit and a 13% return on tangible equity in three years.
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.
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust is keen to tap Raymond James Financial¡¯s clientele to provide funds for mergers and acquisitions and sell Japan-related investment products to wealthy individuals.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 4, 2026
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust said to ally with Raymond James in U.S.
Raymond James has a broad network of small and medium-sized business clients and wealth management customers across the United States.
Japanese banks, including Mizuho Financial Group, are trying to boost productivity by adopting artificial intelligence while trying to ease concerns that the technology will take away jobs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 27, 2026
Mizuho plans to replace 5,000 clerical jobs with AI in 10 years
Japan¡¯s third-largest lender insists the move is ¡°not a headcount reduction.¡±
Fumitaka Nakahama, head of global corporate and investment banking at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 6, 2026
MUFG eyes piece of AI boom with hiring for data center financing
Financing AI initiatives is becoming a lucrative business for banks worldwide.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group¡¯s net income climbed 6% from a year earlier to ?520.6 billion ($3.3 billion) in the three months ended Dec. 31, according to calculations based on nine-month results released Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Feb 4, 2026
MUFG profit rises as BOJ¡¯s rate increases bolster lending income
Net income climbed 6% from a year earlier to ?520.6 billion ($3.3 billion) in the three months ended Dec. 31.
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.
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.
A screen outside the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai in August. Shriram's stock has risen almost 50% this year, giving the Mumbai-based financial services firm a market value of roughly $18 billion.
BUSINESS
Dec 15, 2025
MUFG said to near deal for stake in India¡¯s Shriram
MUFG may invest more than ?500 billion ($3.2 billion) to buy a stake of around 20%.
Mizuho Financial Group has completed the integration of U.S. boutique investment bank Greenhill & Co., which it purchased two years ago, and is now reaping the benefits, CEO Masahiro Kihara said on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 11, 2025
Mizuho CEO upbeat on dealmaking prospects in Japan and U.S.
Mizuho Financial Group¡¯s CEO expressed optimism that momentum in investment banking will continue both at home and in the United States.
Japan to raise visa fees for foreign nationals in first revision in 48 years
Tourists from abroad wearing kimonos pose for a souvenir photo with cherry blossoms in the city of Kyoto in March.
Japan to allow local governments to ban private lodging
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in March. Various cities around the world have cracked down on private lodgings, such as in Barcelona where the city is attempting to eradicate all short-stay apartments by 2028.
Beyond crabs and dinos: Japan¡¯s least-touristed region rethinks its appeal
Fukui Prefecture is home to 80% of Japan¡¯s dinosaur fossil discoveries, yet it is routinely one of the least-visited regions in the country.
Japanese companies get serious about workplace DEI
People working in human resources departments participate in a workshop in Tokyo in January. The participants played a card game in which they took on roles of people with various disabilities.
Japan¡¯s AI goldrush faces backlash as data centers sprout up in urban areas
Erin and Munekazu Tanikawa look out from their balcony at the construction site of a planned 52-meter-tall data center that would dominate their surroundings, in the city of Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, last month.
How a U.S. author found ¡ª and helped build ¡ª community in a Japanese hot spring town
American author Hannah Kirshner recently opened Mokkei as a hub for local knowledge-sharing and a retreat for tourists. Kirshner had spotted the century-old farmhouse years ago and dreamed of making it a ¡°lifelong art project.¡±
Japan-South Korea detente persists ¡ª but breakthrough remains elusive
While Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung have kept relations from sliding backward, experts say they have struggled to turn stability into concrete steps forward.
Japan¡¯s AI goldrush faces backlash as data centers sprout up in urban areas
Erin and Munekazu Tanikawa look out from their balcony at the construction site of a planned 52-meter-tall data center that would dominate their surroundings, in the city of Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, last month.
Distracted walkers in Japan are a real safety risk. My mother knows firsthand.
In Tokyo and other major Japanese cities, <i>aruki-sumaho</i> ¡ª walking while using a smartphone ¡ª has become a persistent safety concern as commuters navigate crowded stations and sidewalks while focused on their devices.
Can automation offset Japan¡¯s military workforce shortage?
A Ground Self-Defense Force uncrewed ground vehicle takes part in a live-fire military exercise at the Higashi Fuji Training Field in Shizuoka Prefecture on May 7.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Social camouflaging can help neurodivergent people navigate social situations, but researchers say the effort often comes with significant emotional and mental strain.
The challenge of being neurodivergent in Japan¡¯s culture of conformity
By Tomoko Otake

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