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July 24, 2026
 

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Ayai Tomisawa
The Finance Ministry in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
BUSINESS / Markets
May 28, 2025
Weak 40-year bond sale keeps pressure on Japan to tweak issuance
The 40-year yield rose 5 basis points following the sale, to 3.335% as of 4:20 p.m. in Tokyo, while the 30-year rate jumped 7 basis points.
There is strong demand for funding from Japanese companies as the economy emerges from years of deflation, and issuers are trying to pinpoint the best time to sell bonds before the Bank of Japan raises interest rates again.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 28, 2025
Revived corporate bond deals in Japan underline need for funding
Volatility is particularly tricky for Japan to navigate given that the market has been less exposed to extreme swings after years of rock-bottom interest rates.
Berkshire Hathaway concluded a ?90 billion ($628 million) bond deal on Friday, the smallest yen deal by investor Warren Buffett¡¯s firm since it started tapping the Japanese market in 2019.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 11, 2025
Berkshire sells $628 million in yen bonds in smallest Japan deal
The move came despite sharp market volatility prompting several Japanese companies to cancel sales.
In the Japanese credit market, Change of Control covenants ¡ª which give bondholders certain rights to redeem the debt before maturity if the borrower has a significant change in ownership structure ¡ª have been very rarely seen, until now.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 10, 2025
Japan credit investors seek shield from M&A risks as deals boom
Change of Control clauses, which had been rare in Japan, are being increasingly sought by investors.
Lawyers estimate that personal bankruptcies in Japan are on track to reach the highest since 2012 this year.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society / FOCUS
Dec 22, 2024
Bankruptcies and suicides rise as Japanese struggle with mounting debt
Personal debt is overwhelming an increasing number of Japanese as higher interest rates and the rising cost of living bite.
Rakuten Group is targeting the sale of as much as $550 million of subordinated notes with price talk for the deal at around 8.375%.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 4, 2024
Rakuten targets its lowest-cost junk bond sale since 2021
The e-commerce giant is targeting the sale of as much as $550 million of subordinated notes that can be called after five years.
Rakuten Group is considering the sale of hybrid perpetual notes that can be called after five years.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 2, 2024
Rakuten plans return to dollar bond market with hybrid notes
Rakuten¡¯s liquidity has improved but an increased reliance on the dollar bond market may indicate weakened domestic funding access.
Nissan and its group firms have about $1.6 billion of debt due next year, a slight decrease from 2024, but that figure will jump to around $5.6 billion in 2026, the most in Bloomberg-compiled data going back to 1996.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 15, 2024
Nissan faces record debt bill with one year left to fix finances
The automaker and its group firms are seen having about $5.6 billion in debt due in 2026.
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is the largest foreign issuer of yen bonds this year, raising a record ?545.1 billion.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 10, 2024
Berkshire issues bonds worth ?282 billion, sparking Japan investment hopes
The seven-part bond deal is Berkshire¡¯s biggest yen-denominated deal since 2019, and makes it the largest foreign issuer of yen bonds this year.
Japanese firms¡¯ issuance of dollar bonds has surged 60% so far in the fiscal year that started in April, as they target a larger investor base away from the home market.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 2, 2024
Japan firms rush past global peers in hunt for dollar funds
The rush highlights the changes issuers and investors face as the U.S. Federal Reserve eases rates while the Bank of Japan heads in the opposite direction.
Sumitomo Chemical President Keiichi Iwata
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 6, 2024
Sumitomo Chemical sells hybrid bond at widest spread this year
Sumitomo Chemical priced ?100 billion of hybrid debt at 280 basis points over Japanese government bonds.
A working group led by the Japan Securities Dealers Association finished a series of monthly meetings in June that discussed details of applying covenants to local corporate notes with lower ratings.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 8, 2024
Japan pushes for greater use of protections on corporate bonds
A Japan Securities Dealers Association working group finished meetings in June on adding covenants to lower-rated corporate notes.
The Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission said Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group repeatedly violated its clients¡¯ confidentiality by breaking firewalls among its units.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 17, 2024
MUFG unit misses out on arranging flurry of bonds in wake of scandal
The Development Bank of Japan, the Japan International Cooperation Agency and NEC dropped MUMSS from arranging planned bond deals.
Suntory Holdings, seeking to expand abroad, is tapping the dollar debt market.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 5, 2024
Whiskey maker Suntory sells $500 million bond in rare deal
Proceeds from the Jim Beam owner¡¯s five-year note will be used for general corporate purposes.
Foreign private credit funds are focusing on Japanese investors as they move more money into higher-paying assets.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 29, 2024
Private credit chases Japan¡¯s trillions as inflation spurs shift
Private credit funds are betting that inflation will prompt investors to channel more money into riskier overseas investments.
Berkshire Hathaway's latest yen debt deal is the biggest since its debut sale in the currency in 2019, raising bets it may boost holdings of Japanese stocks.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 18, 2024
Berkshire sells ?263.3 billion of bonds in its biggest yen debt deal since 2019
The seven-tranche deal priced at tighter premiums than Berkshire¡¯s deals over the past two years.
Warren Buffett¡¯s Berkshire Hathaway would be the first major non-financial overseas debt issuer to sell yen bonds after the Bank of Japan last month scrapped the world¡¯s last negative interest rate.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 9, 2024
Berkshire plans to sell first yen bonds since BOJ move
The U.S. company last turned to the yen bond markets in November, with a ?122 billion ($803 million) five-tranche deal.
Nissan¡¯s name has been removed from a list of around 44,000 companies eligible for the tax incentive on the economy ministry¡¯s website.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 6, 2024
Nissan ineligible for tax break after underpaying firms: report
Nissan¡¯s name has been removed from a list of companies eligible for the tax incentive on the economy ministry¡¯s website, the Yomiuri Shimbum said.
A record number of Japanese investors have put their money into domestic private credit deals in search of higher returns this year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 12, 2023
Private credit is attracting record numbers of Japanese investors
An unprecedented 236 limited partners have provided money to private capital managers this year through September, more than triple the level of 2017.
There is a sense of caution in the credit market that the Bank of Japan will finally tighten its ultraeasy policy.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 4, 2023
Turmoil from BOJ policy bets shakes up Japan credit market
Companies rush to raise money to take advantage of low rates while they still can but investor demand for corporate bonds is weakening.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

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

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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