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The BOJ will now look to utilize its short-term interest rate as its primary policy tool. It will employ an interest rate of 0.1% to current account balances held by financial institutions at the central bank from March 21, while encouraging the uncollateralized overnight call rate (another interest rate used as a policy lever by the bank) to remain at around 0 to 0.1% — effectively raising interest rates from -0.1% previously. It would resort to "nimble responses" in the form of increased Japan government bond purchases and fixed-rate purchases of JGBs, among other things, if there is a rapid rise in long-term interest rates. Japanese investors have looked elsewhere for better returns given years of artificially depressed interest rates in their home market. The Fed is due to announce its own interest rate decision on Wednesday.

Persons: Japan Alexander Spatari, Kazuo Ueda, Rob Carnell, BOJ, Ueda, Michael Brown, —, JGBs, Vishnu Varathan, Hayden Briscoe, Briscoe Organizations: Japan's, Japan Inc, Asia, ING, CNBC, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group, Bank of America, Barclays, U.S . Federal, UBS Asset Management Locations: Dotonbori, Japan, Japan's, U.S, Mizuho's, Asia

☆ Canon Electronics leads plunge among Japan's Space One shareholder companies after rocket explodes
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Japan's Canon Electronics shares fell as much as 12.7% on Wednesday after Tokyo-based Space One's small rocket exploded just moments after its maiden launch. If successful, Space One would have been Japan's first company to put a satellite in orbit, according to Reuters. Space One was set up in 2018 by a consortium of Japanese companies including Canon Electronics, IHI Aerospace and construction firm Shimizu , along with the government-owned Development Bank of Japan. Space One's shareholder companies fell after the failed launch. IHI and Shimizu fell about 1%, while the banks edged lower.

Persons: Shimizu Organizations: Canon Electronics, Reuters, IHI Aerospace, Development Bank of Japan, Mitsubishi, Mizuho Financial Group Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Shimizu

☆ Amazon cloud unit speeds up revenue growth as clients adopt AI services
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon Web Services CEO Adam Selipsky speaks at the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference in Houston, Texas, on March 7, 2023. Amazon said on Thursday that its cloud division grew revenue 13% year over year in the fourth quarter, exactly in line with analysts' projections. The company pointed to growing traction in cloud services for artificial intelligence. Revenue from Azure and other cloud services at Microsoft rose 30%, and Alphabet's Google Cloud revenue, which includes Google Workspace productivity software subscriptions, increased about 26%. The Amazon cloud group turned over $7.17 billion in operating income.

Persons: Adam Selipsky, Amazon, StreetAccount, Brian Olsavsky, Jensen Huang, Huang, Mark Mahaney Organizations: Amazon Web, P Global, AWS, Microsoft, Google, Nvidia, Accor, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Locations: Houston , Texas, Las Vegas, Accor S.A

☆ MUFG discusses ECB rate cut outlook
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailAs long as 'actual inflation' falls to 2%, ECB can implement rate cuts: MUFG head of commoditiesEhsan Khoman of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group discusses Europe's interest rate outlook for 2024.

Organizations: ECB, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial

☆ How investors are playing emerging market opportunities in India and Japan
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Anna Gleason | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Investors are increasingly looking to emerging market exchange-traded funds for growth at a reasonable price. David Mann, head of capital markets at Franklin Templeton, named India as one of the most popular countries with ETF investors in the past year. "[It] has been one of the emerging market standouts thus far, so India has been a great story." The firm's Franklin FTSE India ETF (FLIN) has risen 18.19% in the past year, as of Tuesday's close. As of Tuesday's close, the firm's Franklin FTSE Japan ETF (FLJP) gained 12.58% in the past year.

Persons: David Mann, Franklin Templeton, CNBC's, Mike Akins, Akins, Franklin Templeton's Mann, Action's Akins Organizations: Franklin, Franklin FTSE, Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank, Infosys, Toyota Motor, Sony Group, Mitsubishi UFJ Locations: India, Franklin, Franklin FTSE India, Japan, U.S, Franklin FTSE Japan

For its biggest banks, however, there's a hitch: a generation of professional front-line staff have little experience with rising interest rates. The 38 members, which include credit dealers and data scientists, work to improve coordination between retail and wholesale divisions, as higher rates are expected to fuel trading activities. Still, if higher rates are new to most bankers, so they are for their clients, who have for years enjoyed rock bottom rates in Japan. "Almost no front-line bankers have experienced short-term rates above 0.5% as Japan last saw such rates in the 1990s," he said. "I think there are a lot of scepticism among front-line bankers over whether they can really increase their lending rates."

Persons: Masahiro Minami, they've, Izuru Kato, Kato, Satoru Yamamoto, Atsushi Kikuchi, Tokyo Tanshi's Kato, Makiko Yamazaki, Ritsuko Shimizu, David Dolan Organizations: MUFG Bank, TOKYO, Resona Holdings, Reuters, Bank, Mitsubishi, Daiwa Securities, Mizuho Financial, Mizuho, Thomson Locations: Japan, Tokyo

☆ Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group CEO dies at 65
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (SMFG)'s new chief executive Jun Ohta attends a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, December 14, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) (8316.T) on Monday said group CEO Jun Ohta died on Nov. 25 aged 65 of pancreatic cancer. Japan's second-biggest lender after Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (8306.T) said it plans to announce a successor in the near future as soon as an appointment is made. Ohta joined The Sumitomo Bank, a predecessor of SMFG, in 1982 and rose to group CEO in April 2019. Ohta recently sought to expand SMFG's footprint in overseas markets through an alliance with U.S. investment bank Jefferies Financial Group (JEF.N).

Persons: Jun Ohta, Kim Kyung, Japan's, Toru Nakashima, Ohta, Mariko Katsumura, Rocky Swift, Kim Coghill, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc, REUTERS, Rights, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, Sumitomo Bank, Keidanren, Jefferies Financial, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, SMFG

☆ BOJ to end negative interest rates in 2024, over 80% of economists say: Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Satoshi Sugiyama | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

While none of 26 economists predicted changes in the upcoming December BOJ meeting, many foresaw the negative rate policy, which has set Japan's short-term deposit rate at minus 0.1%, would reach the end of the line next year. In the Nov. 15-20 poll, 22 of 26, or 85%, of economists said the BOJ would end the policy by the end of next year. Having watered down YCC, the BOJ's next focus is to end its negative interest rate policy and push short-term rates to zero, sources previously told Reuters. Close to 85% of poll respondents forecast the BOJ would end its YCC policy, while the rest said it would tweak the scheme again, the poll found. EYES ON NEXT YEAROf 22 economists in the poll who chose 2024 for the end of negative rates, more than a half, 12, opted for the April 25-26 meeting.

Persons: Issei Kato, Kazuo Ueda, Mitsubishi UFJ, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley, Hiroshi Namioka, Namioka, Fumio Kishida's, Chiyuki Takamatsu, Satoshi Sugiyama, Veronica Khongwir, Sujith Pai, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of, Reuters, Capital, Research Institute, Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, D, Management, Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Bank of Japan

A banknote of Japanese yen is seen in this illustration picture taken June 15, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsNov 14 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. The policy pressures facing Japanese authorities are intense, and the potential risks to financial markets if policymakers misstep are growing. After battling against deflation for decades, the Bank of Japan is moving away from ultra-loose policy. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Florence Lo, Jamie McGeever, Xi Jinping's, Joe Biden, Shunichi Suzuki, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank's George Saravelos, Xi Jinping, Fed's Jefferson, Barr, Mester, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Economic Cooperation, U.S, Japanese Finance, Bank of, Deutsche Bank's, Mitsubishi UFJ, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Tokyo, San Francisco, Asia, Bank of Japan, Japan, India

A panel displays the Hang Seng Index during afternoon trading, in Hong Kong, China May 4, 2020. Other economic and policy highlights across the continent this week include preliminary Japanese third-quarter GDP, Indian inflation, and a policy decision from the Philippine central bank on Thursday. Some, like the China and aggregate emerging market indexes, last week fell to their lowest in three months. Perhaps the most interesting of all Goldman's FCIs is its Japanese index. Citi's economic surprises index for Japan turned negative last week and is now the lowest since June.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, Jamie McGeever, Wall, Goldman, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Nasdaq, Bank of Japan, Mizuho, Mitsubishi UFJ, Sumitomo, Economic Cooperation, China's, Tencent Holdings, Alibaba, Lenovo, APEC, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Hong Kong, China, U.S, Philippine, Asia, Japan, San Francisco, India

☆ Goldman says Bank of Japan's policy tweak is good news for banks — and names top picks in the sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

She noted that a flexible YCC "may be conducive to a more controlled yield rise since there's no more line in the sand to go against." Elsewhere, Kuroda wrote in notes to CNBC that Japanese banks "remain in focus as a beneficiary" of BOJ's interest rate normalization. A more flexible interest rate on BOJ operations may allow for a controlled rise in long-term yields, Kuroda said in notes to CNBC. "This might make it easier for banks to buy or reinvest JGB portfolio at higher yields." Japanese bank stock picks Goldman Sachs continues to name conviction list stock Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) and Mizuho as its top picks from the Japanese banking sector.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, BOJ, Makoto Kuroda, CNBC's, Kuroda, Yuka Azami, MUFG, Goldman, CNBC's Naman Tandon, Lim Hui Jie Organizations: CNBC, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, Mizuho, Tokyo Stock

☆ Bank of Japan members saw no need for new yield control tweaks, September minutes show
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Japanese national flag is hoisted atop the headquarters of Bank of Japan in Tokyo, Japan September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Most Bank of Japan board members saw no need for additional tweaks to yield curve control and agreed to continued monetary easing to meet inflation and wage growth objectives, minutes of its September meeting showed on Monday. Board members shared the view that long term interest rates were moving in line with its market operation policy following the central bank's decision in July to make yield control more flexible, the minutes from the September meeting said. At the September meeting, the BOJ turned positive about its view on price growth, although central bank board members remained cautious about policy tweaks, Muguruma added. Several members said abolishing a negative rate and yield control policy would have to be discussed together with any successful achievement of the BOJ's 2% inflation target.

Persons: Issei Kato, Naomi Muguruma, Mitsubishi UFJ, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Tom Hogue, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

The 10-year Japanese government bond yield rose 2 basis points (bps) to 0.970%, a level last seen in May 2013, before retreating to 0.960% immediately after the BOJ announced an emergency bond-purchase operation. Tsuruta sees the tweak as a step toward the BOJ eventually exiting from negative interest rates policy, which he expects around the beginning of next year at the earliest. The two-year JGB yield had ticked up to 0.160%, while the five-year yield reached 0.480%, levels not seen since 2011. On the superlong end, the 20-year JGB yield rose to its highest since July 2013 at 1.735%. The 30-year JGB yield was up 3 bps at 1.905%.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Keisuke Tsuruta, Mitsubishi UFJ, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley, Tsuruta, James Malcolm, YCC, Malcolm said, Brigid Riley, Vidya Ranganathan, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, UBS, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, London

☆ Morgan Stanley's James Gorman wanted to pull off a rare feat: a bloodless succession. Wall Street thinks the bank may have done it, but it's too soon to tell.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Hayley Cuccinello | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The executive leadership team is viewed as a well-oiled machine with Morgan Stanley thriving compared to its megabank peers. Leaving Morgan Stanley would require going outside their comfort zone. Employees from these executives' righthand men and rank-and-file Morgan Stanley staffers may not welcome these changes. "You would expect everyone's guard to be raised at Morgan Stanley to monitor employee reaction and manage at least the best performers." Do you work for Morgan Stanley?

Persons: Morgan Stanley's James Gorman, Ted Pick, Dan Simkowitz, Andy Saperstein, Gorman, Glenn Shorr, Glenn Schorr, It's, Mike Mayo, they've, Mayo, Morgan Stanley, Pick's anointment, Pick, fides, Morgan, America's Ebrahim Poonawala, Poonwala, Stephen Biggar, Simkowitz, Saperstein, Let's, Schorr, Hayley Cuccinello Organizations: America's, Mitsubishi, Financial Times, Management Locations: Wells Fargo, Saperstein, Mayo, Simkowitz, hcuccinello@insider.com

☆ How Morgan Stanley exec Ted Pick rose from 'rough edged' deal junkie to CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Hayley Cuccinello | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

Editor's note: Morgan Stanley announced on October 25 that Ted Pick would replace James Gorman as CEO. Employees knew they were getting promoted if Pick told them to wear a tie the following day, an ex-managing director recalled. While Morgan Stanley currently trades at a premium among its Wall Street peers, its enviable success isn't thanks to Pick. Gonzalo Marroquin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Show less Morgan Stanley investment management head and dark horse in the race for CEO, Dan Simkowitz. Despite enjoying the stock price gains under Gorman's reign, plenty of longtime employees want another dyed-in-the-wool Morgan Stanley loyalist, according to a former senior executive.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Ted Pick, James Gorman, Pick, Gucci loafers, Blackstone, Tony James, Morgan, Gorman, Andy Saperstein, Dan Simkowitz, John Mack, Ted, James, Phil Purcell, Mack, Purcell, Merrill Lynch, Paul Taubman, Colm Kelleher, coheads, Gonzalo Marroquin, Patrick McMullan, Saperstein, Euromoney, Parker Gilbert, He's, John, cohead, Bolu, Goldman Sachs, Pablo, tony, Betsey Kittenplan, Smith Barney, James cochairs, Jim Breyer, Anna Wintour, John Mack pranking Pick, John Waldron, I'm, Howard Marks, Bill Parcells, atta, Brian Moynihan, aren't, David Solomon, Jamie Dimon's, Eaton Vance, he's, you've, Richard Drew, —, Hayley Cuccinello Organizations: Employees, Archegos Capital Management, Blackstone, McKinsey, Getty, Middlebury College, China Construction Bank, Harvard Business School, Mitsubishi, Wall, Autonomous Research, Anguilla, Agricultural Bank of China, Capital Management, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Vogue, New York Rangers, Oaktree Capital Management, Bloomberg, Staten, Disney, JPMorgan, Trade, AP Locations: China, Beijing, Manhattan, New York City, Caracas, Venezuela, Brookville, tony Long, hcuccinello@insider.com

☆ Rising yields may pressure BOJ to consider raising newly set cap
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The BOJ remains a global outlier having maintained ultra-loose monetary stimulus even as major central banks elsewhere rapidly raised interest rates to fight rampant inflation. Meanwhile, rising U.S. bond yields are pulling their Japanese counterparts higher, complicating the BOJ's task of keeping local interest rates low. Among ideas that could be discussed would be to raise the ceiling for the 10-year bond yield beyond 1.0%, or steps that water down the BOJ's commitment to defend a set yield level, the sources said. "If the 10-year JGB yield rises to around 0.9%, the BOJ may need to take action," such as by raising the 1% cap, she added. In a Reuters poll in September, most analysts said they expect the BOJ to abandon YCC by the end of 2024.

Persons: Issei Kato, BOJ, YCC, Kazuo Ueda, Naomi Muguruma, Mitsubishi UFJ, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley, Ueda, Leika Kihara, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Treasury, Nikkei, Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, YCC, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO

REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Japan's top banks are set to commit to 1.9 trillion yen ($12.7 billion) financing to support the merger of Kioxia Holdings and Western Digital's flash memory business, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Several tech deals have been scuppered in recent years due to delays in regulatory approvals or rejections by China. 2 player in NAND flash memory chips - and Western Digital's fourth-ranked flash business, would control a third of the global NAND flash market, on par with top player Samsung Electronics (005930.KS). Kioxia and Western Digital have held merger talks since 2021 but the negotiations have often stalled over a series of issues including valuation discrepancies. In Japan, the two companies jointly produce NAND flash memory chips, which are widely used in smartphones, personal computers and other devices to store digital data.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Bain, Nobuo Hayasaka, Makiko Yamazaki, Miho Uranaka, Maki Shiraki, Miyoung Kim, Tomasz Janowwski Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Kioxia Holdings, Reuters, Intel Corp, China ., Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, Development Bank of Japan, SK Hynix, Toshiba Corp, Samsung Electronics, Nasdaq, Western, Mitsubishi, Mizuho, Sumitomo Mitsui, Western Digital, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, China, Kioxia

☆ Japan firms to issue digital currency for clear energy transaction
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Edgar Su/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 12 (Reuters) - A group of Japanese firms will issue a digital currency by July 2024 for the transaction and settlement of clean energy certificates, cryptocurrency exchange DeCurret said on Thursday. GMO Aozora Net Bank will issue the yen-based digital currency, called "DCJPY", which will then be used by telecommunication firm Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ) for settlement of clean energy certificates, DeCurret said. Transaction of DCJPY will be made using a network launched by DeCurret which, unlike stablecoin, is backed by bank deposits through block-chain technology, DeCurret added. DeCurret has been spearheading the launch of a digital currency by anchoring discussions at a consortium of Japanese firms keen to tap the technology. The consortium, which includes megabanks Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (8306.T), Mizuho Financial Group Inc (8411.T) and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (8316.T), has been meeting regularly to study ways to build a common settlement infrastructure for digital payments.

Persons: Edgar Su, DeCurret, Leika Kihara, Krishna Chandra Organizations: REUTERS, Aozora, Internet Initiative Japan, Japan, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, Inc, Mizuho Financial Group Inc, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Goldman Sachs says Japan is a 'bright spot' right now and reveals some top stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Goldman Sachs is bullish on Japan right now and says banks in particular are seeing a "high level of interest" following rallies of around 30%. There have also been "fundamental earning power improvements at the banks that have gone under-appreciated by the market," she added. The Bank of Japan maintained its ultra-loose monetary policy and left rates unchanged in September. Japanese bank stock picks Goldman Sachs' picks from the Japanese banking sector include conviction list and "value in action" stock Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) , as well as Mizuho . 8411.T-JP YTD mountain Year-to-date share movement in Mizuho bank The bank has buy calls on both stocks and increased their price targets in a Sept. 18 note.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Makoto Karuda, CNBC's, Kaurda, Karuda, Goldman, CNBC's Naman Tandon Organizations: Bank of, Tokyo Stock, The Bank of Japan, Tokyo, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, Mizuho, New York Stock Exchange Locations: Japan, Mizuho

[1/2] A man walks past a signboard of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and MUFG Bank at its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan April 3, 2018. Globally bonds have been heavily sold for weeks - prompting the Bank of Japan to step in to steady the JGB market - as investors reckon on interest rates around the world staying elevated. The lingering concerns, coupled with the prospect of further central bank policy tweaks, are likely to keep investors on guard against buying JGBs," he said. Even if the BOJ raises short-term rates, it will probably have to maintain the YCC framework to avoid any abrupt rise in long-term interest rates, Seki said. The BOJ will have no choice but to engage with long-term rates "because the complete removal of a target band could cause volatility in yield curve and sharp spikes in long-term interest rates," he said.

Persons: Toru Hanai, Hiroyuki Seki, Seki, Makiko Yamazaki, Ritsuko Shimizu, Leika Kihara, Muralikumar Organizations: Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, MUFG Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of, Bank of Japan, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S

☆ Japan's re-defined intervention trigger may slow, but not derail, yen bears
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] A man looks at an electric monitor displaying the Japanese yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar and Nikkei share average outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan October 4, 2023. While money flow data suggest there was no intervention, the price action was enough to keep yen bears at bay. Rather, the remarks by Kanda were likely a fresh warning shot to markets that authorities could step in any time - even if yen moves were moderate, they say. Intervention isn't the best tool to arrest steady yen declines anyway, said former currency diplomat Hiroshi Watanabe. "There's no point intervening when yen moves are gradual," Watanabe told Reuters.

Persons: Issei Kato, Masato Kanda, that's, Kanda, Tokyo's, Atsushi Takeuchi, They're, Daisaku Ueno, Mitsubishi UFJ, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley, Hiroshi Watanabe, Watanabe, Leika Kihara, Tetsushi, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: U.S ., Nikkei, REUTERS, Tokyo, Authorities, Bank of, U.S . Federal Reserve, Treasury, Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO, United States

☆ Japan's MUFG Bank, two others lead $290 mln Sierra Space fundraising -Nikkei
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Sept 26 (Reuters) - MUFG Bank is among three Japanese firms leading a $290-million fundraising round for U.S. spaceship company Sierra Space, spearheading a commercial "spaceport" project in the southwestern region of Oita, the Nikkei daily said on Tuesday. A spokesperson of Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire, a unit of Tokio Marine Holdings (8766.T), confirmed that the three companies formed a strategic partnership with Sierra, but declined to elaborate on their investments. Sierra Space, spun off in 20221 from billionaire-owned Sierra Nevada Corp, is among a handful of space industry players attempting to build a private space station that NASA hopes will replace the two decade-old International Space Station by 2030. The Oita project took a hit this year from the bankruptcy of another U.S. space company Virgin Orbit , which had partnered with airline ANA Holdings (9202.T). MUFG Bank, one of Japan's three biggest, has invested in domestic space startups such as orbital debris-removal firm Astroscale.

Persons: Sierra, inc's, Kantaro Komiya, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: MUFG, Space, Nikkei, SpaceX, MUFG Bank, Tokio Marine, Tokio Marine Holdings, Sierra, Mitsubishi UFJ, Kanematsu Corp, CNBC, Sierra Nevada Corp, NASA, Japan Airlines, Orbit, ANA Holdings, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, Japan Aerospace Exploration, SLIM, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Oita, Sierra, Kanematsu, Asia's, Japan

☆ Kioxia's banks to refinance $13.5 bln loan for Western Digital merger -Bloomberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T), Mizuho Financial Group (8411.T) and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (8306.T) intend to submit a commitment letter for the refinancing next month, Bloomberg reported citing unnamed sources. Part of the loan will be used to pay special dividends to Kioxia's shareholders, Bloomberg said. Of the 2 trillion yen loan, 400 billion yen will likely be funded through loan commitments and the Development Bank of Japan will provide a loan of 300 billion yen. The rest will likely be equally split between the three megabanks, Bloomberg reported. Kioxia and Western Digital are speeding up merger talks and nailing down a deal structure, Reuters reported in May, amid a slump in the market for flash memory.

Persons: Kioxia, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Sam Nussey, Makiko Yamazaki, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Taipei, REUTERS, Rights, Western, Bloomberg, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, Kioxia, Mizuho, MUFG, Development Bank of Japan, Western Digital, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Taipei, Taiwan

Stock incentives are seen positively by the market "as higher stock prices directly boost such incentives," she said. Sony, which introduced stock incentives years ago for some management levels, recently changed its framework to make the incentives more attractive, a spokesperson said. "The stock incentives are aimed at beefing up engagement with employees and promoting their interest in raising corporate value." Today, employee stock incentives are also a way for companies to replace cross-shareholdings, a common practice where companies take stakes in partners to cement relationships and avoid activist investors. Despite its increasing popularity, just a quarter of top 100 Japanese companies have employee stock incentives compared to more than 80% in the United States or Germany, data by consulting firm Human Resources Governance Leaders shows.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Motomi Hashimoto, Hitoshi Tanimura, Shintaro Takano, Shinzo Abe, Shinji Ishikawa, Makiko Yamazaki, Ritsuko Shimizu, Miral Organizations: Nikkei, REUTERS, Rights, ANA Holdings, ANA, Sony Group, Tokyo Stock Exchange, Nomura Securities, Reuters, Sony, Human Resources, Leaders, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Omron, United States, Germany

☆ Japan finance minister offers no clues on intervention as yen weakens
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Banknotes of Japanese yen are seen in this illustration picture taken June 15, 2022. Some market players were surprised by the lack of determination to keep the yen from falling beyond 145 yen to the dollar. Traders are watching for any signs of intervention by Japanese officials to shore up the ailing currency. However, Japanese officials have rarely escalated verbal warnings since last month against speculators trying to sell off the yen. The weak yen has driven up import bills for fuel and foods, depriving households of purchasing power and prompting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to scramble for measures to subsidise gasoline retail prices and to mitigate rises in utility bills.

Persons: Florence Lo, Shunichi Suzuki, Suzuki, Japan's, Daisaku Ueno, Fumio Kishida, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Tom Hogue, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Japanese Finance, Mitsubishi UFJ Securities, Authorities, U.S . Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Japan

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