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TOKYO, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Japanese insurers are expected to maintain marine war insurance, which covers the sinking and requisition of ships due to war in Russian waters for at least three months for liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels, industry sources said on Friday. But on Tuesday, a senior official at the industry ministry said the Japanese government had asked insurers to take on additional risks to continue providing war insurance for liquefied natural gas (LNG) shippers. The insurance companies negotiated with reinsurers to replace part of the coverage and they are expected to enable continued insurance, Nikkei reported on Thursday. After renegotiating with UK reinsurers, a total of 30 billion yen ($224 million) is expected to be secured, with domestic insurers covering about 8 billion yen and overseas reinsurers taking on about 22 billion yen, it said. But added the underwriting capacity will be less than half of the previous 67 billion yen.

☆ Japan's biggest banks to raise housing loan rates after BOJ's policy tweak
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Japan's three biggest banks said on Friday they would raise interest rates for housing loans for next month, reflecting the Bank of Japan's tweak in its ultra-loose policy. Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, the main banking unit of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (8306.T), will raise the rate by 0.18 percentage point to 3.7%. Each bank has special loan programs for selected customers so their rates will be lower, with Sumitomo Mitsui charging 1.14%, Mizuho 1.60% and Mitsubishi UFJ 1.05%. Japan's central bank surprised the market last week by raising the cap on 10-year bond yield to 0.5% from 0.25%. Reporting by Ritsuko Shimizu; Writing by Junko Fujita; Editing by Bradley PerrettOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The 1.4 trillion yen includes 200 billion yen in working capital, they said. The main banking arms of Mizuho Financial Group (8411.T), Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T) and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc (8309.T) are together expected to lend more than 1 trillion yen, three sources said. The core bank unit of Japan's biggest financial group, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (8306.T) and Aozora Bank Ltd (8304.T) are also participating, they added. Spokespeople for all five banks declined to comment. Toshiba named a JIP-led group as its preferred bidder in October for the buyout process.

TOKYO/HONG KONG, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Japan Industrial Partners, the preferred bidder to buy out Toshiba Corp (6502.T), has moved closer to securing financing from banks, three people with knowledge of the matter said. JIP's bid has called for Toshiba management to retain their jobs - a proposal which initially made some of the banks cautious about lending, sources have said. The sources all declined to be identified as the talks are private. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, the core unit of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (8316.T), and Mizuho Bank Ltd, the core unit of Mizuho Financial Group Inc (8411.T) declined to comment. ($1 = 137.0500 yen)Reporting by Kane Wu, Makiko Yamazaki and Ritsuko Shimizu; Editing by Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan's Seven & i to sell Sogo & Seibu unit to U.S. fund Fortress
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Japan's Seven & i Holdings Co Ltd (3382.T) said on Friday it will sell its Sogo & Seibu department store unit to U.S. fund Fortress Investment Group. The transfer price will be based on 250 billion yen ($1.77 billion) in enterprise value for Sogo & Seibu, adjusted by net debt and working capital, Seven & i said in a release. Electronics retailer Yodobashi Holdings will be a partner in the deal with Fortress, which is controlled by Japan's SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T). Yodobashi is expected to set up outlets within Sogo & Seibu locations, the Nikkei newspaper reported earlier this week. Seven & i shares rose 0.3% in Tokyo trading compared with a 3% jump in the benchmark Nikkei (.N225) index.

☆ Japan's Seven & i Holdings to sell Sogo & Seibu unit to Fortress -sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Japan's Seven & i Holdings Co Ltd (3382.T) has decided to sell its Sogo & Seibu department store unit to U.S. fund Fortress Investment Group, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. Seven & i held an extraordinary board meeting on Friday to decide on the sale to the SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) controlled fund, the people said. Reporting by Mariko Katsumura, Ritsuko Shimizu and Rocky Swift; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan's SBI considering delisting Shinsei, Kyodo says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Japanese financial group SBI Holdings (8473.T) is considering delisting mid-size lender Shinsei Bank Ltd (8303.T) and will explore options with the country's banking regulator, the Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday. SBI said this month it planned to increase its stake to a majority 50.05% by the end of March. An SBI spokesperson said it had nothing to announce at this time. The Japanese government owns about 20% of Shinsei following its bankruptcy in Japan's late 1990s banking crisis. SBI first took a stake in Shinsei after JC Flowers sold down its holding in 2019.

From Tuesday, Japan will reinstate visa-free travel to dozens of countries, ending some of world's strictest border controls to slow the spread of COVID-19. Just over half a million visitors have come to Japan so far in 2022, compared with a record 31.8 million in 2019. GHOST TOWNNarita Airport, Japan's biggest international airport some 70 kilometres from Tokyo, remains eerily quiet, with about half of its 260 shops and restaurants shuttered. Whether overseas visitors wear face masks and abide by other common infection controls in Japan is another concern. "From the start of the pandemic until now, we've had just a few foreign guests," said Tokyo innkeeper Sawa.

Banknotes of Japanese yen are seen in this illustration picture taken September 22, 2022. Almost a quarter of Japanese manufacturers' production is carried out overseas, according to the latest trade ministry data. The weak yen drives up the cost of acquiring businesses overseas, although that could be less of a concern for many cash-rich Japanese firms. At the same time, the weak yen makes Japanese companies cheaper targets for foreign buyers. For retailers, the weak yen has been particularly painful, as it drives up costs, including for energy and food.

A man walks on the street in heavy rain and wind caused by Typhoon Nanmadol in Kagoshima on Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu September 18, 2022, in this photo taken by Kyodo. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN JAPANTOKYO, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Typhoon Nanmadol brought ferocious winds and record rainfall to western Japan on Monday as one of the biggest storms to hit the country in years killed at least two people, disrupted transport and forced manufacturers to suspend operations. "We need to remain highly vigilant for heavy rains, gales, high waves and storm surges," a Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) official told a news conference. Up to 400 mm (15.75 inches) of rain was expected in central Japan's Tokai region, the nation's industrial heartland, over the next 24 hours, it said. Intermittent bouts of heavy rain lashed Tokyo but businesses in the capital were largely operating as normal.

☆ Chubu Electric joins all-Japan Toshiba buyout consortium
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe logo of Toshiba Corp. is displayed atop of the company's facility building in Kawasaki, Japan June 24, 2022. REUTERS/Issei KatoTOKYO, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Chubu Electric Power Co (9502.T) said on Sunday it is joining private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) in conducting due diligence for a potential buyout of Japanese conglomerate Toshiba Corp (6502.T). JIP has contacted more than 10 companies including Chubu Electric, Orix Corp (8591.T) and Central Japan Railway Co (JR Central) (9022.T) to participate in its consortium, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Sunday. Toshiba said it does not comment on candidates for the potential buyout. JR Central did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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