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The indicative price range was set at 1,830-1,840 yen per share, KKR-backed Kokusai said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday, compared with 1,890 yen previously. Kokusai said the lower range reflected the view of institutional investors and the state of the stock market. If its IPO prices at the top of the range, Kokusai, which manufactures machines that deposit thin films on silicon wafers, will offer 108.3 billion yen ($729 million) worth of shares and have a market valuation of 423.9 billion yen, excluding an overallotment. Capital Research and Management and Lazard Asset Management have committed to purchase shares at the offer price, Kokusai said in a separate filing. Kokusai's largest customers are Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), TSMC (2330.TW) and Micron Technology (MU.O), collectively accounting for more than 40% of its revenue.

Persons: Kokusai, SoftBank Group's, Sam Nussey, Makiko Yamazaki, Miho Uranaka, Kaori Kaneko, Christian Schmollinger, Sonali Paul, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Kokusai, KKR, Capital Research, Management, Lazard Asset Management, Samsung Electronics, Micron Technology, Investors, Micron, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

[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

The logo of Toshiba Corporation is displayed at the company's building in Kawasaki, Japan, April 5, 2023. The top two deals this year, Toshiba Corp (6502.T) and JSR Corp (4185.T), had activists on their rosters. The strong M&A market comes as two long-standing obstacles to Japanese dealmaking - reluctance towards unsolicited takeovers and difficulties in cutting overlapping jobs in post merger integrations - may be fading. "Previously, excess employment issues held back M&A, because cutting overlapping headcount is the primary way M&A cuts costs and raises returns," Smith said. "As the labour shortage bites, expect M&A to surge as companies start being targeted as labour reservoirs."

Persons: Androniki, LSEG, David Gross, Loh, Jim Verbeeten, Shinsuke Tsunoda, " Bain Capital's Gross, Nicholas Smith, Smith, Makiko Yamazaki, Kane Wu, Sumeet Chatterjee, Stephen Coates Organizations: Toshiba Corporation, REUTERS, Toshiba, Bain Capital Asia, Bankers, Tokyo bourse, Toshiba Corp, JSR, Bain & Company, Nomura Securities, Marelli Holdings, KKR, Nidec Corp, Thomson Locations: Kawasaki, Japan, TOKYO, HONG KONG, Tokyo

☆ China bans Nomura senior investment banker from leaving mainland -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The logo of Nomura Securities is pictured at the company's Otemachi Head Office in Tokyo, Japan, November 18, 2016. Charles Wang Zhonghe, China investment banking chairman at Nomura, is prohibited from travelling outside the mainland, said the sources, who sought anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to media. Asked why the Nomura banker was barred from leaving, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said he did not have knowledge of the situation at a regular news briefing on Monday. A Reuters analysis has found an apparent surge of court cases involving such bans in recent years, and foreign business lobbies are voicing concern about the trend. In August last year, he was also appointed as chairman of Nomura Orient International Securities, the bank's majority-owned securities business headquartered in the commercial hub of Shanghai.

Persons: Toru Hanai, Charles Wang Zhonghe, Wang, Nomura, Bao Fan, Cong Lin, Bao, Cong, Nomura's Wang, Wang Wenbin, Mintz, Zhong, Selena Li, Kane Wu, Makiko Yamazaki, Liz Lee, Sumeet Chatterjee, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Nomura Securities, REUTERS, Authorities, Nomura Holdings, Nomura, Financial Times, China Renaissance Holdings, HK, ICBC, Commercial Bank of China Ltd, Reuters, Bain & Company, Group, Beijing, European Union, Deutsche Bank, Securities, Nomura Orient International Securities, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, HONG KONG, China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai

☆ Nintendo founder's YFO set to raise Toyo bid -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

It took about nine months for Toyo to form a special committee to assess YFO's offer, which YFO said acted against shareholders' interest. At an annual meeting in June, Toyo shareholders approved seven of nine directors backed by YFO, allowing these directors to form a majority of the board. It had been possible for YFO to hold talks with Toyo since the board reshuffle, the source said. YFO had already notified Toyo of its proposal and believes it could start a tender offer by late December, the source said. Expectations for a sweetened offer from YFO have in recent weeks boosted Toyo shares, which closed at 1,241 yen on Monday.

Persons: Yamauchi, Toyo, YFO, YFO's, Makiko Yamazaki, Alexander Smith Organizations: Japan's Toyo, Toyo, YFO, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

☆ Toshiba says $14 bln takeover bid by JIP succeeds, set to go private
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TOKYO, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Toshiba (6502.T) said on Thursday that a $14 billion tender offer from private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) had ended in success - a deal which paves the way for the embattled industrial conglomerate to go private. "Activist shareholders and Toshiba were stuck with each other for years. Toshiba in March accepted the buyout offer valuing the industrial conglomerate at 2 trillion yen ($13.5 billion). Although some shareholders were unhappy with the price, Toshiba argued that there was no prospect of a higher offer or competing bid. Deals involving private equity have been particularly active, including a planned $6.4 billion buyout of materials maker JSR by a government-backed fund.

Persons: Travis Lundy, Taro Shimada, Androniki, Shimada, Lundy, JIP, Sony Group's, chipmaker Rohm, Makiko Yamazaki, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Toshiba, Japan Industrial Partners, Quiddity Advisors, Toshiba Corporation, REUTERS, Sony, Chubu Electric Power, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Kawasaki, Japan, Asia

☆ Toshiba says $14 bln takeover bid by JIP has succeeded
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Toshiba Corporation is displayed at the company's building in Kawasaki, Japan, April 5, 2023. The deal puts the electronics-to-power stations maker in domestic hands after years of battles with overseas activist shareholders. Toshiba in March accepted the buyout offer valuing the industrial conglomerate at 2 trillion yen ($13.5 billion). Although some shareholders were unhappy with the price offered, Toshiba argued that there was no prospect of a higher offer or competing bid. Although not well known overseas, JIP has been involved in corporate carve outs and spin offs from Japanese conglomerates, including Olympus' (7733.T) camera business and Sony Group's (6758.T) laptop computer business.

Persons: Androniki, Taro Shimada, JIP, Sony Group's, Shimada, chipmaker Rohm, Makiko Yamazaki, Christopher Cushing, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Toshiba Corporation, REUTERS, Rights, Toshiba, Japan Industrial Partners, Olympus, Sony, Chubu Electric Power, Thomson Locations: Kawasaki, Japan

At Kokusai's indicative price of 1,890 yen per share, the company will offer 111.2 billion yen ($749.88 million) worth of shares and have a market value of 435.5 billion yen. A successful listing would follow the blockbuster New York IPO of SoftBank-owned chip designer Arm , which investors hoped would lead to a wave of stock market launches. IPO activity has remained strong in Japan, where the stock market is at 33-year highs and interest rates ultra low. Kokusai reported operating profit fell by a fifth to 56 billion yen in the year ended March compared to the same period a year earlier. Sales were roughly flat at 245.7 billion yen.

Persons: Miho Uranaka, Kokusai, chipmaker TSMC, TW, Sam Nussey, Makiko Yamazaki, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, KKR, Materials, Kokusai, Tokyo Stock Exchange, Industry, Reuters, Marelli Holdings, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO, China, York

☆ JIP gains 78.65% stake in Toshiba through tender offer
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The logo of Toshiba Corporation is displayed at the company's building in Kawasaki, Japan, April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Androniki Christodoulou/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Sept 21 (Reuters) - A consortium led by private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) acquired 78.65% of Toshiba (6502.T) through a tender offer, the company said, coming a step closer to completing the $14 billion deal to take the company private. Ownership of more than a two-third majority would be enough for the JIP group to squeeze out remaining shareholders. Toshiba is now set to be delisted as early as December, ending its 74-year history as a listed firm. Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Androniki, Makiko Yamazaki, Kim Coghill Organizations: Toshiba Corporation, REUTERS, Rights, Japan Industrial Partners, Toshiba, Thomson Locations: Kawasaki, Japan

☆ JIP says $14 bln tender offer for Toshiba set to succeed
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Androniki Christodoulou/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Sept 20 (Reuters) - A $14 billion tender offer to take Toshiba (6502.T) private is set to succeed, private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) said on Wednesday, clearing the way for Japan's biggest deal this year. JIP's tender offer, which closed on Wednesday, ends Toshiba's 74-year history as a listed firm and puts the electronics-to-power stations maker in domestic hands after years of battles with overseas activist shareholders. "It is forecasted that the tender offer will be successful," JIP said in a statement, suggesting that at least two-thirds of shareholders have tendered their shares. The final results of the tender offer will be announced once they are finalised, JIP added. Now that JIP has gained a two-third majority, the remaining shareholders would be squeezed out upon a vote at a planned emergency shareholder meeting.

Persons: Androniki, JIP, JIP's, LSEG, Makiko Yamazaki, Louise Heavens, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Toshiba Corporation, REUTERS, Rights, Toshiba, Japan Industrial Partners, Japan's, Effissimo Capital Management, Tokyo, Thomson Locations: Kawasaki, Japan, Asia

☆ Toshiba wins shareholder support for JIP's $14 bln takeover offer
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Toshiba Corporation is displayed at the company's building in Kawasaki, Japan, April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Androniki Christodoulou/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Sept 21 (Reuters) - A consortium led by private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) gained 78.65% of Toshiba (6502.T) through a tender offer, Toshiba said, coming a step closer to completing a $14 billion deal to take the company private. Toshiba is now set to be delisted as early as December, ending its 74-year history as a listed firm. Toshiba "will now take a major step toward a new future with a new shareholder". Since 2015, Toshiba has been battered by accounting scandals, suffered heavy loss and came close to being delisted.

Persons: Androniki, JIP, chipmaker Rohm, Taro Shimada, Makiko Yamazaki, Kim Coghill, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Toshiba Corporation, REUTERS, Rights, Japan Industrial Partners, Toshiba, Thomson Locations: Kawasaki, 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

☆ Toshiba's top investor to sell stake in JIP offer, source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Androniki Christodoulou/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Toshiba's (6502.T) largest shareholder Effissimo Capital Management has decided to tender its 9.9% stake in the $14 billion takeover offer by Japan Industrial Partners (JIP), a source said on Friday, raising the odds of the bid succeeding. The offer, which will end on Sept. 20, needs at least two-thirds of shareholders to tender their shares for it to succeed. Other major shareholders, Elliott Management and Farallon Capital Management, both have their executives on Toshiba's board which has unanimously approved the JIP takeover. Singapore-based fund 3D Investment Partners, previously Toshiba's second-largest shareholder, revealed in a filing in March that it had cut its stake to 4.90% from 7.20%. Sources have said top activist shareholders were eager to exit, even though the offer price was unsatisfactory.

Persons: Androniki, JIP, Effissimo, Elliott, Makiko Yamazaki, Kantaro Komiya, Neil Fullick Organizations: Toshiba Corporation, REUTERS, Rights, Effissimo Capital Management, Japan Industrial Partners, Toshiba, Elliott Management, Farallon Capital Management, Major Toshiba, Partners, Investment Partners, Westinghouse, Thomson Locations: Kawasaki, Japan, Singapore

NEW YORK (AP) — Historical novels by Jayne Anne Phillips and Paul Harding and Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s dystopian prison novel “Chain-Gang All-Stars” are among the nominees on the National Book Awards long list for fiction. The judges, who include authors, critics and booksellers, will narrow the lists to five next month, and winners will be announced Nov. 15 during a dinner ceremony in downtown Manhattan. The foundation also will present honorary awards to poet Rita Dove and bookseller Paul Yamazaki of the famed City Lights store in San Francisco. Drew Barrymore had been scheduled to host the ceremony but was dropped by the foundation after she resumed her talk show in the midst of the Hollywood actors and writers strike. The foundation has not yet named a replacement.

Persons: Jayne Anne Phillips, Paul Harding, Nana Kwame Adjei, Phillips, Harding, ”, Mona Susan Power's multigenerational, ” Eliot Duncan’s, Hanna Pylväinen’s, Tania James’s, Justin Torres, Aaliyah, LaToya Watkins, “, Jesmyn, James McBride's “, Lauren Groff's “, Wilds, Jamel Brinkley's, Rita Dove, Paul Yamazaki, Drew Barrymore Organizations: National, Foundation, of Dolls, Book Foundation, Hollywood Locations: Manhattan, San Francisco

The National Book Foundation, the nonprofit which presents the book awards, announced Friday that Dove is this year’s winner of its medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, an honor previously given to Toni Morrison, Edmund White and Art Spiegelman among others. She is best known for her poetry, but has worked in other art forms and is currently planning a memoir. “Dove’s work transforms the everyday into the remarkable, brilliantly blending music, politics, and, let’s not forget, pleasure.”Political Cartoons View All 1148 ImagesThe National Book Award ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 15 in Manhattan, with Drew Barrymore hosting. Dove has received so many previous honors, lifetime and competitive, that it’s almost surprising the book foundation didn’t get around to her sooner. A fellow Pulitzer winner, poet Jericho Brown, will introduce Dove at the National Book Awards.

Persons: —, Rita Dove, I’m, Toni Morrison, Edmund White, Spiegelman, “ Thomas, Beulah, ”, Oscar, John Williams, Rita Dove’s, ” Ruth Dickey, “, let’s, Drew Barrymore, Dove, Paul Yamazaki, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Ruth Lilly, Jericho Brown, Shakespeare, William Blake, Rosa Parks, Fred Viebahn, Cave Organizations: Book Foundation, Luck, Lights Booksellers & Publishers, Poet, City, Presidential, University of Miami, University of Iowa, Pulitzer, Humanities, of Arts, NAACP, Poetry Foundation, Library of Congress, American Academy of Arts and, University of Virginia Locations: Ivory, Manhattan, San Francisco's, Akron , Ohio, Ohio, Charlottesville , Virginia, New York City

☆ Nearly 70% of Japan firms yet to disclose strategies for better capital efficiency
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A photographer takes photo of a large screen showing stock prices at the Tokyo Stock Exchange after market opens in Tokyo, Japan October 2, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Japan Exchange Group Inc FollowTOKYO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Nearly 70% of companies listed on the top "prime" section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) have yet to respond to the bourse's call for better capital efficiency, a request that helped lift the Japanese market to 33-year highs. "The call has already prompted responses from a certain number of companies," the TSE said in a document released early this week. The remaining 69% made no mention in their annual corporate governance reports, where they are required to disclose such measures. Specific measures include making investments for growth, increasing shareholder returns and revising business portfolios, according to the TSE, owned by Japan Exchange Group (8697.T).

Persons: Kim Kyung, Makiko Yamazaki, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Tokyo Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Rights, Japan Exchange, TSE, PBR, Japan Exchange Group, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Japan regulator to monitor potential BOJ impact on regional banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A man walks at the headquarters of Bank of Japan in Tokyo, Japan, January 18, 2023. The Financial Services Agency (FSA) "will monitor how potential changes in the financial markets and client situations will affect regional banks' profits and health," the regulator said in its annual policy outlook released on Tuesday. Large banks have shortened the duration of their bond portfolios in anticipation of higher yields, but analysts say some smaller, regional banks do not have such flexibility. The FSA said in the policy outlook that it would "encourage regional banks to take necessary steps ahead of time" to address potential changes in the financial and economic situations. The policy outlook, set yearly, lays out guidelines for the FSA's supervision and direction of banks and other financial firms.

Persons: Issei Kato, Makiko Yamazaki, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Financial Services Agency, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Mitsubishi UFJ to invest $936 mln in U.S. Bancorp
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People queue inside a branch of the Mitsubishi UFJ (MUFJ) Financial Group's bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ in Tokyo, Japan, February 1, 2016. In return, MUFG's stake in the fifth largest U.S. bank will rise to 4.4% from 2.9%. MUFG sold its U.S. retail banking unit MUFG Union Bank to U.S. Bancorp for $8 billion last year. As part of the deal, U.S. Bancorp received $3.5 billion in additional cash held by MUFG Union Bank which it is required to repay within five years. The Minneapolis-based bank will also help MUFG with U.S. dollar liquidity support, allowing the Japanese bank to diversify dollar funding sources in case of contingencies.

Persons: Yuya, MUFG's, MUFG, Makiko Yamazaki, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Mitsubishi, REUTERS, Bancorp, Union Bank TOKYO, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, U.S . Bancorp, U.S, MUFG, Bank, MUFG Union Bank, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S, Minneapolis

☆ Mitsubishi UFJ to invest $937 mln in U.S. Bancorp
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People queue inside a branch of the Mitsubishi UFJ (MUFJ) Financial Group's bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ in Tokyo, Japan, February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Yuya Shino/File PhotoTOKYO, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Japan's Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) (8306.T) said on Thursday it would invest $936.7 million in U.S. Bancorp (USB.N) to raise its stake in the U.S. bank to 4.4%. The payment is in connection with MUFG's $8 billion sale of its U.S. retail banking unit MUFG Union Bank to U.S. Bancorp last year. In the deal, U.S. Bancorp received $3.5 billion in additional cash held by MUFG Union Bank which the U.S. bank is required to repay. MUFG also said it has agreed with a bank subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp on U.S. dollar liquidity support to strengthen its sustainable non-Japanese yen funding capacity.

Persons: Yuya, MUFG, Makiko Yamazaki, Tom Hogue Organizations: Mitsubishi, REUTERS, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, U.S . Bancorp, U.S, Bancorp, MUFG's, MUFG, Bank, MUFG Union Bank, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S

☆ Japan's Nomura Q1 profit soars on strong domestic stock market
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We had a market tailwind," Chief Financial Officer Takumi Kitamura told a media briefing. Nomura's April-June profit came in at 23.33 billion yen ($163.42 million) versus 1.696 billion yen a year earlier, when fears of slowing global economic growth hit financial markets and forced investment portfolio writedowns at the Japanese firm. In contrast to the strong gains at the retail business, Nomura's wholesale division, which houses its investment banking and trading businesses, posted a pretax profit of just 2.1 billion yen, down sharply from 25.3 billion yen a year earlier. The Bank of Japan's relaxation of its cap on bond yields last week could also be "a major tailwind" to its business, as it is likely to increase market volatility, he said. ($1 = 142.7600 yen)Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Takumi Kitamura, Nomura's, Kentaro Okuda, Kitamura, Makiko Yamazaki, Himani Sarkar, Mark Potter Organizations: Nomura Holdings Inc, of, Energy, NTT Group, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

☆ Toshiba tender offer pushed back to August due to regulatory delay
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, July 28 (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp (6502.T) said on Friday a group led by Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) is expected to launch a tender offer for the industrial conglomerate "sometime in August 2023", a delay from late July. Toshiba said in a statement that procedures under foreign competition laws and regulations in some jurisdictions are not expected to be completed until after Aug. 1. The Toshiba board has approved the buyout offer, which values the electronics-to-power stations maker at 2 trillion yen ($14.35 billion) and would put it in domestic hands after years of battles with overseas activist shareholders. Some 20 Japanese companies, including financial services firm Orix (8591.T) and chipmaker Rohm Co (6963.T), plan to take part in the deal led by private equity firm JIP. read moreThe buyout group will promptly make an announcement when the conditions for the tender offer are fulfilled, or when there is any further change in the expected schedule, Toshiba said.

Persons: chipmaker Rohm, Makiko Yamazaki, Tom Hogue, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Toshiba Corp, Japan Industrial Partners, Toshiba, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

"When we're 50% foreign owned that gives people pause within Japan," Johnson said in an interview. Companies often view the presence of an activist investor as a challenge to their strategy or a factor that could delay execution of their plans. The activist investor previously praised JSR's "fact-based decision making" and said it supports the sale to JIC. "But that doesn't contribute to the Japanese semiconductor materials industry overall," he said. "I don't think they're being imaginative enough ... there's a wide range of materials expertise in Japan," Johnson said.

Persons: Eric Johnson, Johnson, ValueAct, JSR's, Atsushi Ikeda, Goldman Sachs, Ikeda, Yuta, JSR, Sam Nussey, Miho Uranaka, Makiko Yamazaki, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Stephen Coates Organizations: JSR, Japan Investment Corp, Samsung, Intel, ValueAct, Companies, Citigroup, Svea, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, American, Japan, there's

☆ Nidec's acquisitive CEO hails new Japan rules aimed at making takeovers easier
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Nidec Corp's logo is pictured at an earnings results news conference in Tokyo, Japan, July 25, 2018. Nagamori welcomed the prospect of Japan becoming more receptive to unsolicited bids. Because unsolicited bids are seen as taboo, Nidec has typically focused on buying and turning around money-losing companies, he said, but "that takes time". In corporate Japan, unsolicited bids have been seen as too adversarial. he said, referring to Nidec's tender offer price with an 80% premium.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Shigenobu Nagamori, Nagamori, Nidec, Makiko Yamazaki, Miho Uranaka, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO

[1/3] Pedestrians are reflected on a window of a commercial building at closing hour at a financial district in Tokyo, Japan, November 22, 2017. The number of activist funds has trebled over the last five years to 69, according to data from IR Japan. Joining a hedge fund where you might lose your job tomorrow because you lost money or didn't raise funds is a very foreign world for such workers." "Many global hedge funds are opening up Tokyo offices and hiring talent" to support a growing investment focus, said Masa Yanagisawa, head of prime services Japan at Goldman Sachs in Tokyo. Hong Kong-headquartered activist hedge fund Oasis Management has hired people in Japan this year, including a former senior regulatory official it appointed to its advisory council.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Warren Buffett, Stefan Nilsson, Masa Yanagisawa, Goldman Sachs, Seth Fischer, FinCity.Tokyo, Keiichi Aritomo, Toby Bartlett, Goldman's Yanagisawa, UBP, Cedric Le Berre, Xie Yu, Makiko Yamazaki, Scott Murdoch, David Dolan, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Global, Nikkei, Funds, Oasis Management, Oasis, Citadel, Citadel Securities, Nasdaq, May, Angel, Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, HONG KONG, TOKYO, Hong Kong, Singapore, Swiss, China, Taiwan, Sydney

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