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☆ ValueAct ratchets up criticism of Japan's Seven & i
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"Seven & i did not answer any of the nine questions posed by ValueAct in a clear and specific way," ValueAct told Reuters in a statement, a day after Seven & i independent directors promised to continue reviewing strategic alternatives. In response, Seven & i said in a statement to Reuters that its strategy committee will continuously discuss reforms to the group structure. "We plan to express the views of our board, which will include responses to questions from shareholders, around mid April," it said. Shares of Seven & i slid 4% on Friday, after its profit outlook for this financial year failed to meet market expectations. Reporting by Kantaro Komiya and Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"We think the company should spin off 7-Eleven and that this could help close the valuation discount," Artisan Partners Associate Portfolio Manager Ben Herrick, told Reuters. Investors, including Artisan Partners, ValueAct and a domestic institutional investor contacted by Reuters that is not permitted to discuss its views publicly, are blaming Seven & i's stagnant share price on management's attachment to a conglomerate structure. SPIN-OFF PROPOSALThree months ago, ValueAct proposed a tax free spin-off of 7-Eleven, via a listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in roughly one year. One investor said 7-Eleven, the company's crown jewel, will stop shining brightly unless it is spun off. A source said Seven & i president Ryuichi Isaka is one of the board members ValueAct wants to replace.

☆ Mitsubishi UFJ to postpone AT1 bond issuance in Credit Suisse fallout
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, April 3 (Reuters) - Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (8306.T) will postpone the issuance of Additional Tier-1 (AT1) bonds to mid-May or later from late April, a spokesperson said on Monday, after the Swiss decision to wipe out Credit Suisse bonds rattled the market. Mitsubishi UFJ decided on the postponement taking into account investor appetite and market conditions, the spokesperson said. Sources have said Mitsubishi UFJ and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (8316.T), may put April issuance on hold amid the volatility. As part of the rescue of Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) by its rival UBS (UBSG.S), Swiss regulator FINMA determined that Credit Suisse's AT1 bonds with a notional value of 16 billion francs ($17.35 billion) would be wiped out, a decision that stunned global credit markets and angered many holders. Reporting by Ritsuko Shimizu and Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Varun H KOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

TOKYO, March 31 (Reuters) - Japanese regional lenders will be well able to weather even "large" losses on their foreign bond portfolios thanks to strong capital buffers, a senior banking regulator official said, rebuffing concerns fuelled by U.S. banking woes. "Overseas media seem to be focusing on Japanese regional banks in association with the SVB collapse, but I'd like to emphasise that they are completely different," he told Reuters in an interview. Analysts at SMBC Nikko Securities calculated unrealized foreign bond losses at over 70 listed Japanese regional banks totalling 1.4 trillion yen ($10.6 billion) at the end of last year, the worst in decades for global bond markets. "It is true that unrealized losses on foreign bond holdings at some regional banks are large, but the banks have enough capital buffers even when such losses are taken into account," Yashiki said. He also said he saw no immediate need to review Japan's regulatory framework as Japanese banks have grown resilient with significantly improved asset quality.

Other investors who have held Toshiba longer may not be so lucky: the offer price represents a 15% discount from a December 2014 high. Some were introduced to JIP by Toshiba's management, some of the people said, declining to be identified because the information is not public. Toshiba's management, including CEO Taro Shimada, will stay on, while the government keeps Toshiba's sensitive defence and nuclear technologies in Japanese hands. Toshiba felt stable shareholders were desirable to end the tumult, unlike current shareholders "with many differing views", it said. JIP does not see the need for big strategy adjustments, Toshiba said.

TOKYO, March 28 (Reuters) - The Japanese construction company targeted for takeover by the family office linked to Nintendo Co's (7974.T) founder is pushing back against the fund and has asked the government to investigate alleged breaches of foreign ownership rules. Toyo Construction Co (1890.T), the marine construction company now 27% owned by Yamauchi-No.10 Family Office (YFO), made the request to the government this month, according to a letter seen by Reuters. YFO has amassed most of its 27% stake through three related investment companies registered in the Cayman Islands, each of them with less than 10%. It said the three investment vehicles were not closely related as defined by law in terms of the capital structure and that all three had different directors. "In both the acquisition of Toyo Construction shares and the formulation of the buyout proposal, we have been in close consultation with regulators throughout.

☆ Exclusive: ValueAct seeks to oust four directors of Seven & i
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 24 (Reuters) - ValueAct Capital informed Seven & i Holdings (3382.T) on Friday it would lobby to remove four directors from the Japanese's convenience store operator's 14-member board, citing "a failed corporate strategy." ValueAct, which owns a 4.4% stake of Seven & i, had called on the company's management in January to spin-off of its 7-Eleven convenience store chain. The letter did not state how ValueAct will seek to oust the four directors, whom it did not publicly identify. ValueAct, which is led by Mason Morfit, won a board seat earlier this year at cloud computing company Salesforce (CRM.N). Six new directors joined Seven & i's board last year.

☆ Toshiba board accepts Japan Industrial Partners' $15 bln buyout proposal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TOKYO, March 23 (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp's (6502.T) board has accepted a buyout offer from a group led by private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners, valuing the company at 2 trillion yen ($15.2 billion), the company said on Thursday. [1/2] The logo of Toshiba Corp is seen at the company's facility in Kawasaki, Japan June 10, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo 1 2The fallout from that debacle eventually led to the strategic review and the buyout proposal. Toshiba started an auction process about a year ago, receiving eight initial buyout proposals as well as two offers for capital alliances. The JIP consortium last month submitted a binding buyout proposal backed by $10.6 billion in loan commitments from major banks.

☆ The long-running crisis at Japan's Toshiba
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Faced with more than $6 billion in liabilities linked to Westinghouse, Toshiba decides to put prized chip unit Toshiba Memory up for sale. Nov. 2021 - Toshiba says it will split into three companies, one for energy, one for infrastructure and the third to manage its Kioxia stake. Feb. 2022 - Toshiba announces a new plan to split into two, spinning off only its devices unit. April 2022 - Toshiba sets up a special committee to resume a strategic review that could see it taken private. Under pressure from shareholders, Toshiba announces a special dividend of some $545 million.

☆ Toshiba board agrees to accept JIP's $15.3 bln buyout proposal -Nikkei
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of Toshiba Corp is seen at the company's facility in Kawasaki, Japan June 10, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File PhotoTOKYO, March 23 (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp's (6502.T) board on Thursday agreed to accept a buyout proposal worth around 2 trillion yen ($15.3 billion) from a consortium led by private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners (JIP), the Nikkei business daily reported. The JIP consortium last month submitted a binding buyout proposal backed by $10.6 billion in loan commitments from major banks. It has taken weeks for the board to proceed with a vote on JIP's proposal as some board members were dissatisfied with its offer price, sources have said. "If the early reports are correct, this ends months of uncertainty regarding whether a deal was coming and years of uncertainty regarding Board understanding of the right price," said analyst Travis Lundy of Quiddity Advisors, who publishes on Smartkarma.

☆ Japan bank lobby chief sees no signs of contagion from Credit Suisse woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A plunge in shares of Credit Suisse has renewed fears of a full-blown banking crisis, causing a rout in global bank shares. Credit Suisse later announced it would borrow up to 50 billion Swiss francs ($54 billion) from the Swiss central bank. "European banks generally have solid capital ratios, and so do Japanese banks," said Hanzawa, also the chief executive of MUFG Bank (8306.T). He also said systemic risks from the collapse of U.S.-based Silicon Valley Bank have been reduced since the Federal Reserve's decision to backstop all depositors. Losses in Silicon Valley Bank's bond portfolio have highlighted similar risks for Japanese lenders' gigantic foreign bond holdings and their relatively low loan-to-deposit ratios.

☆ Analysis: Door slams on Japan bank rally as focus turns to bond holdings in wake of SVB
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Losses in Silicon Valley Bank's bond portfolio have highlighted similar risks for Japanese lenders' gigantic foreign bond holdings, which are carrying over 4 trillion yen ($30 billion) in unrealised losses. Three days of selling has the Tokyo Stock Exchange banks index (.IBNKS.T) down 16% - its sharpest drop since the days after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami struck Japan. Reuters GraphicsBONDS GETTING HITMost of the time, bond losses aren't a problem for banks, which typically hold their investments to maturity. An annual Bank of Japan report published on Tuesday said Japanese financial institutions have sufficient capital buffers. "And maybe some concerns Japanese banks have exposures, and some profit taking," he said.

"Credit Suisse remains committed to our investment banking & capital markets clients throughout the APAC (Asia Pacific) region," the company told Reuters in response to a query. Credit Suisse's restructuring plan includes creating a separate unit for its investment bank under the CS First Boston brand. Reuters was not immediately able to ascertain whether the few remaining staff at Credit Suisse's Japanese investment banking division would be shifted to the new unit. Credit Suisse also runs wealth management, equity research, securities trading and asset management businesses in Japan. Some of the major deals that Credit Suisse advised on in Japan included Hitachi Ltd's (6501.T) $9.6 billion acquisition of U.S. software company GlobalLogic Inc.

But its tussle with the $620 million Toyo, Japan's third-largest marine construction firm in which it holds 27%, has been anything but whimsical. When asked for comment, Toyo Construction said it intended to set up a committee to consider the takeover proposal. It said it repeatedly requested more information to help it evaluate the offer but the Yamauchi office had not responded. The Yamauchi family office announced its all-cash offer to take Toyo private in May last year, a 30% premium to an earlier bid by Toyo's then largest shareholder. The board supported the lower offer, which later lapsed and the Yamauchi family office says it spent many months trying to engage with the board.

☆ FTX Japan to allow asset withdrawals starting Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The Japanese unit of failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX said on Monday it would allow customers to withdraw deposits of fiat currency and crypto assets beginning Tuesday after months of suspension. FTX Japan said its customers could withdraw assets through the website of Liquid Japan, a crypto exchange it bought in February last year. FTX filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection in November. Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Bradley PerrettOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Kazuo Ueda, a 71-year-old university professor who has kept a low profile despite strong credentials as a monetary policy expert, ticked some important boxes. While he was not even on the list of dark horse candidates floated by the media, Ueda was well known in global central bank circles. The bank's preferred choices were incumbent deputy governor Amamiya, as well as former deputies Hiroshi Nakaso and Hirohide Yamaguchi, given their deep knowledge on monetary policy. Matsuno said he hoped the BOJ works closely with the government and guides monetary policy flexibly, when asked whether Ueda's appointment could lead to a retreat from Abenomics. While he warned of the rising cost of the BOJ's yield control policy, Ueda has called for the need to keep monetary policy loose to ensure Japan stably achieves the bank's 2% inflation target.

☆ Toshiba warns on profit after Q3 slump; COO resigns over expenses
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Toshiba Corp FollowTOKYO, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Japan's Toshiba Corp (6502.T) slashed its annual earnings estimate after third-quarter profit slumped, while its chief operating officer resigned over the inappropriate use of entertainment expenses some years ago. Hit by weak demand for hard disk drives due to reduced investments in data, Toshiba said quarterly operating profit tumbled 88% to 5.3 billion yen ($40.4 million), far less than a Refinitiv consensus estimate of 37 billion yen. The industrial conglomerate also took a large charge relating to an old project for its power generation systems business. Its profit estimate for the year ending in March was cut by a quarter to 95 billion yen. Toshiba said COO Goro Yanase had resigned over the inappropriate use of entertainment expenses in 2019 when he was an executive at a company unit.

"The company has received a proposal from the JIP consortium," Toshiba said in a statement. Two of the sources said major Japanese banks, including Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T), had issued letters of commitment to provide 1.4 trillion yen ($10.6 billion) in loans to the group. The final buyout proposal would also include an equity portion of about 1 trillion yen, they said. The Nikkei business daily reported the total value of the buyout proposal was around 2 trillion yen. JIP was then asked by Toshiba to provide commitment letters from banks by Nov. 7, something it was unable to do.

Major Japanese banks, including Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T), had issued letters of commitment to provide the loans to the JIP-led group, said two of the sources, who declined to be identified because the information has not been made public. The 1.4 trillion yen of loans included a commitment line of 200 billion yen for working capital, the sources said. The final buyout proposal would also include an equity portion of about 1 trillion yen, they said. The Nikkei business daily reported a final buyout proposal worth around 2 trillion yen. The banks asked Toshiba to promise the sale of underperforming businesses if earnings deteriorated after a buyout was concluded, sources, including those who spoke on Thursday, have previously said.

Major Japanese banks, including Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T), have issued letters of commitment to provide the loans to the JIP-led group, said the sources, who declined to be identified because the information has not been made public. The Nikkei business daily reported a final buyout proposal worth around 2 trillion yen had been submitted. Sources said the 1.4 trillion yen of loans included a commitment line of 200 billion yen for working capital. Toshiba named the JIP-led group as its preferred bidder in October. The private equity firm was then asked by Toshiba to provide commitment letters from banks by Nov. 7, something it was unable to secure by that date.

☆ Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho report strong Q3 results on solid loan demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (8306.T) and Mizuho Financial Group (8411.T) on Thursday reported strong third-quarter profits in their core businesses thanks to an economic rebound in Japan and solid loan demand abroad. Including the expected accounting gain, Mitsubishi UFJ's nine-month net profit totalled 1.14 trillion yen ($8.86 billion), already ahead of its full-year profit forecast of 1 trillion yen. Mizuho's third-quarter net profit more than doubled to 209.3 billion yen compared to the same period last year, when results at the country's No. 3 lender were weighed down by loan loss provisions for KKR & Co's (KKR.N) auto parts supplier Marelli Holdings Co.Japan's second-largest bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (8316.T), on Monday reported a 42.6% jump in third-quarter net profit. ($1 = 128.6100 yen)Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nomura's Q3 profit grows despite investment banking slump
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Nomura Holdings Inc (8604.T), Japan's biggest brokerage and investment bank, reported an 11% rise in quarterly net profit on Wednesday, as a partial stake sale in an affiliate offset a slump in investment banking. Nomura's wholesale division, which houses its investment banking and trading businesses, logged a pretax loss of 1.9 billion yen ($14.58 million), its first loss since the April-June quarter of 2021. read moreEven as Nomura's investment banking business was underpinned by relatively solid dealmaking activity in Japan, it confirmed layoffs of bankers in Europe and Asia. Kitamura said the company would stick to its strategy of beefing up its investment banking business, however. ($1 = 130.3400 yen)Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman, Subhranshu Sahu and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan's Nomura Q3 net profit rises 11%
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Nomura Holdings Inc (8604.T), Japan's biggest brokerage and investment bank, reported an 11% rise in quarterly net profit on Wednesday, as a partial stake sale in an affiliate lifted otherwise weak earnings. Profit came in at 66.9 billion yen ($513.51 million) for the October-December period, up from 60.3 billion yen a year earlier. Nomura's profit of 28 billion yen from a partial sale of its stake in affiliate Nomura Research Institute (4307.T) helped underpinned the earnings. The wholesale division, which houses its trading and investment banking businesses, reported a pretax loss of 1.9 billion yen, compared with a profit of 40.8 billion yen in the same period a year earlier. So far, Nomura appears relatively unscathed thanks to relatively solid dealmaking activity in Japan, Nomura's home market.

☆ Tokyo booms for shareholder-relations advisers as activists raise pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Men walk past an electric board displaying Nikkei and other countries' indexes outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan January 16, 2023. At that company, activist shareholders have forced board changes, rejected the management's turnaround plan and prompted the company to consider going private to remove them. Shareholder relations advisers do that, too, and they say they are generally more focused on longer-term strategies. EY announced a foray into shareholder relations in Japan in December, with a full-service line-up from identification of shareholders to proxy solicitation. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corp said it would continue to expand its shareholder-relations support unit, Japan Shareholder Services Ltd (JSS), which now has about 80 staff members.

For the last three years, the 66-year-old has built up the "Toyota Times", hiring Japanese journalists and ramping up coverage of the company to counter what he sees as persistent misinformation and unfair criticism. "What I find unfortunate is that the media often thrives on conflict, setting BEVs against hybrids, for example," Toyoda said on the Toyota Times recently. After almost an hour of scripted presentations and banter, the Toyota Times host turned to questions from reporters. Toyoda has increasingly appeared to eschew traditional media as the company fell out of favour with environmentalists who once lauded its green technology. The Toyota Times also exclusively publishes the closely watched results of the company's spring wage negotiations with its union.

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