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Nomura soars to 16-year high as profit jump cements recovery

Nomura soars to 16-year high as profit jump cements recovery

Japan Times06-02-2025

Nomura Holdings' shares have jumped to their highest in 16 years after Japan's biggest brokerage doubled third-quarter profit and beat market estimates on robust trading and cost cuts.
The stock climbed as much as 7.7% to ¥1,077 in Tokyo on Thursday morning, the highest level since October 2008. Net income doubled from a year earlier to ¥101.4 billion ($665 million) in the three months ended Dec. 31, hitting a four-year peak.
CEO Kentaro Okuda has steered Nomura to an earnings recovery, even as it grapples with the fallout from a pair of scandals in recent months. Japanese brokerages are benefiting from elevated trading and dealmaking activity, along with a growing investment appetite among individual clients seeking to protect their wealth from the emergence of inflation at home.

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Panel to propose Japan weigh defense spending above 2% of GDP
Panel to propose Japan weigh defense spending above 2% of GDP

Kyodo News

timean hour ago

  • Kyodo News

Panel to propose Japan weigh defense spending above 2% of GDP

KYODO NEWS - 6 hours ago - 22:01 | All, Japan A Defense Ministry panel is set to propose that the government consider raising defense spending beyond the current goal of 2 percent of gross domestic product, sources close to the matter said Sunday. In a draft proposal to be presented to the government soon, the panel, set up in February 2024, also calls for discussions on deploying submarines equipped with long-range missiles, including nuclear-powered ones, to strengthen the country's deterrence capability, the sources said. It remains unclear how the proposal will be reflected in Japan's defense policy, as questions remain over how to fund a larger budget and whether using nuclear power for defense purposes would conflict with the country's policy of peaceful atomic energy use. The government "should not hesitate to pursue the further strengthening of defense capabilities after the achievement" of the current target to have defense-related spending account for 2 percent of GDP, the panel says in the draft proposal, according to the sources. The panel says submarines that enable Japan to strike from beyond an enemy's missile range would significantly enhance the country's deterrence capability. The government should discuss all possible options for propulsion systems, including nuclear power for the submarines, "without taboos," the panel says. The panel, chaired by Sadayuki Sakakibara, the former chairman of the Japan Business Federation, was set up to discuss how the country's defense capabilities should be bolstered in line with its current defense buildup plan. The plan, known as the Defense Buildup Program, allocates 43 trillion yen ($298 billion) over five years through March 2028, aiming for defense spending to reach 2 percent of GDP in fiscal 2027. Japan's annual defense budget had long been capped at around 1 percent of GDP. The program was adopted in December 2022 as part of three key security documents that marked a major shift in defense policy for a country with a pacifist Constitution, including a plan to acquire strike capabilities that could reach an adversary's territory. "It is necessary to make efforts to achieve the 2 percent target ahead of schedule and compile the next defense strategy and the buildup plan," the panel says in the draft proposal. The panel, made up of experts in security, the economy, and science and technology, also calls for the full-fledged introduction of unmanned defense equipment using cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies, the sources said. The government should consider using unmanned aircraft for continuous day-and-night aerial monitoring, the panel says, following a May incident in which a Chinese military helicopter entered Japanese airspace near the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which are claimed by Beijing. Related coverage: Philippines, Japan conduct joint exercise in South China Sea Japan draws up 100 bil. yen policy to attract foreign researchers Japan conveys strong concern over China jet flying close to SDF plane

‘Golden Share' Served as Solution in Trump's Approval of U.S. Steel Acquisition; Solution Found but Challenges Remain
‘Golden Share' Served as Solution in Trump's Approval of U.S. Steel Acquisition; Solution Found but Challenges Remain

Yomiuri Shimbun

time5 hours ago

  • Yomiuri Shimbun

‘Golden Share' Served as Solution in Trump's Approval of U.S. Steel Acquisition; Solution Found but Challenges Remain

The Yomiuri Shimbun U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a U.S. Steel Corp. steel plant in Pennsylvania on May 30. With U.S. President Donald Trump having approved a partnership between Nippon Steel Corp. and U.S. Steel Corp., the Japanese company's acquisition of U.S. Steel is expected to be realized. The Trump administration appears to have concluded that by signing a national security agreement with Nippon Steel and acquiring a 'golden share' in U.S. Steel the administration can contain opposition from hard-liners who support an 'America First' policy. Eighteen months after the plan was announced, negotiations between Japan and the United States over the acquisition, a development that escalated into a diplomatic issue, are set to conclude. Change of mind Trump, who views the steel industry as a critical sector directly linked to national security, has referred to U.S. Steel — once the world's largest steel manufacturer — as a 'symbol of America' and had opposed Nippon Steel's bid to acquire it. What prompted Trump to change his mind were Nippon Steel's proposed additional investments and the Japanese company's measures to mitigate security threats. Nippon Steel increased the amount it would invest in the U.S. company after acquiring it from $2.7 billion to $14 billion (about ¥2 trillion). It is also believed that Nippon Steel promised that the majority of U.S. Steel's board members would be U.S. nationals and that the company's production capacity would not be reduced. In response to these proposals, local lawmakers and other interested parties in Pennsylvania, where U.S. Steel is headquartered, moved to persuade Trump, apparently by pointing out the economic benefits of the acquisition, such as employment and plant modernization. In addition, key U.S. Cabinet members including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — who also chairs the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, whose duties include reviewing foreign acquisitions — and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are said to have urged Trump to approve the acquisition. Trump himself began to judge that Nippon Steel's huge investment would benefit his administration and leaned toward approving the acquisition. Political risk However, the acquisition could give the impression to the American people that a symbolic U.S. company is being sold to a foreign company, which would pose a significant political risk for Trump. Even within his administration, senior officials who support his 'America First' policy position opposed the acquisition. Avoiding backlash from his supporters was also necessary with the 2026 midterm elections in mind. As negotiations between the Japanese and U.S. steel companies progressed behind the scenes, there emerged the idea of issuing a golden share to the U.S. administration to grant it veto power over important management decisions. According to sources, the initial U.S. plan was to approve the acquisition on the condition that a national security agreement was signed, but in the final stages of the negotiations, the U.S. side demanded a golden share. Trump apparently judged that acquiring a golden share in U.S. Steel as a symbol of 'U.S. control' would help persuade opponents of the acquisition and gain the understanding of Trump's supporters. The executive order that Trump signed Friday also made no mention of the fact that U.S. Steel would come under foreign ownership. Intentions of both sides It can be said the golden share proposal led Trump to be able to successfully utilize Nippon Steel's financial strength and technological capabilities without compromising his 'America First' policy stance. Meanwhile, Nippon Steel has concluded that the golden share provides no voting rights and is largely symbolic, so the U.S. administration's influence on management and investment decisions will be limited. 'We will have 100% of the voting rights in U.S. Steel, so management freedom will be maintained,' a senior Nippon Steel executive said. Nippon Steel has previously insisted that 100% ownership of shares is a prerequisite for major investments, and the U.S. government has also refused to compromise over 'U.S. control.' Amid conflicting interests between the two parties, the idea of a golden share ultimately served as a solution, but challenges remain.

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