Growth market: raising Japanese rice in Thailand
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Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
Japanese liquor maker Yomeishu is said to consider going private
Yomeishu Seizo, a Japanese medicinal liqueur manufacturer, is considering going private and has received acquisition proposals from several investment funds, according to people familiar with the matter. Yomeishu has appointed Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities as its financial advisor to explore capital strategies, including delisting, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information isn't public. Yomeishu has reached out to potential buyers and investment funds for a possible sale and has recently conducted a first-round bidding process, according to the people. Officials at Yomeishu were not immediately available to comment. A spokesperson for Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities declined to comment. Yomeishu has a market capitalization of approximately ¥54.5 billion ($370 million). Its stock price has climbed more than 40% over the past year, driven by expectations for business reforms and improved capital efficiency. This makes it unclear how much potential buyers would be willing to offer, said one of the people. A wave of corporate governance and capital policy reforms in Japan has led to an increase in buyouts by investment funds, management and founders. Activist investors have also had more impact in recent years and this trend is expected to continue. It is unclear whether Yomeishu's move toward privatization is directly linked, but in March it was revealed that major shareholder Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings had sold its entire stake in the company — roughly 24% of voting rights. The largest shareholder now is Tokyo-based investment firm Yuzawa. Yomeishu has assets including real estate and cash. It owns an 11-story office building in a prime location in Nanpeidai in Tokyo's Shibuya district, where its headquarters are located. It also owns a large factory and related retail outlets in Nagano Prefecture.
3 hours ago
Akazawa Urges U.S. to Cut Auto Tariff Early
News from Japan Economy Aug 7, 2025 09:36 (JST) Washington, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)--Japanese economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa urged the United States to cut its automotive tariff at an early date, during a meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington on Wednesday. Washington agreed to lower its levy on vehicles and auto parts imported from Japan to 15 pct from 27.5 pct under its trade deal struck with Tokyo last month. During the 90-minute meeting with Lutnick, Akazawa, Japan's chief negotiator for tariff talks with the United States, urged the U.S. side to issue an executive order at an early date to cut the tariff as agreed under the deal. "We asked them to take necessary measures to promptly implement the agreement," he said. Under the deal, the United States also agreed to set its blanket reciprocal tariffs on Japanese imports at 15 pct. Akazawa also urged Lutnick to put the agreement in place swiftly. The ministers confirmed the importance of working to benefit both countries under the Japan-U.S. agreement, the Japanese government said in a statement. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
NHK
6 hours ago
- NHK
New US tariff rate of 15% to come into effect Thursday
New tariff rates on trading partners of the United States come into effect at midnight Wednesday in Washington. That's 1 p.m., Japan time, on Thursday. Japan and the United States reached an agreement last month to impose a new 15 percent baseline import tariff rate on Japan. Immediately after the deal was clinched, the Japanese government explained that the 15 percent rate would be imposed on items currently subject to a lower rate -- and that nothing would change for those whose tariffs are already 15 percent or higher. But there was no mention of this in the executive order US President Donald Trump signed on July 31 or in related documents released by the White House. That's despite a flat 15 percent rate being set down in a similar agreement reached between the European Union and the United States. It also remains unclear when the US tariffs on Japanese autos will be lowered from the current 27.5 percent to 15 percent. Japan's top trade negotiator, Akazawa Ryosei, now in Washington, is calling on his US counterparts to lower tariffs on Japanese automobiles and car parts at an early date.
