Commentary / Japan Jul 15, 2021
Time for Tokyo to become a leading hub of green finance
by Sayuri Shirai
The growing alarm about climate change has awakened the world to the urgent need to "green" existing loan and securities portfolios.
Business / Corporate Jul 2, 2021
SoftBank gets over $7 billion in jumbo offshore bond deal
by Finbarr Flynn
The Japanese technology giant sold $3.85 billion of dollar-denominated debt and €2.95 billion ($3.5 billion) of notes on Wednesday.
Commentary / World Jul 1, 2021
Everyone’s a rising star when debt is cheap
by Lisa Abramowicz
Companies are getting upgraded rapidly this year, but the logic underpinning the rise relies on ultraeasy financing that can’t go on forever.
Business / Economy Jun 29, 2021
Beware of ‘ESG bubble,’ says ex-chair of world’s biggest pension fund
by Emi Urabe, Gearoid Reidy and Shoko Oda
Eiji Hirano says the Government Pension Investment Fund needs to "think about how to analyze if ESG is really profitable, as well as how to evaluate and standardize ESG."
Business Jun 25, 2021
Investors clamoring for ESG debt help halve Tokyo funding costs
by Ayai Tomisawa
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government slashed funding costs thanks to rampant global demand for the first social bond offered by a local government in Japan.
Business / Economy Jun 16, 2021
BOJ sees no need for extra bond-buying tweaks for now, sources say
by Toru Fujioka and Sumio Ito
The BOJ starts its two-day meeting Thursday, with a majority of economists expecting the bank to extend its special COVID-19 funding program to help struggling businesses.
Business Jun 4, 2021
Japanese banks’ ¥300 trillion dilemma puts focus back on riskier bets
by Taiga Uranaka and Yuki Hagiwara
Deposits at the nation’s top three banks alone grew by ¥41 trillion in the year ending in March.
Business May 28, 2021
BOJ data shows assets quadruple to ¥715 trillion under Kuroda's easing policy
Assets held by the Bank of Japan have quadrupled in eight years and grown to 1.3 times the size of the country's economy.
Business / Corporate May 19, 2021
SoftBank plans ¥405 billion bond sale after record profit
by Finbarr Flynn
SoftBank has long tapped individual investors in Japan rather than institutions for most of its yen funding from the local bond market, taking advantage of its strong brand recognition.
Business Apr 14, 2021
Treasury traders seek moment of truth from Japan’s life insurers
by Chikako Mogi and Chikafumi Hodo
With combined assets equivalent to $3.6 trillion, and one-quarter of this in foreign securities, even minor shifts in Japanese insurer allocations can impact markets.
Business / Financial Markets Mar 31, 2021
World’s top pension fund faces moment of truth on China debt
by Chikafumi Hodo
The GPIF’s decision will also be crucial for other Japanese public and private pension funds which have been mulling opportunities to invest in Chinese government debt.
Business | FOCUS Mar 24, 2021
Politically correct? Bond market steers clear of judgment calls.
by Simon Jessop, Tom Arnold and Karin Strohecker
For all the hype and billions of dollars globally pouring into investing based on ESG factors, it is a niche play in the sovereign bond market.