Hana Slevin Ohama

Jul 29, 2024 | asia.nikkei.com | Hana Slevin Ohama

TOKYO -- Japan's Ministry of Finance plans to designate 12 brokerages to help find overseas buyers for Japanese government bonds, as the Bank of Japan prepares to scale back its massive purchasing program, Nikkei has learned. The list of domestic and foreign brokerages, to be released soon, is expected to include SMBC Nikko Securities and Mizuho Securities. In partnership with the ministry, they will work on investor outreach activities including visits and seminars.

Jul 8, 2024 | asia.nikkei.com | Genki Ikuta |Hana Slevin Ohama

TOKYO -- Overseas asset purchases by Japanese individuals through a newly revamped tax-free investment scheme have emerged as a major factor driving down the yen, with their scale likely surpassing the country's trade deficit during the first half of this year.

Jun 25, 2024 | asia.nikkei.com | Hana Slevin Ohama

SEOUL -- Top Japanese and South Korean finance officials agreed Tuesday to cooperate on improving the effectiveness of sanctions against Russia and North Korea, as well as on tackling illicit funding for weapons development. A joint news release from Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki and South Korean counterpart Choi Sang-mok after their economic dialogue here underscored the alarm over moves by Moscow and Pyongyang to build closer security ties.

May 10, 2024 | asia.nikkei.com | Hana Slevin Ohama

TOKYO -- Japanese corporations reinvested 10.57 trillion yen ($67.8 billion) of overseas profits abroad last fiscal year, more than triple the amount a decade earlier, new government data shows. The shift is seen ramping up medium- to long-term downward pressure on the yen, which is trading at historic lows. In an attempt to reverse the trend, the Japanese government is weighing tax incentives to encourage the repatriation of offshore profit.

May 6, 2024 | asia.nikkei.com | Yohei Hirose |Hana Slevin Ohama

TOKYO/TBILISI, Georgia -- Currency weakness against the dollar has raised concerns that Laos and other vulnerable Asia-Pacific nations are at risk of falling into a debt crisis. "Debt vulnerabilities remain severe in some middle-income countries, as well as low-income countries," Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said at the annual Asian Development Bank (ADB) meeting held over the weekend in Tbilisi, Georgia.