FinCity.tokyo

Updates from Tokyo’s expanding finance and startup ecosystem and the 56 members of FinCity.Tokyo.

FinCity.Tokyo joins panel discussion on the impact of Trump’s policies on global finance at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club in Tokyo

On May 16, FinCity.Tokyo’s Executive Director Keiichi Aritomo discussed how the global finance architecture would be impacted by the Trump administration’s policies with Satoru Yamadera, Advisor at the Asian Development Bank, and Jesper Koll, Expert Director at Monex Group and an Investment Committee member of the Japan Catalyst Fund. 

Watch the full discussion here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

FinCity.Tokyo joins BEYOND Wealth Summit in Macau

FinCity.Tokyo will join the BEYOND Wealth Summit in Macau on May 23-24 to present Japan’s investment landscape to overseas Family Offices and strengthen networking with them. As part of this, we will hold a “Japan Session” with the theme “Opportunities and Challenges: Navigating Japan’s Investment Landscape for Family Offices.”

More on the BEYOND Wealth Summit here.

MEMBER INTERVIEW: VISTRA JAPAN

Global back-office service provider Vistra, which currently operates in 50 markets around the world, recently became a member of FinCity.Tokyo. We met with Managing Director for Japan, Kevin Smythe, to hear more about the company’s operations here.

Read the full interview here.

Read more about Vistra Japan here.

KEY STORIES IN JAPANESE MEDIA

• “Global investors enthusiastic about Japan”: Carlyle executives (Nikkei, May 19)
  The leaders of Carlyle said “investors are enthusiastic about Japan” amid China trade frictions and Donald Trump’s tariff policies, citing the attractiveness of the Japanese market, the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s rule changes and the country’s relatively low interest rates.
   
• Japanese SME stock recovery scenario identified in “Fuji Television”（Nikkei, May 18）
  Japanese small and medium-sized stocks are attracting attention. The Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market 250 Index has performed well at +5.5%, due to a shift in capital away from export stocks and the sense that stock prices themselves are undervalued.
   
• [Editorial] Use mandatory English disclosure rule as springboard to boost communication（Nikkei, April 9）
  As of April 2025, Companies listed on the TSE Prime Market must disclose financial and other information in English. While 94% of companies already comply, only 59% do so in a timely manner. The Nikkei says listed companies should not only provide English translations, but use this opportunity to improve their content, as good communication will be key in the competition to attract global funds.

KEY STORIES IN INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

• Japan to Target 1% Real Wage Gains Within Next Five Years (Bloomberg, May 14)
  The “Council for the Realization of New Capitalism” set a goal of increasing real wages by 1% per year over the next five years. Prime Minister Ishiba emphasized that “increasing wages is the keystone of our growth strategy.” Takahide Kiuchi, executive economist at Nomura Research Institute, notes: “the government is trying to send a message to consumers ahead of the House of Councilors election that they are making efforts to improve the living standards of consumers by targeting real wage increases.”
   
• Investment firm EQT hiring in Japan where it sees deals flourishing, founder says (Reuters, May 14)
  Swedish investment firm EQT is recruiting for private capital, infrastructure and real estate in Japan. The country has the potential to become EQT’s biggest market over the next five years, its chairman and founder said. Since entering the Japanese market in 2021, the company has made two investments in Japan, including the management buyout of Benesse.
   
• Buffett’s Little Japan Handbook, and Other Lessons (Bloomberg, May 12)
  Behind Warren Buffett’s decision to invest in Japan’s five major trading companies was the discovery of their undervalued stocks in the English version of the “Company Quarterly Report.” While the handbook recently discontinued its English version, Buffet notes that Japan has a very large market for mobile phones, soft drinks, music, movies, and gambling (pachinko), meriting investors to pay more attention.

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