Japan takes a small step towards post-pandemic reopening
Foreign students and business travellers will be allowed in to Japan from next month, although tourists will remain barred for now.

Japan is open for business again. The country’s borders have been sealed for long periods during the pandemic, but last week Tokyo announced that foreign students and business travellers will be allowed in from next month, say Wataru Suzuki and Francesca Regalado for Nikkei Asia. Quarantine rules will also be eased, although tourists remain barred for now. The announcement follows public pressure from business groups and universities. The border measures have deterred foreign investment and encouraged talent to head elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the benchmark Topix stock index has recovered from its Covid-19 slump and trades 8% above pre-pandemic levels. However, it has followed other world markets lower this year and entered a technical correction (defined as a 10% fall from a recent peak) last month.
Ready for prime time
Back in the 1980s the Tokyo market was a behemoth, accounting “for some 40% of the world’s stockmarket value”, says Suryatapa Bhattacharya in The Wall Street Journal. Yet things went south at the end of that decade and today it ranks behind bourses in New York, Europe and China in terms of market capitalisation. About half of stocks listed in Tokyo trade for “less than their book value”, a sign that investors have little faith in the ability of managers to create value. Japanese blue-chips have long been accused of “sitting on cash and stagnating”.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
The Tokyo Stock Exchange is trying to shake up that image with “the biggest overhaul in 60 years”. It wants to create a new elite section called “Prime”, with stricter rules for members about independent directors and communications with investors. However, loopholes in the new rules mean critics think the changes amount to little more than “window dressing”.
Small is beautiful
Still, corporate reforms over the past decade have started to make a difference, says Max Godwin of Eastspring Investments. “Deleveraging of balance sheets, rising dividend payouts, stock buybacks” and more “contested takeovers” are all positives for investors. Perhaps most intriguing are smaller stocks, which are less heavily covered by analysts and make up about two-thirds of the investment universe. With “undemanding valuations”, the “small- and mid-cap space is prime territory for longer term valuation-driven stock pickers”.
Business confidence is strong, as evidenced by “share buyback activity at a ten-year high” and strong “capital expenditure levels”, adds Mary McDougall in the Investors’ Chronicle. Valuations are attractive, with the MSCI Japan trading on a 12-month forward price-to-earnings ratio of 15, compared to the developed-market average of 19.5. Investors in Japan have learnt from bitter experience not to get too excited, but “there are reasons to be cautiously optimistic for 2022”.
-
The fallout from the war on landlords
Investors fleeing the market and the rise in rents are affecting us all.
By Charlie Ellingworth Published
-
Eight small-cap trusts to bet on
Funds investing in market minnows are out of favour, but the cycle will turn. Here are the best bets.
By Max King Published
-
The fallout from the war on landlords
Investors fleeing the market and the rise in rents are affecting us all.
By Charlie Ellingworth Published
-
Eight small-cap trusts to bet on
Funds investing in market minnows are out of favour, but the cycle will turn. Here are the best bets.
By Max King Published
-
Trust in US TIPS to beat inflation
In an inflationary market TIPS, the US Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities are most compelling says Cris Sholto Heaton.
By Cris Sholto Heaton Published
-
What is Vix – the fear index?
What is Vix? We explain how the fear index could guide your investment decisions.
By Dr Matthew Partridge Published
-
Time to invest in the next agricultural revolution
As the global demand for food increases, food producers are seeking to lower their carbon emissions. Technology will help meet both goals.
By Dr Matthew Partridge Published
-
Asia’s hidden gems: Three undervalued Asian stocks
Personal View Fidelity's Nitin Bajaj highlights three favourite Asian stocks.
By Nitin Bajaj Published
-
Uber's switch to profitability is an opportunity for investors
The ride-hailing platform has just reported its first operating profit and its future looks bright.
By Stephen Connolly Published
-
The bond bust bodes well for equities
Rising yields on government debt herald the end of the free-money era and good news for investors.
By Max King Published