Daily Brief Japan: Jafco Co Ltd, Olympus Corp, Tokyo Stock Exchange Tokyo Price Index Topix and more

In today’s briefing:

JAFCO (8595) Vs Murakami – It’s On, So We Wait
Olympus Corp (7733 JP): Started FY23 on a Strong Note Thanks to Favorable Foreign Exchange Rate
The Time Is Not Far off when the Prime Market Listing Criteria Itself Will Be Questioned

JAFCO (8595) Vs Murakami – It’s On, So We Wait

Entities related to noted Japanese activist Murakami Yoshiaki have bought 11.5-15% of Jafco Co Ltd (8595 JP) in recent weeks; JAFCO has gotten upset and announced defensive measures.
Murakami wants JAFCO to sell its large stake in Nomura Research Institute Ltd (4307 JP) and buy back shares. JAFCO is saving that stake for a rainy day.
The shares have popped. There is a poison pill EGM Record Date coming. It’s worth thinking through the implications.

Olympus Corp (7733 JP) reported double-digit revenue and operating profit growth in Q1FY23, thanks to favorable foreign exchange rate. Adjusting for FX, revenue was flat compared to year-ago period.
Based on favorable foreign exchange rate, management has raised FY23 revenue and operating profit guidance by 5% and 12% to ¥1,019 billion and ¥231 billion, respectively.
With more than 85% of total revenue coming from international markets, Olympus should remain a prime beneficiary of Japan’s weak currency.

For the majority of companies applying the measures, the market capitalization in circulation is less than 10 billion yen, which is the reason for not meeting the listing criteria.
The only solution to this problem is to raise the stock price, which can only be done either by improving profits or by raising the expectation on the future profits.
It won’t be long before the time comes when the criteria will be questioned in the first place, whether tradable market capitalization of 10 billion yen is sufficiently liquid investment.

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