Matthews Asia: Japan Then And Now

Japan Then And Now by Kenichi Amaki, Matthews Asia

"That changing mindset of corporate Japan is evidenced by the increase in shareholder returns in the form of both dividends and share buybacks."

Late in 2006, Matthews Asia was wrapping up a special report titled “Japan Reawakens.” The timing of that AsiaNow publication, just ahead of the Global Financial Crisis, was unfortunate to say the least. With the ensuing economic turmoil, Japan fell asleep again, sliding off the radar screens of many investors. But as interest in Japan has more recently re-emerged, I thought it would be important for us to take a look back and consider what we previously published. Has Japan evolved the way we had envisioned? What’s...