logo
Itochu-CP Group deal left Japan trading house with $841m in profit: CFO

Itochu-CP Group deal left Japan trading house with $841m in profit: CFO

Nikkei Asia23-05-2025
TOKYO -- Japanese trading house Itochu dissolved its decade-long cross-shareholding arrangement with Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group this spring, a "very good deal" that resulted in 120 billion yen ($841 million) in profits and capital gains, Tsuyoshi Hachimura, the chief financial officer, told Nikkei.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Mitsubishi Motors' Q1 profit plummets as Trump tariffs bite
Mitsubishi Motors' Q1 profit plummets as Trump tariffs bite

Nikkei Asia

time15 minutes ago

  • Nikkei Asia

Mitsubishi Motors' Q1 profit plummets as Trump tariffs bite

Mitsubishi Motors says its April-June profit fell partly because of a 14.4 billion yen U.S. tariff impact. (Photo by Yuki Nakao) YUICHI SHIGA TOKYO -- Mitsubishi Motors on Thursday announced an 84% year-on-year decline in its first-quarter operating profit, a sign of the "unprecedentedly challenging conditions" that followed U.S. President Donald Trump's imposition of a 25% tariff on cars in April. The Japanese automaker's operating profit fell to 5.6 billion yen ($35.5 million) in the April-June quarter, in part because of a 14.4 billion yen tariff impact. The company does not have a car assembly plant in the U.S., making it reliant on foreign production bases for sales in that market.

Trump Agreed to Tariff Deal With Japan After 70-Minute Talks; U.S. President Tried to Trade Concessions for 1% Reductions
Trump Agreed to Tariff Deal With Japan After 70-Minute Talks; U.S. President Tried to Trade Concessions for 1% Reductions

Yomiuri Shimbun

timean hour ago

  • Yomiuri Shimbun

Trump Agreed to Tariff Deal With Japan After 70-Minute Talks; U.S. President Tried to Trade Concessions for 1% Reductions

There was just about one week remaining until the Aug. 1 deadline when Japan and the United States reached a 15% tariff deal. Tokyo had managed to avoid the worst-case scenario of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration levying duties of 25% from next month. Japan succeeded in lowering not only what Trump calls 'reciprocal tariffs,' imposed on dozens of countries including Japan, but also the automobile tariff that was a top priority for this nation. Patience Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa faced off against Trump at the White House on Tuesday. The talks had been arranged just the previous day and represented the first such meeting since April. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio were also present. According to sources involved in the negotiations, the U.S. side made detailed demands — asking Japan, for example, to provide a certain item in return for lowering tariffs by 1%, and to increase rice imports and boost investment and support for semiconductors. Trump was said to have pushed for a deal in which he would lower tariffs by 1% in exchange for each concession. 'Mr. Trump made demands, citing specific figures. It felt like we needed at least 10 people to handle it,' one source said. In response, Akazawa patiently persuaded Trump, using various bargaining chips. After about 70 minutes of talks, Trump finally agreed, stood up and asked Akazawa for a handshake. 'Automobiles are Japan's bedrock' In the negotiations that began in April, Akazawa prioritized the revision of a proposed automobile tariff. In their first face-off at the Oval Office, Trump threatened Akazawa, saying steel was the bedrock of America, and Akazawa riposted with 'Automobiles are the bedrock of Japan.' As negotiations progressed, the Japanese side concluded that it was impossible to get the United States to withdraw its demands and shifted its goal to a reduction. The United States and the United Kingdom reached an agreement on May 8 in which the U.S. levy on British vehicles was dropped to 10% in exchange for British carmakers being limited to exporting 100,000 cars a year to the United States. Japan has a bitter history of voluntarily restricting its automobile exports to the United States in response to trade friction in the 1970s. Focusing on avoiding a limit on the quantity of its auto exports, Japan gradually lowered its goal, believing that 'if the United Kingdom was hit with 10%, it will be hard for Japan to get a 10% tariff,' according to a Japanese government official. The negotiations made significant progress in mid-May, according to Japanese government officials. The Japanese side presented investment plans in nine areas, including automobiles, iron and important minerals and also proposed the integration of supply chains. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and others praised the proposals, and an agreement was reached between the ministers at the end of May. Before the Japan-U.S. summit in June, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told those around him that 'negotiations are 90% complete.' However, Trump was not satisfied with the plans and increased pressure on Japan, saying Japan was 'very tough' and 'so spoiled.' He hinted at raising tariffs to 30%-35%. Mission accomplished Nevertheless, Japan did not change its proposals. Instead, it changed the way it prepared documents and explained them in order to gain Trump's understanding. Lutnick, meanwhile, explained the proposals to Trump nearly 10 times, and the green light was given for an agreement in the middle of July. The day before Tuesday's meeting, Lutnick invited Akazawa to his home to rehearse the meeting. After the meeting with Trump, Akazawa posted on X 'Mission accomplished.' A senior government official recalled: 'Only Trump has the authority to make the final decision on the numbers. Some countries have had their decisions overturned at the last minute. We could not let our guard down at all.'

Nikkei finalizes rule change for spinoff listings in Nikkei 225
Nikkei finalizes rule change for spinoff listings in Nikkei 225

Nikkei Asia

time4 hours ago

  • Nikkei Asia

Nikkei finalizes rule change for spinoff listings in Nikkei 225

TOKYO -- Nikkei finalized on Thursday a revision to the methodology of compiling the Nikkei 225 to address cases in which constituent companies list subsidiaries or business units through spinoffs. The change is designed to preserve index continuity during such corporate actions by temporarily including the spun-off entity in the index calculation. Under the revised rule, the spun-off company will be added to the index calculation from the ex-rights date until its official listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Because the entity does not have a market price before listing, the offering or reference price will be used to calculate the index. The company will be removed from the index calculation on the next business day after listing. The decision follows a public consultation conducted in June and the revision takes effect immediately. It will apply to the upcoming direct listing of Sony Financial Group, which is scheduled to be spun off from Sony Group in September. Details of the rule change are available on the official Nikkei Indexes website.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store