Mizuho Securities President Hamamoto Kichiro (浜本吉郎) outlined the company’s future policy in an interview, identifying investment in Japan by overseas companies and investors as a key strategic focus. He also indicated that priority would be given to profitability in the United States and projects that strengthen Japan’s industrial base.
In an interview held in Tokyo, Mizuho Securities President Hamamoto Kichiro (浜本吉郎) said the company’s key strategic focus would be attracting investment in Japan by overseas companies and investors. He said the company wanted to translate the growing interest in Japanese assets into higher earnings, as growth investment in Japan is becoming more active amid the entrenchment of the post-deflationary environment and the normalization of interest rates.
Hamamoto Kichiro (浜本吉郎) said, “M&A by Japanese companies will mainly involve overseas expansion, but it is extremely important to attract investment in Japan by European and US companies.” He said ROE and inbound investment would be key considerations when allocating limited capital and human resources, and disclosed a policy of prioritizing US-related and Japan-related projects.
Investment in Japanese equities by overseas investors was described as “rice, our staple food” for the company, and he said there were significant earnings opportunities in supporting overseas companies seeking to enter Japan. He cited finding sites for semiconductor plants and arranging the financing required for them as examples of large-scale projects, and suggested expanding financing and asset securitization services for logistics facilities and data centers as future areas of support.
Mizuho Securities said it would use the capabilities of the Mizuho Group, including Mizuho Bank and Mizuho Trust & Banking, to support overseas companies and funds with site acquisition, fundraising, joint ventures and investments with Japanese companies, and acquisitions. In addition to import finance, it aims to expand financing through debt finance and methods that securitize assets.
The background includes changes in the financial environment accompanying the normalization of interest rates and efforts by companies to improve capital efficiency. The company indicated that demand is increasing for the use of diverse funding sources rather than relying solely on bank lending.