Investing in Japan

“China poised to pass Japan as world’s No. 2 economy,” reports CNN.com.  Q2 GDP figures from Japan and China show the latter exceeding the former, $1.34 trillion vs. $1.29 trillion. In 2009, it was Japan ahead for the full year, at $5.07 trillion compared to China at $4.91 trillion, according to the IMF. Given the [...]

Lions Gate (LGF) reported a surprise Q1 loss of $64.1M or $0.54/share compared to earnings of $36.3M ($0.30/share) last year — note that adjusted earnings of a net loss of $13.7M ($0.10/share) missed analyst expectations of a profit of $0.04/share. The cash flow picture is not pretty either as the business was kept cash flow [...]

Christopher Dillon, a Hong Kong-based entrepreneur, writer, and real estate investor, is the author of two books about real estate (his first covered property transactions in Hong Kong, and his latest published this May, covers Japan). Landed: The guide to buying property in Japan, is a must-read, not just for those considering buying a [...]

A longtime shareholding on mine, Internet Initiative Japan (IIJI) (JP: 3774), is having its Annual Shareholder Meeting this Friday in Tokyo. I urge all ADR and Ordinary shareholders to submit their votes as soon as possible, but not later than this Thursday, 10:00 AM Eastern (NY) for ADR holders, or by Thursday, 11:59  PM Japan [...]

About 3 ½ months have passed since I sent my first letter and shareowner proposals in late-February to the Board of Directors of Internet Initiative Japan (IIJI) (JP: 3774), a leading ISP and related services (cloud computing, systems integration, etc.) in Japan. As a longtime shareholder (since 2006), my concerns included the company’s level of [...]

General Electric (GE) held its annual shareholder meeting on April 28th. It comes as no surprise that the same 16 directors up for reelection remain firmly in place. However, it should raise some eyebrows, since the number of shares voted against certain board members (most notably Messrs. Lafley and Penske) fell sharply compared to last [...]

Internet Initiative Japan (IIJI) (JP: 3774) is not a household name in the U.S., but it has carved out a niche in Japan in internet connectivity and related system services and outsourcing (essentially it is a high-tech ISP catering to businesses and government with growing potential in cloud computing and mobile access). Overnight in Tokyo [...]

The Carl Icahn v. Lions Gate battle rages on. Unfortunately it features no real suspense; rather, it’s playing out more like a bad dream, in a bad movie. While the Post Office and the related parties’ legal counsel and financial advisers all must be happy to have the work, I’m strictly thinking TiVo: fast-forward past [...]

General Electric’s (GE: 15.15 +0.93%) Annual Meeting of Shareholders is April 28th. All 16 of its directors are up for election, as well as the selection of the company’s independent auditor, and voting on 6 shareholder proposals. Please be sure to vote if you are a GE shareholder. And don’t simply accept the board’s recommendations [...]

Enzio von Pfeil, the author of Trade Myths: Globalization has left trade balances behind, is a Hong Kong-based investment advisor and he also manages his own family of funds using his Economic Clock. He is a regular contributor to Bloomberg TV and CNBC Asia. Enzio earned his Ph.D. in economics at the University [...]