JAPANESE – AUSTRALIA

Australia is a key market, says Bank of Tokyo

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Original article by James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 1-Dec-16

The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi intends to expand its presence in Australia. Randy Chafetz, the managing executive officer of the bank, says stagnant conditions in Japan will continue to result in pressure on Japanese companies to seek more promising markets in other countries, including Australia. Earlier in 2016, the bank appointed ex-ANZ executive Drew Riethmuller as head of corporate finance operations for Oceania.

CORPORATES
BANK OF TOKYO-MITSUBISHI (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, DAI-ICHI LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP

Bradken board backs Hitachi bid

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Original article by Paul Garvey, Bridget Carter
The Australian – Page: 17 & 19 : 4-Oct-16

Directors of listed mining services group Bradken have endorsed a takeover bid from Hitachi Construction ­Machinery. The offer of $A3.25 per values Bradken at $A688.5m, or $A976.1m when its debt is included, and is 34 per cent higher than the stock’s last trading price. The Japanese suitor boasts annual sales of $A10bn and a market capitalisation of $A5.5bn. President and CEO Yuichi Tsujimoto says the two companies’ operations are complementary.

CORPORATES
BRADKEN LIMITED – ASX BKN, HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY COMPANY LIMITED, PACIFIC EQUITY PARTNERS PTY LTD, BAIN CAPITAL LLC, KOCH INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED, CHAMP PRIVATE EQUITY PTY LTD, SIGDO KOPPERS SA, EMECO HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX EHL, AUSENCO LIMITED – ASX AAX, CARDNO LIMITED – ASX CDD, SEDGMAN LIMITED

Japanese Asahi buys Australian craft beer brewer Mountain Goat

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Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 29-Sep-15

Japanese beverage company Asahi has acquired Australian boutique brewer Mountain Goat for an undisclosed sum. Mountain Goat was established by Cam Hines and David Bonighton in 1997. It employs about 25 full-time staff and 20 casual workers at breweries in Richmond and Laverton in Victoria.

CORPORATES
ASAHI BREWERIES LIMITED, MOUNTAIN GOAT BEER PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, IBISWORLD PTY LTD, KIRIN AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Pockets full of dollars: M&A rise for Japan

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Original article by James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 16-Jun-15

Corporate Japan is becoming increasing active in global mergers and acquisitions in 2015. Data from Dealogic shows that the value of such deals has topped $US50bn to date. The CEO of ANZ Bank’s Japanese operations, Peter Davis, expects the nation’s financial services providers to seek further acquisition opportunities in Australia. Meanwhile, he notes that relatively few Australian companies are pursuing growth in Japan.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, DEALOGIC HOLDINGS PLC, TOKIO MARINE AND FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, HCC INSURANCE, TOLL HOLDINGS LIMITED, JAPAN POST COMPANY LIMITED, THE DAI-ICHI MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, TAL LIMITED, NIPPON LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, DBS GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED, MITSUBISHI UFJ FINANCIAL GROUP INCORPORATED, MIZUHO BANK LIMITED, SUMITOMO MITSUI BANKING CORPORATION, LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, MITSUI AND COMPANY LIMITED, SUMITOMO CORPORATION, MARUBENI CORPORATION, MITSUBISHI CORPORATION

Toll rolls into Japan Post $6.5b takeover deal

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins, John Stensholt, James Thomson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 & 28 : 14-May-15

Some 95.9 per cent of Toll Holdings shareholders endorsed Japan Post’s takeover bid on 13 May 2015. Former CEO Paul Little believes that Toll will benefit from the $A6.5bn deal. Japan Post has committed to retaining the Toll brand, which was established in 1888, and plans to utilise Toll’s expertise to expand its parcels business globally. Toll shares will cease trading on 14 May.

CORPORATES
TOLL HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TOL, JAPAN POST, AUSTRALIA POST, SINGAPORE. MINISTRY OF DEFENCE, TRANSPORT INTELLIGENCE LIMITED, FEDERAL EXPRESS CORPORATION, TNT EXPRESS WORLDWIDE, BONGO INTERNATIONAL

Toll to drop off ASX after Japan Post vote

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 11-May-15

Toll Holdings shareholders are widely tipped to vote in favour of a $A6.5bn takeover offer from Japan Post on 13 May 2015. The deal, which requires the support of 75 per cent of shareholders, has received regulatory approval in Australia, Japan and New Zealand. Toll will be delisted if shareholders approve the deal.

CORPORATES
TOLL HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TOL, JAPAN POST, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, NEW ZEALAND. OVERSEAS INVESTMENT COMMISSION, JAPAN FAIR TRADE COMMISSION, FEDERAL EXPRESS CORPORATION, TNT EXPRESS WORLDWIDE, AUSTRALIA POST, OFFICEWORKS SUPERSTORES PTY LTD, MAILMAN GROUP, GRANT SAMUEL AND ASSOCIATES PTY LTD

Toll rivals say JP sale poses sovereign risk

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 23-Feb-15

One Global Logistics MD James Sparke has warned of potential sovereign risk issues associated with government-owned Japan Post’s takeover bid for Toll Holdings. Meanwhile, Toll CEO Brian Kruger does not expect any of the group’s customers to enforce the "change of control" provisions of their contracts if the $A6.5bn takeover bid proceeds. The deal requires approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board

CORPORATES
TOLL HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TOL, JAPAN POST, ONE GLOBAL LOGISTICS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE, UNITED STATES NAVY, CHEVRON CORPORATION, ORICA LIMITED – ASX ORI, BARRICK GOLD CORPORATION, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, NIKE INCORPORATED, OFFICE DEPOT INCORPORATED, FISHER AND PAYKEL APPLIANCES HOLDINGS LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND COMPANY, GRAINCORP LIMITED – ASX GNC, HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES COMPANY LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA POST, STAR TRACK EXPRESS PTY LTD, LINCOLN INDICATORS PTY LTD

Japan Post pays up big for Toll

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins, Sarah Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 14 : 19-Feb-15

Directors of Australian-listed logistics group Toll Holdings and analysts have backed a takeover bid by Japan Post. The offer of $A9.04 per share values the deal at $A6.5bn, and data from Dealogic shows that it will be Japan’s biggest investment in Australia. Japan Post will be the world’s fifth-largest logistics group if the deal proceeds. Toll shares closed 47 per cent higher at $A8.95 on 18 February 2015. Toll expects the deal to be approved by regulators

CORPORATES
TOLL HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TOL, JAPAN POST, DEALOGIC (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, CIMB SECURITIES INTERNATIONAL (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, DEUTSCHE POST AG, UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE, UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INCORPORATED, FEDERAL EXPRESS CORPORATION, DB SCHENKER AG, LA POSTE, KUEHNE & NAGEL INTERNATIONAL AG, JAPAN OIL GAS AND METALS NATIONAL CORPORATION, CHEVRON CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD

Japanese HR giant to pay $290m for Chandler Macleod

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Original article by David Ramli, Jake Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 15-Jan-15

The consolidation in Australia’s recruitment sector is continuing, with Japan-based Recruit Holdings securing a deal to acquire Chandler Macleod. Recruit will pay $A290m for the listed company, which has a market capitalisation of about $A165m. Recruit will also acquire Peoplebank, which specialises in IT recruitment. Peoplebank CEO Peter Acheson says it will continue to operate as a separate business

CORPORATES
CHANDLER MACLEOD GROUP LIMITED – ASX CMG, RECRUIT HOLDINGS COMPANY LIMITED, PEOPLEBANK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NAVIS CAPITAL PARTNERS LIMITED, SKILLED GROUP LIMITED – ASX SKE, PROGRAMMED MAINTENANCE SERVICES LIMITED – ASX PRG, GREENHILL AND COMPANY

Marubeni: rock bottom picked for iron ore price

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Original article by Peter Ker, Max Mason, Scott Parker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 21 : 15-Oct-14

The benchmark iron ore price rose by 4.9 per cent to $US84.17 per tonne on 14 October 2014, clawing back some its losses of recent weeks. Marubeni Corporation’s Shinji Kawai expects the iron ore price to rise in 2015, although he anticipates that it will remain below $US100/tonne. Japan-based Marubeni holds a 15 per cent stake in Hancock Prospecting’s Roy Hill iron ore project. The group also holds stakes in coal mines owned by Rio Tinto, Anglo American and Glencore

CORPORATES
MARUBENI CORPORATION, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, ANGLO AMERICAN PLC, GLENCORE PLC, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, MOUNT GIBSON IRON LIMITED – ASX MGX, ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, BC IRON LIMITED – ASX BCI, POSCO, CHINA STEEL CORPORATION, CHINA. NATIONAL BUREAU OF STATISTICS, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, VALE SA, CITIBANK PTY LTD