VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Cool Japan Fund is looking to invest in TV channels and retail properties in the US and Southeast Asia to promote the country's culture. Cool Japan is backed by the government as well as Japanese companies and is led by a former Carlyle Group executive.

Former Japanese Ministry of Finance official Eisuke Sakakibara said the yen may weaken further as the government pension fund will follow the proposal to invest more of its holdings overseas.

Japanese electronics company TDK Corporation on Monday said that its Thailand-based subsidiary Magnecomp Precision Technology will buy two HDD-related companies from American manufacturer Entrotech Inc.

A report by Agence France-Presse (AFP)recounted the difficulties of curbing the links between corporate Japan and the yakuza, and how some of the country's major banks adopted a laissez-faire compliance in eradicating mob ties.

The Japanese equities market is making a comeback under the leadership of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In his Forbes report, contributor Panos Mourdoukoutas suggests four ways investors can trade the Japanese tsunami on equities.

Morgan Stanley now leads in mergers and acquisitions in Japan, advising 41 takeovers this year worth USD 28.3 billion, through its venture with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc.

SwissRe's recent report titled "Global insurance review 2013 and outlook 2014/15" provided an otherwise positive global economic outlook, which was a good sign in the non-life business as more people will seek financial protection for their properties.

Troubled electronics giant Panasonic will sell three of its chip factories in Japan to Israel's TowerJazz by March 2014, according to sources with direct knowledge of the situation.

Line, a message app based in Japan, proudly announced at a press conference in Tokyo that it has added another 100m people to its registered user count, totaling the number of registered users since its launch at 300 million. It hopes to hit 500 million registered users by 2014.

The Japanese government is set to launch the Cool Japan Fund which aims to use USD1 billion of public funds to boost the exports of certain foods, drinks, fashion, animated movies, and other products.

Japan's Fast Retailing Co. is planning a secondary public offering in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange next year. If successful, the Tokyo-listed retail holding company would become the third Japanese company to list in Hong Kong.

Following a nuclear deal reached in Geneva, the European Union has removed the ban on insuring tankers transporting Iranian oil. The EU also agreed to release USD4.2 billion in frozen oil assets and permit Iranian crude exports to continue at its current levels.

China is set to become Asia's leader in outbound corporate acquisitions this year, ending Japan's two-year reign, as the country's appetite for overseas targets expands beyond natural resources and into areas such as food and banking.

Europe's top carmaker Volkswagen (VW) has revealed its plan to invest EUR84.2 billion in the next five years for technology upgrades and modernization of its plants.

The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare approved EYLEA (aflibercept) Injection to treat macular edema following Central Retinal Vein Occlusion, expanding Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc's reach in the Asian market.