Tokyo

The balance of foreign direct investment in Japan stood at 30.7 trillion yen at the end of 2018, topping 30 trillion yen for the first time ever, the Japan External Trade Organization said Wednesday.

According to JETRO, the balance increased 1.8 trillion yen from a year earlier due to a series of large-scale merger and acquisition deals, including Toshiba Corp.’s 2-trillion-yen sale of its semiconductor unit to a consortium led by US investment fund Bain Capital.

The government-affiliated organization's promotion of direct investment in local regions also helped the balance grow, it said.

JETRO Chairman Nobuhiko Sasaki pointed out at a press conference that behind the foreign investment expansion was the country's stable political and social systems.

“By highlighting the favorable investment environment, we aim to attract more foreign funds to reinvigorate the Japanese economy,” he said.

Jiji Press