The Nikkei average started 119 yen higher. SoftBank Group CFO Goto: "The high stock prices are not due to an AI bubble."

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Expectations are rising for accelerated reduction of cross-shareholdings by major banks, with the insurance issue serving as a catalyst for a change in the strong relationships.
Expectations are increasing that the resolution of policy shareholdings by major domestic banks, such as the three major banks in Japan, will accelerate further. The strong trading relationships through cross-shareholdings, which have been considered one of the factors supporting the growth of post-war Japanese companies, have been criticized in recent years due to the increasing awareness of corporate governance.

SoftBank Group CFO Goto: "Stock prices are not in an AI bubble."
Money is flowing into semiconductor-related stocks against the backdrop of the global artificial intelligence (AI) boom. The rise in the stock price of its subsidiary, UK semiconductor design arm, also pushed up the stock price of SoftBank Group (SBG). $SoftBank Group (9984.JP)$After entering SBG in the internet bubble period of 2000 and managing the finances of the giant investment company, Goto Yoshimitsu, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), shared his long-standing market view.

The publicly announced land prices are also experiencing a wave of deflation, with a 2.3% increase nationwide, the highest growth since the bubble era.
On the 26th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced the assessed land prices for 2024. The national average for all purposes increased by 2.3% compared to the previous year, with a growth rate reaching its highest level in 33 years since the bubble period. Following the rise in stock prices and wages, the wave of increase has now spread to land, and Japan is entering a turning point in overcoming deflation. Concerns about future interest rate hikes have also led to signs of disruption in overseas investment.

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical - Selling interest: Another death reported from consuming "red koji", according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
$Kobayashi Pharmaceutical (4967.JP)$Selling interest. In the problem of reports of health damage caused by the company's supplement using red koji, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare revealed that another person has died and 106 people have been hospitalized, as reported in various newspapers.

Dai Nippon Printing - Buying interest: Mass production of advanced semiconductor components for Rapidus = Nikkei.
$Dai Nippon Printing (7912.JP)$Buying interest. The morning edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun on the 27th reported that the company will mass produce "photomasks", the original version used for circuit formation, for Rapidus, aiming for domestic production of state-of-the-art semiconductors by fiscal year 2027.

Astellas Pharma - Continuing to rise: Approval obtained for manufacturing and selling gastric cancer treatment drug in Japan.
$Astellas Pharma (4503.JP)$Continuing to rise. On the 26th, the company announced that it has obtained manufacturing and marketing approval in Japan for intravenous drip 100mg (generic name: zolbetuximab (recombinant)) for the treatment of unresectable advanced or recurrent gastric cancer with CLDN18.2 positivity.