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The article focuses on the global popularity of Japanese food in 2012. Topics include investor funding of Japanese farms and fish ponds that produce Japanese fish and beef, the increase in bank lending to farmers that plan to export their produce, and the increase in bluefin and yellowtail tuna in offshore Japanese fish farms.

The article focuses on efforts by local Japanese banks to spur rebuilding in regions around the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant after the 2011 earthquake and nuclear accident. It states that Daito Bank president Takao Suzuki has sought to loan as much as 200 billion yen to assist companies repair factories and buildings in the region. It mentions Fukushima prefecture's largest bank, Toho bank, is providing inexpensive credit to attract borrowers.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc.'s banking unit and its two biggest Japanese peers plan to sign a non-binding agreement with Saudi Arabian Oil Co. in Tokyo this week to expand lending to the state-run firm as it considers an initial public offering, people with knowledge of the matter said. To contact the reporters on this story:Shigeru Sato in Tokyo at ssato10@bloomberg.net;Shingo Kawamoto in Tokyo at skawamoto2@bloomberg.net;Gareth Allan in Tokyo at gallan11@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story:Ben Scent at bscent@bloomberg.net;Marcus Wright at mwright115@bloomberg.netRussell Ward. [Extracted from the article]

Japan's Renesas Electronics Corp. is in talks to acquire U.S. chipmaker Intersil Corp. for about 300 billion yen ($3 billion), a person with knowledge of the matter said. The Nikkei Asian Review reported earlier Monday that Renesas is in final negotiations to acquire Milpitas, California-based Intersil, without saying where it got the information. [Extracted from the article]

Showa Shell shares advance as much as 12% in Tokyo trading The Idemitsu family has no plans to reveal any future additional Showa Shell share purchases because that would potentially allow Idemitsu Kosan to renegotiate with Royal Dutch Shell the number of shares it's buying and avoid a tender, according to the statement. [Extracted from the article]

Nissen losses have deepened since 2013 amid rise in e-commerce Seven & i Holdings Co. will take over and delist debt-laden mail order catalog operator Nissen Holdings Co., its first major step in a broad restructuring of weaker units as the world's largest convenience store operator forecast group net income that fell short of expectations. [Extracted from the article]

Nissen Holdings Co. shares surged by their trading limit in Tokyo as parent Seven & i Holdings Co. said its board would discuss buying out the loss-making mail-order retail unit amid a broader restructuring. Billionaire activist investor Dan Loeb has called for it to restructure general-merchandise unit Ito-Yokado Co. and divest retailers Nissen, Sogo & Seibu and Barney's Japan. [Extracted from the article]

Sale of chemicals unit Wako could fetch more than $1 billion The Wako sale would follow a number of other disposals as Takeda pushes to make its operations more efficient. [Extracted from the article]

Mamoru Taniya has started a hedge fund and opened an international boarding school. Taniya spent a decade at Salomon Smith Barney before co-founding hedge fund manager Asuka Asset Management Co. in 2002. [Extracted from the article]

Yen surge gives Japan's companies more purchasing power abroad "It's a bargain for those Japanese firms which have built cash in yen at home and have an acquisition deal in the works", Makoto Shiono, a Tokyo-based partner at merger advisory firm Industrial Growth Platform Inc., said by phone Friday. [Extracted from the article]

The Japanese retailer's U.S. unit, 7-Eleven Inc., entered the agreement with San Antonio-based CST Brands for an undisclosed sum, and the deal is expected to close next month, the buyer said in a statement dated June 2. The Tokyo-based company also wants to raise the average daily sales at about 8,500 convenience shops it runs in the U.S. and Canada by 10 percent to $5,500 per outlet, according to Isaka. Attribution Timothy Sifert: editor responsible Rob Golum: by reporter Shigeru Sato: by reporter Crayton Harrison: editor responsible K. Oanh Ha: editor responsible. [Extracted from the article]

Lazard advising Takata steering committee to seek investors Bain Capital and PAG Asia Capital are evaluating bids for Takata Corp., joining KKR & Co. among private equity firms with an interest in the Japanese air-bag supplier behind a record safety recall, according to people familiar with the matter. [Extracted from the article]

Japanese companies are targeting mergers and acquisitions abroad as the third-largest economy stagnates, yet it's crisis management that's driving deal volume in the country this year -- not international expansion. In the first five months of this year, about 74 percent of all Japanese deals, including Foxconn Technology Group's plans to buy control of Sharp Corp., have a company from the country as seller or target, the data show. [Extracted from the article]

Squse Inc., a Japanese maker of robotic hands that can pick up food, plans an initial public offering in Tokyo as early as next year to fund overseas expansion, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Attribution Ben Scent: editor responsible Timothy Sifert: editor Paul Panckhurst: editor Shigeru Sato: by reporter. [Extracted from the article]

Board to vote April 19 to confirm Ryuichi Isaka's promotion The Seven & i nomination committee has endorsed Isaka in a meeting Friday, and its board of directors will vote to confirm the decision on April 19, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private. The panel also picked Chief Administrative Officer Katsuhiro Goto to be vice-president of the group while executive Kazuki Furuya is to replace Isaka at Seven-Eleven Japan, the person said. [Extracted from the article]

Just days earlier, Isaka's job was at stake as Seven & i considered a plan by Chairman and CEO Toshifumi Suzuki to remove him. The parent company is now losing its top executive of more than a decade, with Suzuki saying he will resign after the board rejected the 83-year-old's bid to remove his subordinate. The management upheaval comes as activist investor Dan Loeb has called for Japan's largest retailer to restructure or divest less profitable units, while backing Isaka as a leading candidate to take over the group. [Extracted from the article]

Departure caps more than 50 years at Seven & i, affiliates Suzuki, 83, wasn't satisfied with Seven-Eleven Japan President Ryuichi Isaka and asked him to resign, he told reporters at a briefing Thursday in Tokyo. [Extracted from the article]

Loeb wants Seven & i to restructure or divest other retailers Attribution Kenneth Wong: editor Shigeru Sato: by reporter Stephanie Wong: editor responsible Craig Trudell: by reporter Monami Yui: by reporter Daryl Loo: editor. [Extracted from the article]

Owner said to plan replacing president of chain's Japan unit Board members of Seven & i plan to discuss removing Seven-Eleven Japan Co. President Ryuichi Isaka, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. [Extracted from the article]

While the company has four outside directors, their backgrounds led Khan to award the board's skills the worst score among Topix 500 companies. Months earlier, Japanese industrial-robot maker Fanuc Corp. said it would double its dividend-payout ratio and buy back stock after Loeb called on the company to boost shareholders returns. [Extracted from the article]

Third Point's Loeb warned against nepotism in CEO succession Attribution Shigeru Sato: by reporter Stephanie Wong: editor responsible Monami Yui: by reporter K. Oanh Ha: editor responsible Daryl Loo: editor. [Extracted from the article]

The agreement also includes a new clause giving Foxconn a backup plan that would let it buy Sharp's display business if the deal falls apart anytime before Oct. 5. If that happens, Sharp will give Foxconn, or a third party designated by Foxconn, exclusive negotiation rights for three months to buy the unit. [Extracted from the article]

To understand how Taiwan's Foxconn Technology Group outmaneuvered a Japanese government-backed bidder and acquired Sharp Corp. for 389 billion yen ($3.5 billion), it pays to know two things about founder Terry Gou. Foxconn and Sharp had worked together as far back as 2011 and Gou coveted the company's technology. [Extracted from the article]

The deal could encourage foreign firms to take over other Japanese companies, helping the targets tap new markets, according to Yasuhide Yajima, chief economist at NLI Research Institute in Tokyo. To contact the reporter on this story:Shigeru Sato in Tokyo at ssato10@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story:Ben Scent at bscent@bloomberg.net;Peter Elstrom at pelstrom@bloomberg.netAmy Thomson Attribution Ben Scent: editor responsible Shigeru Sato: by reporter Amy Thomson: editor Peter Elstrom: editor responsible. [Extracted from the article]

Terry Gou wins deal after chasing electronics maker for years Gou had appeared on the verge of grasping his prize a month ago, when Sharp's board chose Foxconn over a rival bid from the state-backed Innovation Network Corp. of Japan. [Extracted from the article]

Committee may discuss personnel shuffle, people familiar say Loeb cited "outsized results" at Seven-Eleven Japan as a reason why Seven & i's board should consider Isaka to be a leading candidate to be the parent company's next CEO. Attribution Ben Scent: editor Young-Sam Cho: editor Shigeru Sato: by reporter Chua Kong Ho: editor responsible Craig Trudell: by reporter Monami Yui: by reporter K. Oanh Ha: editor responsible. [Extracted from the article]

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Foxconn Technology Group's flagship company, on Sunday said it will hold a board meeting on March 30 as scheduled and negotiations to acquire troubled Japanese electronics maker Sharp are ongoing. "Whether or not the Sharp deal will be discussed during the board meeting will depend on the negotiation stage that Hon Hai and Sharp reach by then", Hon Hai said in a statement to the Taiwan stock exchange. Sharp and Foxconn are set to approve the revised bailout plan at their board meetings on March 30 and sign the acquisition agreement the following day, Nikkei reported Saturday. [Extracted from the article]

Month extension for loans, credit lines said to be possible Foxconn will put down a 100 billion yen deposit upon signing the agreement, while cutting the amount it will pay for Sharp's equity by 100 billion yen, according to Nikkei. [Extracted from the article]

More than 3.5 million doctors use M3's medical Web portal M3 Inc., a medical Web portal backed by Sony Corp., is embarking on a plan to step up investments in health-care startups at home and abroad. M3, founded in 2000, is a global website used by more than 3.5 million doctors in Japan, U.S., China and other countries to find medical studies, look up drug information and network with each other. [Extracted from the article]

The proposal from Canon is superior to others and the exclusive rights will last until March 18 as the companies work toward reaching a final agreement, Tokyo-based Toshiba said in a statement Wednesday. Attribution Edwin Chan: editor Robert Fenner: editor responsible Pavel Alpeyev: assist Shigeru Sato: by reporter Natasha Khan: assist Takashi Amano: by reporter. [Extracted from the article]

Rival consortium led by Konica offered less than competitors Attribution Ben Scent: editor responsible Timothy Sifert: editor Pavel Alpeyev: assist Shigeru Sato: by reporter Takashi Amano: assist. [Extracted from the article]

Foxconn Technology Group and Sharp Corp. are aiming to sign their $6 billion takeover agreement as early as Monday after deciding the deal won't require major changes, according to people familiar with the matter. Attribution Edwin Chan: assist Robert Fenner: editor responsible Shigeru Sato: by reporter Shingo Kawamoto: by reporter Peter Elstrom: editor Takashi Amano: assist. [Extracted from the article]

Sharp loan, credit lines of 510 billion yen set to expire Foxconn fought for months against the government-backed Innovation Network Corp. of Japan in the takeover battle, and last Thursday Sharp's board voted in favor of the Taiwanese company's offer. [Extracted from the article]

Billionaire Terry Gou has been chasing Sharp Corp. since at least 2012 and just when it looked like Foxconn Technology Group had secured its prize, he hit the pause button. Under a plan announced by Sharp, Foxconn would get control over the company by spending 484.3 billion yen to buy additional shares at a discount and give Gou's empire 65.9 percent of the Japanese company. [Extracted from the article]

As part of the deal announced by Sharp, Foxconn would buy 100 billion yen of preferred shares owned by Mizuho Financial Group and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, or half of each bank's holdings. Attribution Robert Fenner: editor responsible Pavel Alpeyev: by reporter Shigeru Sato: assist by reporter Shingo Kawamoto: assist Peter Elstrom: editor Takashi Amano: by reporter. [Extracted from the article]

Shift in Japanese diets presents opportunity for dining chains An older and more discerning Japanese population is presenting restaurant chains with new growth opportunities as they cater to increasingly health-conscious consumers, according to the local chief of buyout firm Permira Advisers. Permira's investment in Sushiro "was a successful case", because the company can serve sushi whose freshness and quality many convenience stores might not be able to replicate easily, Fujii said. [Extracted from the article]

Foxconn, INCJ each win support of at least 4 Sharp directors Yoshifumi Seki, a Tokyo-based spokesman for Sharp, said the company is negotiating with INCJ and Foxconn and declined to comment further. To contact the reporters on this story:Takashi Amano in Tokyo at tamano6@bloomberg.net;Shigeru Sato in Tokyo at ssato10@bloomberg.net;Shingo Kawamoto in Tokyo at skawamoto2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story:Robert Fenner at rfenner@bloomberg.net;Ben Scent at bscent@bloomberg.net;Marcus Wright at mwright115@bloomberg.net. [Extracted from the article]

INCJ is seeking to convince Sharp its bailout offer trumps a rescue bid from Taiwan's Foxconn Technology Group, a sign the fund is determined to keep fighting in the takeover battle. Negotiations with Sharp are continuing, a spokesman for INCJ said Tuesday, declining to comment on a potential bid for Toshiba's white-goods business. [Extracted from the article]

Foxconn, INCJ are bidding for control of electronics company To contact the reporters on this story:Shigeru Sato in Tokyo at ssato10@bloomberg.net;Shingo Kawamoto in Tokyo at skawamoto2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story:Ben Scent at bscent@bloomberg.net;Marcus Wright at mwright115@bloomberg.net;Robert Fenner at rfenner@bloomberg.netTimothy Sifert, Peter Elstrom Attribution Ben Scent: editor responsible Marcus Wright: editor responsible Timothy Sifert: editor Robert Fenner: assist editor responsible Shigeru Sato: by reporter Shingo Kawamoto: by reporter Peter Elstrom: editor Takashi Amano: assist. [Extracted from the article]

Chairman Gou met with officials of Mizuho and Mitsubishi UFJ Attribution Edwin Chan: editor Robert Fenner: editor responsible Pavel Alpeyev: by reporter Shigeru Sato: by reporter Tim Culpan: by reporter Peter Elstrom: editor. [Extracted from the article]

"The government can't let these deals fail", said Hiroaki Hiwada, a Tokyo-based strategist at Toyo Securities Co. "Shares of state-backed firms that are unleashed by the government typically perform well as time goes by, because the country wants to see their success". 3. Dai-Ichi Life Insurance Co. ($11.1 billion)Investor interest in this rare IPO from Japan's life insurance industry helped Dai-Ichi shares rise 14 percent on their 2010 debut. [Extracted from the article]

Japan Post's $12 billion Nov. 4 listing largest since Alibaba "The meaning of the Japan Post privatization is linked to the real revival of Japan after lost decades", said Hideki Fujii, an economics professor at Kyoto University, who has studied the sale. [Extracted from the article]

Toshiyuki Shiga is on a $10 billion quest to discover Japan's top entrepreneurs, who can start companies as globally competitive as Tesla Motors Co. and Apple Inc. The former chief operating officer of Nissan Motor Co. described the search as an urgent mission for Innovation Network Corp. of Japan, the state-backed investment fund he took over as chairman in June. "It's important that state funds back up those private venture capital firms". [Extracted from the article]

Blue Innovation Co., a Japanese company that provides civil engineering services using drones, will raise about 500 million yen ($4.2 million) from Nippon Venture Capital Co., people with knowledge of the matter said. It provides drones to clients including government institutions, construction companies and advertising firms for purposes like shooting commercials and monitoring beaches for disaster prevention. [Extracted from the article]

With much of that strategy still in doubt due to regulatory restrictions, Japan Post is offering its shares relatively cheaply, according to price ranges released Wednesday for the sale of its three companies. Final prices will probably be close to the upper end of the ranges, said Hirozumi Kobayashi, an analyst who covers IPOs at Fisco Ltd., a Tokyo-based financial research and investment service company. [Extracted from the article]

Mitsui & Co., Japan's second-biggest trading house, participated in a funding round for microsatellite maker Axelspace Corp. that raised about 2 billion yen ($17 million), people with knowledge of the matter said. Attribution Ben Scent: editor responsible Robert Fenner: editor Shigeru Sato: by reporter Michael Tighe: editor responsible Takashi Amano: by reporter. [Extracted from the article]

To contact the reporter on this story: Shigeru Sato in Tokyo at ssato10@bloomberg.net Teruhide Sato, the founder of Japanese e-commerce operator Beenos Inc., started a $60 million venture capital fund to invest in technology startups in India and Southeast Asia. Sato formed Beenext Pte in Singapore to manage the fund, which will consider investments such as Internet and mobile technology companies in India, he said in a Sept. 1 interview. [Extracted from the article]

Hon Hai and Innovation Network Corp. are lead candidates Sharp had sought an investment from Taiwan-based Foxconn Technology Group's Hon Hai in 2012, but talks foundered over disagreements on price and the Taipei-based company's possible role. Attribution Grace Huang: by reporter Ben Scent: editor responsible Robert Fenner: editor Shigeru Sato: by reporter Michael Tighe: editor responsible Stephanie Wong: editor responsible Peter Elstrom: editor Monami Yui: by reporter Story Parts Trashline: (Updates with analyst comment in fourth paragraph.). [Extracted from the article]

The Tokyo-based company will seek a market value of about 50 billion yen from the share sale, which could take place as early as December 2016, Chief Visionary Officer Akito Konashi said in an Aug. 18 interview. Bank of Innovation, which currently makes most of its money from games, plans to introduce a new subscription e-commerce business before listing, said Konashi, 32. Bank of Innovation is in talks with several venture capital firms to raise about 700 million yen by the end of 2014, which will fund the development of the e-commerce platform and further game development, he said. [Extracted from the article]