The first edition of Japanese Financial Markets established itself as a standard work on one of the most important financial centres in the world. Since then there have been substantial changes, most notably a serious financial crisis and major subsequent reforms of the financial system. Written by leading analysts from the prestigious Nomura Group, this authoritative second edition explains these changes and their consequences for the current structure and operation of the country's financial markets. The book is arranged in four main sections: Part one provides an overview of the recent performance of Japan's financial markets, the crisis in the 1990s, government reforms and the subsequent 'Big Bang' in the country's financial system. Part two looks at the range of participants in the market, from individual investors, public sector and corporate pension funds to investment trusts, government bond issues and the equity market. This section of the book also discusses cross-border money flows, monetary policy and the regulatory framework. Part three discusses the markets themselves, covering the money and bond markets, trading in equities and securities and the venture capital market. Part four considers current problems and likely future developments in the financial system. This major new edition of Japanese Financial Markets is essential reading for fund managers, institutional investors, financial analysts and all those concerned with one of the world's most important financial markets. Comprehensively updated new edition of a standard work Covers all aspects of Japanese financial markets in detail Written by a distinguished banker with unrivalled insight into Japanese financial markets' workings

The authors examine various aspects of Japanese financial markets. This analysis is interspersed with the relevant institutional/historical background on Japanese financial markets necessary for the non-specialist. Principal chapters include: an institutional overview, a chapter on comparative cost of capital (both internationally and among Japanese firms); causes and implications of the high degree of financial intermediation in Japan and an invaluable analysis of the most recent trends in the Japanese/Asian financial markets.

Examines the Japanese stock market, its insular policies, and its role in the world economy and international economic relations.

A first step in the 'big bang' markets was the deregulation of the foreign exchange market on April 1, 1998. This paper examines how the bid-ask spread and conditional volatility in the yen/dollar foreign exchange market changed around the time of the deregulation. Intra-day data are analyzed with the following results: (1) Holding constant the effects of volume and volatility, the deregulation was associated with a convergence of Japanese quoted spreads toward those of other banks. (2) Modeling the persistence in volatility reveals that deregulation lowered conditional volatility.