Japan’s system of interlocking shareholdings is collapsing as Japan’s banks move to isolate their reported capital ratios from equity market volatility.

While the official data on property values show that real estate prices and rents are continuing to decline, there is currently a lot of money--both foreign and domestic--looking for high yielding property, often to convert into a REIT (real estate investment trust).

Despite the substantial amount of lip service being paid to the revitalizing role that could be played by mergers and acquisitions, the fact is that Japan remains a significantly under-developed market for public M&A activity. Year-on-year change rates are high but M&A as well as inward FDI are miniscule compared to other major OECD nations.