Less than 3% of Japanese firms exiting Russia; lowest among G7: survey

”Greed is good” - Gordon Gecko in the movie Wall Street.

Talk about two-faced!

Commenting on the low proportion of Japanese companies, a Teikoku Databank official said, "The difference was that Japanese firms had not formulated detailed plans for withdrawal in advance."

Saying that the companies are not hypocritical, just run by incompetents (that din't plan for something obvious) is not making them look any better.

This is not a surprise. While Kishida plays international statesman, Japan business shows Japan's real face, complete indifference.

This story lacks depth, it would have been good to have read the report and clarify who in particular is leaving and who is staying.

Also, no one knows the nature of Japanese businesses staying, they could be part of a supply chain that flow through Europe (eg energy), or life savings businesses (eg medical)....

It’s a good thing for Japan to keep its ties to Russia. Further sanctions will only drive Putin to China’s side. In the event of armed conflict with this aggressive neighbor, Japan would need Russia as a counterbalance against China. After all, NATO won’t come to Japan’s rescue.

When money comes first.

What a shame!

Japan is actually supporting Russia, despite what is being said.

In the event of armed conflict with this aggressive neighbor, Japan would need Russia as a counterbalance against China

You actually think Russia will militarily ally with Japan and the US against China in a future war?

Good Monday morning comedy!

Japan has the loudest anti-war stance on the world stage. Yet when it comes to actually acting on its principles, it's among the most hypocritical.

How about listing them up (and what products are associated) so that we can make a decision on whether to continue to support them or not?

Japan has the least resources, low food self-sufficiency (going back decades) and borders Russia, so some of this should be expected. Other G7 countries are not some gold standard Japan has to copy.

I don't know if the world is settling into a pattern where the Ukraine war will drag on for years, but if it is, that's a very unfortunate and undesirable outcome. Iraq, Syria etc. did not have global consequences like this.

Japan needs the money. It’s already bankrupt after Fukushima! And now all the hand outs and Go to Trouble campaigns. It’s needs the Russian help!

It's called having your wagashi and eating it!

Japan business shows Japan's real face, complete indifference.

Japan's business people are realists. As in many countries business is more important than hollow statements about a war in a country thousands of kms away.

Stall and hope for the best. Gaman long enough and you get to have your cake and eat it too while everyone else eventually loses interest and moves on. It’s sort of smart, in an uncommitted sort of way.

J pragmatism 101.

This is the same country that was nuked by the US yet refuses to vote against nuclear weapons.

Is anyone surprised?

Japanese businesses should not have been in Russia in the first place. The two countries are technically at war and Russia is illegally holding on to Japanese islands.... er hold on actually it all makes sense now.

. Never mind. Japan is cool with Russian occupations.

Japan has the loudest anti-war stance on the world stage

Respectfully this is incorrect. Government after japanese government has refused to condemn nuclear weapons or vote for disarmament frustrating many of its own activists. Of course, it is also ignoring the wishes of its own citizens in Okinawa.

Watch Jose Jose or Okinawa Afterburn or read about Setsuko Harlow.

Japan being sensible..... The western companies will be back when the dust settles. It will cost them a fortune in set up costs. Except for McD..s who have done a smart name change.

It's impossible to say how many western firms have truly left Russia. How many multinationals like McDonalds have negotiated options to buy back their operations from the Russian franchisee within 5-10 years? How many provided the financing for a Russian partner to buy them out and are now receiving payments equivalent to the profits of the re-branded company? Unless you see the contracts, you'll never know.

Not Japan's circus, not Japan's clowns.

Japan needs to minimize dependence on anything Russian. Abe's decade of wooing Russia was a total waste of time. Japanese do tell me the Russian officials loved visiting Abe's Yamaguchi Prefecture and drinking up all the local Toyo Bijin and Dassai sake.

Abe and Trump both sucked up to Putin during their terms in power. Like petting a cobra.

Japan needs to wake up it’s economy and like many people have said if they want tourism,who would come to a country that treats them like North Korea in tour groups! The puppets are leading the circus here!!

Get the vibe Japanese firms need money right now...

Sorry @Eastman, the US is the number one producer of both petroleum and natural gas. In fact the US will export more petroleum and gas products to our friends in Europe so they can get off the Russian teat.

More importantly we should all be building up renewable resources...but you know, Vlad the Impaler thought differently.

I think a full list of International / Global businesses in Russia should be published, with their countries listed.

Something like that may help stop businesses from still operating in Russia.

I hear there are many international chains still operating in Russia.

Wouldn't it be nice to know which companies really care and which don't.

Just buy Russian gas already. Noone believes in this act.

Thankfully, rational thinking once again prevails in Japan despite having to side with the west in politics.

Including those that have decided to suspend production, operations or transactions, such as halting shipments and accepting orders, 74 Japanese companies, or 40 percent, had decided to either end or halt operations in Russia, Teikoku Databank said.

So 40% have stopped opera

tions.

The numbers aren't meaningful anyway.

All companies that stopped operations and/or totally pulled out only did so because they have no other choice.

All companies who can continue operating profitably of course continue to do so.

It is a bit of a hit piece, this article.

It says how many Japanese companies are on Russia and only 4 out of 168 companies pulled out.

It then mentions 48% of UK, 33% of Canadian and 29% of USA companies pulled out.

But missing is how many companies each of the other countries had operating in Russia.

So I found that the 29% from the USA is 146 companies that have pulled out!

The vast majority of USA companies are staying, reduced operations, or in limbo mode!

So if 29% is 146 companies.

That means previously there were 503 companies leaving 357 USA companies still in Russia that is far more than the 164 Japanese companies remaining.

I am will to take a guess the the other 2 Canada and UK also had far larger presence in Russia and the remaining companies are in the hundreds.

Japan doesn’t need to follow the USA driven western hysteria and we don’t need to blindly follow the USA over the cliff like a lemming .

Only 4, or 2.4 percent, of the 168 Japanese companies operating in Russia 

An even smaller number than I anticipated.

Let's boycott the other 164 Japanese companies.

Hey Kishida san,

why don’t you make sure Japanese companies pull out of Russia? It’s a but hypocritical really!! Many Japanese companies remain in Russia! What’s the reason behind this?

can you please explain the reason?

MONEY??

Japan's proximity to Russia and China has always given it an opt out on this sort of thing. Don't expect that to change.

What else would you expect from the spineless old men