Japan in the Capital Markets (March 2025)

Japan’s sovereign, supranational and agency borrowers are among the most well regarded and highly rated in the international debt markets. Yet they are not immune to the volatility caused by the new US administration under president Donald Trump or the pressure from contrasting monetary policies implemented by different central banks. Timing deals well, being nimble and having diverse sources of funding are all expected to be critical in the year ahead.

There are growing signs of a global reluctance to embrace environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles, with talk of greenhushing emerging in many pockets of the bond market. Yet, Japan’s top regulatory bodies and issuers are eager to embrace ESG and, in particular, to continue growing their transition bond market, seeing its potential for ushering in change and reaching net-zero commitments.