Japan prepares for a takeover splurge. (M & A, supplement to Euromoney corporate finance – July 1986)

JAPAN PREPARES FOR A TAKEOVER SPLURGE Contrary to received wisdom, mergers and acquisitions have long been a feature of the Japanese business scene. The local business landscape is littered with the debris of takeover coups -- some successful, others not -- by predatory Japanese companies. Predictably, no foreign company has so far succeeded in taking over a listed Japanese corporation. The recent bid by the Trafalgar Holdings and Glen International consortium to acquire Minebea -- an aggressive Japanese ball bearing and electronics manufacturer -- illustrates graphically some of the barriers which must be overcome to succeed in such a venture.