Nintendo announces 290 billion yen share sale by Kyoto bank and others

[TOKYO] Nintendo announced on Friday (Feb 27) an unwinding of strategic shareholdings that will see companies including MUFG Bank and the Bank of Kyoto selling shares in the company behind gaming franchises such as “Super Mario”.

The sale, which was first reported by Reuters, will total about 290 billion yen (S$2.35 billion) at Friday’s closing price, excluding an overallotment.

Kyoto-based Nintendo also said it would spend up to 100 billion yen buying back up to 14 million shares.

Nintendo’s shares pared gains and closed up nearly 3 per cent following the Reuters report. Shares in Kyoto Financial Group, a regional lender, leapt almost 10 per cent.

Resona Bank, part of Resona Holdings, and DeNA will also sell shares in Nintendo. MUFG Bank, Japan’s largest and a part of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, will sell Nintendo shares held by a trust bank.

Regulators and the Tokyo Stock Exchange have encouraged Japanese companies to unwind their cross-shareholdings and the banks have outlined policies to reduce their stakes.

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A share sale in 2019 saw banks offload some 71 billion yen worth of Nintendo’s shares.

Toyota is planning an unwinding of strategic shareholdings that would involve banks and insurers selling around US$19 billion of its shares, Reuters reported on Thursday.

The practice, which involves firms holding shares in each other to cement business ties, has been criticised by governance experts and overseas investors as insulating management from shareholders. Although the practice has been widespread in Japan for decades, it is less common in the West. REUTERS