On May 2nd Warren Buffett said at his annual shareholder meeting via livestream that there hasn’t been anything “that attractive” despite the global market rout in March. With a war chest of $137 billion at the ready, Buffett focused primarily on American businesses, but perhaps he might consider pivoting to Asia where ample opportunities abound, especially in Japan.
Hard times always present opportunities, and right now, Japan is a prime candidate: First came the poorly timed tax hike which led to a contraction of 6.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019. Then came the coronavirus cruise ship debacle, followed by the delay of the summer 2020 Olympic games that were to be held in Tokyo, a move projected to cost the Japanese economy at least $18 billion.
To ease the pain out of the economic disaster, the Japanese government recently introduced $1 trillion worth of stimulus package, handing out cash to needy households and struggling small businesses. In the meantime, it is searching for a solution to restart its economy as activities have been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. As of May 3, Japan has 14,877 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 487 deaths.