Japan’s share buybacks expand at record pace, reaching $80bn so far

TOKYO — Share buybacks announced by listed Japanese companies are rapidly expanding so far this year, Nikkei has found, signaling that corporations are rushing to improve returns to shareholders despite concerns that trade pressures will reduce profits.

The ceiling for buybacks set between January and May stood at 12.1 trillion yen ($83.5 billion), a 20% increase on the year and a record for the five-month period.