Exclusive-Japan eyes tax breaks for non-core business sales in governance reform push, sources say

Japan's government is contemplating tax breaks for gains from sales of non-core business units, a move that could accelerate corporate restructuring efforts and foster industry consolidation, according to sources familiar with the matter. This initiative, aimed at Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's corporate governance reform agenda, would exempt roughly 30% of corporate tax on gains from such sales, provided companies reinvest the proceeds within a few years in acquisitions aligned with their core operations and commit to further investment in those businesses.

The proposal, expected to be submitted as part of tax reform requests by the end of August, aims to address the issue of poor capital allocation due to inefficient divestiture practices. By exempting companies from taxes on gains from sales of non-core businesses, Japan hopes to emulate Germany's successful tax reform in the early 2000s, which helped dismantle the country's dense network of cross-shareholdings and make it easier for corporations to reshape their business portfolios.