Japan Stock of the Day

On October 30, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was Harima Chemicals Group <4410>.
Background: At 1 p.m. on the 30th, the company announced its results for the first half (April-September) of the fiscal year ending March 2027. Consolidated ordinary profit grew 2.7-fold year on year to 3.46 billion yen, turning into an increase from its earlier forecast of a 19.0% decline. Consolidated ordinary profit for the July-September quarter rose 3.2-fold year on year to 2.0 billion yen, and the operating margin improved from 3.4% to 7.3%. The company also made a 78.6% upward revision to its full-year ordinary profit forecast, from 2.8 billion yen to 5.0 billion yen, and now expects record profit for the first time in eight years. It also raised its annual dividend forecast from 42 yen to 50 yen. Buy orders flooded in after the announcement, and the stock closed limit-up at 1,355 yen, up 300 yen (28.44%), becoming the top gainer on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market. Trading volume was about 1.64 million shares, and market capitalization is 35.3 billion yen.

On October 29, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was Advantest <6857>.
Background: On the 28th, the company announced its results for the first half (April-September) of the fiscal year ending March 2027. Net sales rose 60.5% year on year to 845.2 billion yen, operating profit rose 96.5% to 456.8 billion yen, and net profit rose 116.8% to 368.1 billion yen, all record highs for a first half. Saying demand for testers used for high-performance AI semiconductors exceeded expectations, the company raised its full-year operating profit forecast from 846.0 billion yen to 967.0 billion yen and its net profit forecast from 660.0 billion yen to 741.5 billion yen. It also decided on a share buyback of up to 280.0 billion yen and raised its interim dividend to 49 yen from 29 yen a year earlier. On the 29th, the stock rose as high as 38,120 yen during the session and closed at 37,030 yen, up 2,100 yen (6.01%) from the previous day. Turnover was about 929 billion yen, and the stock led the rise in the Nikkei Stock Average.

On October 28, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was SAKURA internet <3778>.
Background: During trading hours on the 28th, the company announced its results for the first half (April-September) of the fiscal year ending March 2027. Net sales rose 46.0% year on year to 22.8 billion yen, and operating profit swung to a surplus of 2.9 billion yen from a loss of 0.9 billion yen a year earlier. Sales of its GPU infrastructure service, which rents out GPUs via the cloud, grew about 3.6 times to about 10.1 billion yen and drove the results. The company also raised its full-year operating profit forecast from 2.5 billion yen to 4.1 billion yen and its ordinary profit forecast from 2.3 billion yen to 3.9 billion yen, its second upward revision following July. It also raised its annual dividend forecast from 5.5 yen to 8 yen. The stock surged in the afternoon session and closed at its high of 3,470 yen, up 503 yen (16.95%) from the previous day, making it the top gainer on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market. Turnover swelled to about 15.2 billion yen.

On October 27, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was Dai Nippon Toryo <4611>.
Background: Dai Nippon Toryo, a major paint maker listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market, closed at 1,935 yen, up 321 yen (19.89%) from the previous day, and was the highest-ranked Prime Market stock in Matsui Securities' gainers ranking. The catalyst was the upward revision of its earnings forecast for the fiscal year ending March 2027, announced at 2 p.m. the same day. The company raised its consolidated ordinary profit forecast for April-September 2.2 times, from 2.25 billion yen to 4.85 billion yen, and expects a record first-half profit for the first time in nine periods. It also raised its full-year ordinary profit forecast by 46.6%, from 5.8 billion yen to 8.5 billion yen, well above the previous year's 4.47 billion yen. Buy orders poured in right after the announcement, and the stock surged in the afternoon session to a high of 1,966 yen, a year-to-date high. Trading volume was about 1.07 million shares, turnover swelled to about 2 billion yen, and market capitalization reached 57.5 billion yen.

On October 26, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was KOA <6999>.
Background: KOA, a maker of resistors and other electronic components listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market, closed at 2,101 yen, up 212 yen (11.22%) from the previous Friday, and was the highest-ranked Prime Market stock in Matsui Securities' gainers ranking. The stock rose as high as 2,186 yen, and turnover swelled to about 10.7 billion yen. The catalyst was its April-September results and upward revision of its earnings forecast, announced after the close of trading on the 23rd. First-half sales rose 26.0% year on year to 43.6 billion yen, a record for a half-year, and ordinary profit grew 2.5 times to 3.98 billion yen, beating its previous forecast of 3.01 billion yen. Demand for AI-related equipment, mainly in China, drove the growth. The company raised its full-year ordinary profit forecast by 41.7% from 6.04 billion yen to 8.56 billion yen, its second upward revision following July. It will also increase its annual dividend from 63 yen to 78 yen.

On October 23, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was Social Wire <3929>.
Background: Social Wire, listed on the Growth Market, hit its daily limit (limit-up) at 303 yen, up 80 yen from the previous day, and was the top gainer in Matsui Securities' ranking. The stock rose 35.87%, and its opening, high, low and closing prices were all 303 yen, as buy orders outnumbered sell orders from the start of trading and the price never weakened. The catalyst was the launch of a security consulting service, "Clip Master Security," announced by its subsidiary @Clipping after the close of trading on the 22nd. The service uses AI to inspect weaknesses in companies' websites and systems and support improvements, with monthly regular inspections as its basis. It aims to help companies build systems that identify weaknesses before attackers do and prevent leaks of customer information. Trading volume was 76,100 shares, and market capitalization was about 3.6 billion yen.

On October 22, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was Trend Micro <4704>.
Background: Two critical vulnerabilities were found in PHP, a programming language widely used to build websites, that could allow outsiders to execute programs without authentication, and fixed versions were released late on the night of the 21st Japan time. Attacks were observed even before the fix, and in Japan Sakura Internet and others carried out emergency maintenance, so buying gathered in security-related stocks on the Tokyo market on the 22nd. Among them, Trend Micro closed at 7,314 yen, up 585 yen (+8.69%) from the previous day, with turnover swelling to about 25.2 billion yen and market capitalization reaching about 1.03 trillion yen. The stock rose against the trend as the Nikkei Stock Average fell sharply by 1,713 yen, following the rise in cybersecurity stocks in the US the previous day. Peers FFRI Security and NEC also rose.

On October 21, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was Cuorips <4894>.
Background: Cuorips is a biotech company spun off from Osaka University that develops "ReHeart," a heart muscle sheet made from iPS cells. On the 21st, a patient who underwent surgery using ReHeart held a press conference, and it was reported that the patient was recovering well after surgery and was scheduled to be discharged on the 22nd. ReHeart received conditional and time-limited manufacturing and marketing approval in March 2026, and on September 29 the first transplant since it became covered by health insurance was performed at a hospital in Osaka City. Buying gathered on expectations that treatment of serious heart disease will expand, and the stock closed at 7,000 yen, up 810 yen (+13.09%) from the previous day. The high was 7,060 yen, and the stock is listed on the Growth Market. Trading volume was 450,500 shares, turnover was about 3 billion yen, and market capitalization was about 62.3 billion yen. Among iPS cell-related stocks, Healios also rose 8.5%.

On October 20, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was Shirai Electronics Industrial <6658>.
Background: After the close of trading on the 19th, Shirai Electronics Industrial announced higher forecasts for its earnings and year-end dividend for the fiscal year ending March 2027. It made upward revisions to net sales from 29 billion yen to 32 billion yen, operating profit from 850 million yen to 1.8 billion yen, ordinary profit from 800 million yen to 1.6 billion yen, and net profit from 600 million yen to 1 billion yen. The reason was that progress in revising selling prices is expected to curb the decline in profit margins to a certain extent. It also raised its year-end dividend forecast from 20 yen to 28 yen and announced that it would withdraw from its SPET business by the end of March 2027. On the 20th, the stock remained in buy-quote status from the open and hit its daily limit at 522 yen, up 80 yen (+18.10%) from the previous day, with shares allocated proportionally, making it the top gainer on the Standard Market even as the Nikkei Stock Average fell sharply by 841 yen. Trading volume was 103,300 shares and market capitalization was about 7.9 billion yen.

On October 19, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was Retty <7356>.
Background: Retty, which runs the restaurant review site "Retty" and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market, hit its daily limit and closed up 50 yen (+45.45%) from the end of the previous week at 160 yen, the top gainer in the entire market. The catalyst was Prime Minister Takaichi's remark at the House of Councillors Budget Committee on the 16th that the government would consider "Go To Eat" and premium gift certificates as support for the restaurant industry, which would be affected by a consumption tax cut on food. On expectations that stimulating dining-out demand would increase use of restaurant search and reservation services, peer Gurunavi <2440> rose as high as 164 yen at one point, up 18.42%, and Retty was bought in tandem. Volume swelled to 7,182,400 shares and trading value to about 1.09 billion yen. A small-cap stock with a market capitalization of about 2.4 billion yen, it was bought up to the full daily price limit.

On October 16, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was Daisue Construction <1814>.
Background: Investors welcomed the first-half results and dividend increase announced by the Osaka-based mid-sized general contractor, whose main business is building condominiums. First-half revenue rose 22.9% year over year to 16.365 billion yen, and operating profit jumped 117.3% to 1.361 billion yen. The company also raised its full-year net profit forecast from 3.86 billion yen to 4.81 billion yen. In addition, it raised its annual dividend forecast from 186 yen to 234 yen (117 yen each at the interim and year-end) and announced a share buyback of up to 176,000 shares or 590.48 million yen. On October 16, buy orders flooded in and the stock hit its daily limit, closing up 700 yen (+20.86%) at 4,055 yen, the top gainer on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market.

On October 15, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was PR TIMES <3922>.
Background: The operator of a press release distribution service announced a revision of its dividend policy on October 14, together with its first-half results for the fiscal year ending February 2027. It raised its dividend target from a dividend-on-equity ratio (DOE) of 2% or more to 9% or more, and adopted a progressive dividend policy under which, in principle, dividends will not be cut. As a result, it raised its annual dividend forecast for the fiscal year ending February 2027 from 16.8 yen to 74.3 yen (versus 13.8 yen the previous year). First-half operating profit fell 7.4% year over year to 1.75 billion yen, but beat the company's forecast of 1.65 billion yen, and it kept its full-year forecast of 3.25 billion yen. On October 15, even as the Nikkei Stock Average fell 3,318 yen in its third-largest point drop on record, the stock attracted buying and closed up 467 yen (+21.91%) at 2,598 yen, the top gainer on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market.

On October 14, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was Riso Kyoiku Group <4714>.
Background: On October 13, major real estate company Hulic, which owns 50.87% of the company that runs the TOMAS individual tutoring schools, announced that it will buy the remaining shares through a tender offer and make it a wholly owned subsidiary. The offer price is 295 yen per share, a 37.2% premium to the previous close. The offer runs from October 14 to November 26, and the shares are expected to be delisted if it succeeds. Riso Kyoiku Group's board resolved to support the offer and recommend that shareholders tender, and the second-largest shareholder, the Sundai Gakuen educational corporation, agreed to tender all of its 6.05% stake. Hulic said it will accelerate collaboration with Tetsuryokukai and nationwide expansion through video lessons, among other initiatives. On October 14, the stock hit its daily limit and closed up 80 yen (+37.21%) at 295 yen, converging on the offer price and making it the top gainer on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market.

On October 13, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was Sun Asterisk <4053>.
Background: The company, which supports corporate digitalization and develops software, announced an expansion of its shareholder benefits at 1 p.m. on October 13. It added Amazon gift cards as an exchange option for points from its "Premium Yutai Club" given to shareholders with 600 or more shares, and increased points for those holding for one year or longer. For 600 or more shares held for at least a year, points rise from 6,000 to 7,000, and for 4,000 or more shares held for at least a year, from 120,000 to 160,000. The changes apply from shareholders of record at the end of December 2026. The stock rose as high as 573 yen and closed up 38 yen (+7.28%) at a year-to-date high of 560 yen. Based on the closing price, the benefit yield for 600 shares held for at least a year is about 2.08%. The gain came even as the Nikkei Stock Average fell sharply by 1,253 yen.

On October 9, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was Fast Retailing <9983>.
Background: In its results for the fiscal year ended August 2026, released after the close on October 8, the Uniqlo operator posted record profits: revenue rose 16.6% to 3.9633 trillion yen, business profit 30.4% to 718.4 billion yen, and net profit attributable to owners of the parent 25.3% to 542.5 billion yen. Overseas Uniqlo drove growth, including North America (business profit up 53.3%) and Europe (up 69.0%), and the annual dividend was raised to 850 yen from 500 yen the previous year. On the other hand, for the fiscal year ending August 2027, the company forecasts business profit up 15.5% to 830 billion yen and net profit up only 3.2% to 560 billion yen, which was seen as disappointing. The stock closed down 3,020 yen (-4.04%) at 71,780 yen on October 9, dragging the Nikkei Stock Average down by about 244 yen on its own.

On October 8, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was Sankyo Tateyama <5932>.
Background: Investors welcomed the results for the first quarter (June to August) of the fiscal year ending May 2027, announced on October 7 by the major aluminum building materials maker. Revenue rose 13.3% year over year to 97.268 billion yen, and the company swung to an operating profit of 2.641 billion yen (versus a loss of 1.164 billion yen a year earlier) and an ordinary profit of 2.42 billion yen (versus a loss of 1.2 billion yen). Ordinary profit already exceeded the full-year plan of 1.5 billion yen, a progress rate of 161.9%. Higher selling prices linked to aluminum ingot prices, price increases, currency effects in overseas operations, and cost cuts contributed. In response, buying flowed into the stock on October 8, and it closed up 100 yen (+15.90%) at 729 yen, the top gainer on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market. The gain came even as the Nikkei Stock Average fell sharply by 993 yen.

On October 7, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was Kasumigaseki Capital <3498>.
Background: The company, which develops real estate such as logistics facilities and hotels and runs a fund business, announced its results for the fiscal year ended August 2026 on October 5. Operating profit rose 47.2% to 27.9 billion yen, with 19.7 billion yen earned in the June-August quarter alone, 2.1 times the year-earlier level. It had also announced an upward revision to its earnings forecast and a dividend increase on September 17. It expects operating profit to grow 47.1% to 41.0 billion yen in the fiscal year ending August 2027, but because that was in line with market expectations, the stock fell sharply on profit-taking on October 6, closing at 7,080 yen. On October 7 it rebounded, rising as high as 7,900 yen and closing up 700 yen (+9.89%) at 7,780 yen, the top gainer on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market. Turnover swelled to about 15.1 billion yen, and its market capitalization is 191.5 billion yen.

On October 6, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was BroadBand Security <4398>.
Background: With a series of personal data leaks at major companies, cybersecurity stocks were bought across the board on October 6. On September 28, car-sharing service Times Car announced that up to about 6.6 million member records had been leaked through unauthorized access detected on September 25, including images of driver's licenses and other documents for about 1.6 million accounts. The stock of the company, which provides information security services such as vulnerability assessments and monitoring, hit its daily limit and closed up 400 yen (+26.28%) at 1,922 yen, a year-to-date high. That day's top gainers included other security-related stocks such as GRCS, S&J, SecuAvail, and Cyber Security Cloud, and security stocks led the TSE Growth Market. Its market capitalization is 8.9 billion yen.

On October 5, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was TIER IV <593A>.
Background: At 10 a.m. on October 5, the company issued a press release stating that it had been selected for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's "Global South Future-Oriented Co-Creation Project Subsidy (Large-Scale Demonstration, Non-ASEAN Member Countries)." Using the subsidy, it will advance autonomous bus trials and local human resource development in Saudi Arabia, building a business model for future commercial operation. The trials will start with driving in closed areas before expanding to public roads; the vehicles will be developed with a European automaker, and the company will work with partners including local technology company Elm. According to its September 4 disclosure, the subsidized expenses applied for total 6 billion yen, with a planned subsidy rate of two-thirds. The stock rose as high as 2,283 yen and closed up 292 yen (+15.36%) at 2,193 yen. Turnover swelled to about 89.8 billion yen, and its market capitalization is 139.3 billion yen.

On October 2, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was Kusuri no Aoki Holdings <3549>.
Background: Investors welcomed the company's results for the first quarter (June to August) of the fiscal year ending May 2027, announced on October 1. Revenue rose 13.8% year over year to 159.042 billion yen, operating profit rose 16.0% to 8.424 billion yen, and ordinary profit rose 17.6% to 8.56 billion yen. Operating profit beat market expectations, and with gross margin rising more than anticipated, some saw signs that price competition in the drugstore industry is easing. By category, fresh food grew 42.8% to 22.574 billion yen, food 15.3% to 65.812 billion yen, and dispensing 13.9% to 15.931 billion yen, driving the results. In response, the stock hit its daily limit on October 2, closing up 700 yen (+18.86%) at 4,411 yen. Its market capitalization is 421.8 billion yen.

On October 1, 2026, the most talked-about Japanese stock online was PHC Holdings <6523>.
Background: It was reported that Toho Holdings, a major pharmaceutical wholesaler, had made a takeover proposal to the company, and PHC Holdings also disclosed on October 1 that it has received a non-binding initial proposal from Toho Holdings. The company said that "no decisions have been made at this time." According to the reports, Toho Holdings aims to acquire all shares through a takeover bid, with the deal expected to exceed 200 billion yen. PHC Holdings is a medical device maker that originated from Panasonic's healthcare business, and its largest shareholder is U.S. investment fund KKR, which held about 38% as of the end of March 2026. In response, the stock closed up 254 yen (+17.76%) at 1,684 yen. Turnover was about 12 billion yen, and its market capitalization is 214.4 billion yen.