Japan firms’ profit rises 7% in FY 2022 on gains in trading houses

The total net profit of listed companies in Japan increased 7.4 percent to 29.3 trillion yen for fiscal 2022, driven by gains in trading houses on the back of a weaker yen and rising prices of natural resources, a tally by a securities firm showed Friday.

The figure is based on earnings results of 754 companies released by Thursday, accounting for 52.6 percent of about 1,400 Japan’s major firms surveyed by SMBC Nikko Securities Inc.

The net profit at nonmanufacturers, excluding financial companies, jumped 22.0 percent to 12.82 trillion yen thanks to robust performance in wholesale and inbound ...