TOKYO — Japanese companies accelerated share buybacks in April to a record level, helping the stock market rebound from an earlier rout that was brought on by the U.S. imposing “reciprocal tariffs” against trade partners.
Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange pledged over 3.8 trillion yen ($26 billion) in share repurchases during April, the highest ever for the month on record, according to data compiled by Tokyo-based I-N Information Systems. The amount tripled from a year earlier, with a total of 92 companies announcing such plans. April alone already reached 20% of last fiscal year’s total of 18.9 trillion yen.