1 in 5 Japan companies project record profit despite trade headwinds

TOKYO -- Despite growing headwinds from trade friction, one in five Japanese companies expects to achieve record profits in the year ending March 2026, Nikkei has found, with those that produce overseas or make uniquely Japanese products in a particularly good position.

Nikkei compiled data on about 2,000 listed companies -- excluding financial institutions and without taking into account changes in accounting standards -- whose data for the past five years or more can be compared. Of those, 383 companies, or 19%, forecast their highest net profits ever, down 9 percentage points from the previous fiscal year.