NEW YORK -- Japan now has more listed companies than the U.S., giving investors plenty of choices. But that does not mean the Japanese market is more attractive than its U.S. counterpart. Rather, it is more a result of the lag in Japan in strengthening market discipline and shaking out lower-quality companies.
At the end of 2017, there were about 3,700 listed companies in Japan, including those listed on regional stock exchanges. The U.S. is in the 3,600s, excluding foreign companies, according to data from Bloomberg and others.
