Warren Buffett saw 'compelling' reasons to buy Japan trading houses

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20240504N buffett in golf cart at annual meeting REU

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett attends the company's annual shareholders meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 3. © Reuters

HIROFUMI TAKEUCHI and MOMOE BAN, Nikkei staff writers

May 5, 2024 04:09 JST

OMAHA, Nebraska -- Warren Buffett had "overwhelmingly compelling" reasons for his investment firm Berkshire Hathaway to buy shares in Japanese trading houses, the legendary investor told shareholders on Saturday.

Speaking at Berkshire Hathaway's annual general meeting in Omaha, Buffett noted that U.S. companies are still the main investment targets, but he talked about investment in five major Japanese trading houses since 2019 as an exception.