Blackstone Chief on Japan Investments

Blackstone has invested more than USD 2 billion in Japan in the past 6 months - Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman confirmed in an interview with the Nikkei newspaper. The investments were primarily in commercial real estates. He cited cheap valuation and positive prospects for the Japanese economy as the attraction for investments. Mr. Schwarzman commented that Japan could grow nearly 2% next year, which is not bad for an economy with no population increase; and that a strong JPY currency and healthy balance sheets of Japanese corporations enable them to acquire foreign companies and assets very cheaply.