Rush to ‘Value Up’ may be Asia’s best defence - Malaysia and Thailand also considering similar move

Price surge: Pedestrian walks along Boat Quay in Singapore. The Straits Times Index has gained more than 15% this year, outperforming the regional Asian benchmark and putting it near a record high. — Bloomberg

Tokyo: A Japan-inspired strategy of seeking to boost shareholder returns, corporate governance and market valuations is spreading like a wildfire across Asia.

From Seoul to New Delhi, governments and regulators are hurrying to implement their own versions of Japan’s decade-long programme of structural reforms that helped drive its benchmark index to a record high this year.