TOKYO —

The government is expected to recommend the Children’s Investment Fund, a British hedge fund, change or cancel its plan to raise its stake in Electric Power Development Co, known as J-Power, to up to 20%, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is leaning toward judging that the stake hike plan ‘‘could hurt the maintenance of public order,’’ the sources said.
   
The ministry will make a final decision after a government panel holds a hearing with the British fund, known as TCI, next Friday under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law, they said. It will be the first hearing held by the Council on Customs, Tariff, Foreign Exchange and Other Transactions about a stock acquisition plan by a foreign company.

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  frontandcentre at 03:18 PM JST - 7th April

  ‘‘could hurt the maintenance of public order,’’

  What does that mean exactly? "We don't want gaijin firms buying chunks of our infrastructure"? If so, I wish they'd be more honest about it, especially as the British Government wouldn't lift a finger to stop TEPCO buying into UK utilities firms if they wanted to.

  Japan's attitudes to shareholder rights and foreign inward investment prove to be several decades out of date, once again

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