Masatoshi Kikuchi

Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd. (Broker) (Mizuho Securities-Broker) is the brokerage division of Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd., ultimately owned by Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (TYO: 8411; NYSE: MFG) in Japan. The firm was originally founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Tokyo with a network of offices throughout Japan as well as overseas representation through Mizuho entities or strategic partners (in Great Britain, Switzerland, the US, Hong Kong, Mainland China, South Korea, Singapore and India). Mizuho Securities-Broker provides enhanced equity and fixed income execution services for their clients who includes private individuals in Japan, domestic and foreign institutions, non-financial companies, financial institutions and public corporations in the securities and investment banking fields.

BofA Securities Japan Co., Ltd. (BofA Securities Japan) is the wholly-owned Japanese brokerage subsidiary of Merrill Lynch International, Inc., which is ultimately owned by Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC). Founded in 1998, the firm was formerly known as Merrill Lynch Japan Securities Co., Ltd. (MLJS) and changed their name to BofA Securities Co., Ltd. in line with grobal re-branding from BofA Merrill Lynch to BofA in 2020. They subsequently became BofA Securities Japan Co., Ltd. Headquartered in Tokyo, BofA Securities Japan provides stock and bond trading, capital markets, investment banking and other advisory services to corporate clients, financial institutions and government agencies.