Due to Japan's shrinking population, deteriorating business environment, and declining economic competitiveness, established U.S. companies are increasingly choosing to exit the Japanese market. Recently, major U.S. automaker Ford Motor Company announced its withdrawal from the Japanese market within the year, and the Japanese subsidiary of fast-food giant McDonald's has also decided to sell its shares. This phenomenon has attracted the attention of investors looking to immigrate to the U.S., as American enterprises begin to prioritize emerging markets such as China.
Citigroup also believes that it is difficult to achieve profit growth in its personal banking business in Japan, and it completed the sale of this business to Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation last November. It is reported that McDonald's has divided its global market into four segments. China, South Korea, and others are classified as "high-growth markets," while Japan is considered a non-core market.