TOKYO — A total of 191 companies in Japan announced stock splits in the fiscal year ended on Sunday, up about 60% from the previous year, lowering the barrier to entry for retail investors by reducing prices.

On Monday alone, 62 companies implemented splits, the most at the start of a fiscal year in 10 years. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Suzuki Motor and Mitsui Fudosan executed stock splits for the first time ever, and Fujifilm Holdings had its first in around three decades. Some of the splits were sizable, such as the 10-for-1 divides by Mitsubishi Heavy and Fujitsu.

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