Samsung Electronics announced on September 2, 2026, that it will ramp up experience-based marketing for its foldable smartphones in Japan. ^[1] Big Japanese banks have reached a turning point in their mortgage strategies as higher interest rates make corporate loans more lucrative. ^[2] Japan's benchmark 10-year government bond yield crossed 3% for the first time since 1996, ending nearly three decades of ultra-cheap money in the country. ^[3] Samsung intends to quadruple the number of experiential spots for its foldable phone demonstrations. ^[4] The company plans to increase the number of spaces where shoppers can touch and test the devices in person. ^[5] Governments worldwide have accumulated heavy debt over recent years, and with sticky inflation limiting central bank rate cuts, investors are demanding higher returns to lend, driving a global bond sell-off. ^[6] Japanese investors hold trillions of dollars in foreign assets, including large holdings of US Treasuries and European sovereign bonds, which they had bought because domestic Japanese bonds paid near-zero yields. ^[7] With Japanese domestic yields now near 3%, Japanese funds are repatriating capital by selling overseas debt, which pushes bond prices down and yields up globally. ^[8]