Billionaire investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway said it added to stakes in Japan's five biggest trading houses to beyond 8% on Monday, a move likely to highlight and add to the momentum driving Japan's stock market to new heights.
**COMPANIES IN WHICH BERKSHIRE IS INCREASING STAKE ARE ITOCHU, MARUBENI, MITSUBISHI, MITSUI AND SUMITOMO
**EXCLUDING SHARES OF TREASURY STOCK, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY'S OWNERSHIP INTEREST IN EACH OF FIVE COMPANIES NOW AVERAGES MORE THAN 8½%
**INTENTION CONTINUES TO BE TO HOLD ITS JAPANESE INVESTMENTS FOR LONG TERM
**DEPENDING ON PRICE, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY MAY INCREASE ITS HOLDINGS UP TO A MAXIMUM OF 9.9% IN ANY OF FIVE INVESTMENTS
