Metaplanet, a Japanese listed company, saw its share price rise by more than 4,000% in the past year, the highest increase in the Japanese stock market.

Here is the English translation: Metaplanet Inc., a Japanese listed company that has adopted a strategy, has seen its stock price surge more than 4,000% in the past 12 months, the largest increase among all Japanese stocks during the same period and one of the highest globally. Simon Gerovich, the CEO of Metaplanet and a former Goldman Sachs equity derivatives trader, said that after hearing Michael Saylor's strategy on a podcast, he became interested in the idea and shifted to a "Bitcoin-first strategy" in early 2024. According to the company, the number of Metaplanet's shareholders has since increased to nearly 50,000 and is expected to grow 500% by 2024. The shareholders include Group (which also invests in Strategy), but the vast majority are retail investors, many of whom have limited experience with volatile assets. Rhiannon Ewart-White, a Japanese stock analyst and managing director of UK-based Storm Research, said: "Metaplanet has such high exposure to the volatile retail cohort, they need to ensure shareholders accurately understand what their strategy is." The company has been loss-making for six consecutive years, but is expected to report a profit in the fourth quarter, which will be announced on Monday evening in Tokyo. Ewart-White said this could boost the stock price. Metaplanet is not the only Japanese company mimicking MicroStrategy's approach. For example, software developer Remixpoint Inc. announced plans to purchase 1.2 billion yen (about $8 million) worth of in September last year, and its stock price has since risen more than 300%.