(Bloomberg) -- Japan’s stock market is unveiling a slew of measures this year aimed at making it more attractive for retail investors and global funds, including an expansion of the tax-exempt retirement savings account program.

The new Nippon Individual Savings Account, or NISA, already appears to drawing in more individual investors, according to Rakuten Securities Inc. President Yuji Kusunoki. Traders bullish on Japanese shares are hoping that the revised system and other steps will help extend last-year’s equity rally that saw the Nikkei 225 and Topix index beat major global peers to touch 34-year highs. Here are some of those measures that share investors are watching.  

January: New NISA Starts

The government is increasing the amount investors can put into NISA and also making it easier to put money in the accounts, in an effort to boost investments by households in one of the world’s fastest aging populations. 

The new rules get rid of limits for NISA’s tax-free holding periods, among other steps. The annual investment limit for so-called Tsumitate NISA - more geared toward younger users preferring to invest smaller sums more regularly - increases to ¥1.2 million ($8,260) from the current ¥400,000, and the annual investment limit for growth accounts will rise to ¥2.4 million from ¥1.2 million.

If investments via the new NISA expand at the same level as the government’s target, annual inflows of about ¥2 trillion into Japanese equities via the program is possible, wrote SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. analysts including Hikaru Yasuda and Keiichi Ito in a note. 

READ: Tax-Free Account Boom Heralds New Wave of Young Japan Investors

Jan. 15: Disclosure of Capital Efficiency Plans 

The Tokyo Stock Exchange on Monday listed companies that have voluntarily released plans to improve capital efficiency, as part of the exchange’s push to improve corporate governance. Japan Exchange Group Inc. said about 40% of firms listed in the TSE’s prime section have so far disclosed such plans.

READ: Tokyo Bourse to Name Companies With Efficiency Improvement Plans 

April: More Segment Earnings Reporting 

A new law will abolish requirements that companies need to release regulatory financial reports for the first and third quarters that are more thorough than earnings reports. Needing to compile the financial reports every quarter had been a burden for companies because they overlapped a lot with the earnings reports. 

Listed companies will still be required to submit the more thorough financial reports semiannually. With the focus shifting to the quarterly earnings report, the Tokyo Stock Exchange will require companies to disclose information on earnings and cash flow for each business segment. That will give investors a better picture of companies’ operations.

Nov. 5 - Trading Hour Extensions 

The TSE will extend trading by 30 minutes to 3:30 p.m.

“For the early birds in Europe and hedge funds in Hong Kong and Singapore, it’s possible that they will be able to make necessary trades during the hours when there’s enough liquidity, and that may prove valuable for them,” said Masanari Takada, Japan quantitative and derivatives strategist at JPMorgan Securities Japan Co. Even a 30-minute extension can help increase liquidity in the market, he said.

--With assistance from Hideyuki Sano.

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