11.   Custody companies can charge more for taking care of foreign assets because keeping track of them can be more complicated.

12.   Expectations they will have to sell yen to obtain the foreign currency they need to buy foreign assets has spurred traders to sell the yen.

13.   Foreign assets are not subject to U.S. forfeiture.

14.   In most cases, Japanese investors have to convert their yen into other currencies to buy foreign assets.

15.   In return, the other republics gave to Russia their rights to Soviet foreign assets, such as embassies and sovereign credits granted by the Soviet government.

16.   Japanese Finance Minister Masayoshi Takemura Wednesday said the government will ease overseas-investment rules to encourage Japanese private and public institutions to buy more foreign assets.

17.   Japanese institutional investors have traditionally shunned investment in foreign assets, fearing that currency fluctuations would erase the value of asset.

18.   Japanese institutional investors have traditionally shunned investment in foreign assets, fearing that currency fluctuations would erase their gains.

19.   Japanese investors have increased investment in foreign assets that offer higher returns.

20.   Last month, the government unveiled a deregulatory program to encourage Japanese insurance companies to buy foreign assets.