Warren Buffett, chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, on Monday, Nov. 21, 2011.Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesBerkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett is in Japan and recently revealed that he raised his stakes in the country’s top trading houses, saying he was “confounded” by the opportunity to buy them two years ago.The five companies — Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsui & Co., Itochu Corp, Marubeni Corp., Sumitomo Corp. saw two consecutive days of gains as Buffett confirmed he added roughly another percentage point to his holdings. Berkshire Hathaway’s stakes in all five trading houses is now 7.4%.On Thursday, the shares continued to trade mostly higher for a third day, paring earlier losses after Federal Reserve minutes showed expectations for a recession in the U.S. in the fallout of the regional banking crisis. Sumitomo shares fell 0.5%.Buffett’s trip is a “stamp of approval” — especially for domestic investors in Japan, according to Monex Group’s Jesper Koll.Stock Chart IconStock chart icon “For Japanese institutional investors, this really is now the stamp of approval that Japan can deliver superior returns,” Koll told CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia.”He emphasized Buffett’s trip has the potential to boost confidence among Japanese investors as the nation continues to grapple with low consumption.”The real focus is confidence for Japanese investors, and that’s where Warren Buffett’s visit was very, very important,” Koll said. “He’s got the track record globally, but now he’s got a very positive track record in investing in Japan.”Stock picks and investing trends from CNBC Pro:Household spending in Japan marginally increased by 1.6% in February, the latest government d …
