TOKYO -- Japan's listed companies are increasingly serving up rewards for shareholders, hoping to attract more retail investors and keep them on board for the long haul.

Toridoll has begun offering coupons for use at its udon noodle restaurants.

The number of companies with investor benefit programs reached a record 1,148 as of the end of July. In the January-July period, 50 businesses set up new programs, according to consultancy Daiwa Investor Relations. In the same period a year earlier, 49 did so.

In many cases, companies offer shareholders discounts on their products and services. Toridoll, which runs an udon noodle restaurant chain called Marugame Seimen along with other eateries, has begun offering coupons for use at its establishments.

Major companies with sizable proportions of overseas investors are doling out perks, too.

Telecommunications company KDDI is now providing discounts on mobile phones distributed under its au wireless service. Shareholders who hold relatively large stakes over a long period of time are entitled to better deals.

Major office equipment maker Ricoh this year started a program under which investors with 100 shares or more can buy Ricoh-brand cameras for less. Also up for grabs, depending on investors' stakes, are tickets to orchestra performances and rugby games.

Companies appear to be trying to seize an opportune moment to add to their rolls of retail investors. Japan recently launched a Nippon Individual Savings Account system, modeled after a program in the U.K., that offers the chance to make tax-free investments.

(Nikkei)