Tocom relaxes market rules to ease foreign trade

The Tokyo Commodity Exchange (Tocom) has changed its regulations to make it easier for foreign commodity brokers to trade through intermediaries on its platform in a move that analysts say should boost trading volumes and make the exchange more attractive.

Tocom is Japan's largest derivatives platform offering futures contracts on precious and industrial metals, oil-related energy products, rubber and gold.

The new rules expand the number of ways through which a foreign market participant can