A decision by Japan’s $1.8 trillion pension fund, the world’s biggest, to consider a shift into impact investing has triggered a wider adjustment among the country’s money managers.
The Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) opened the door to impact strategies in March and at least four other Japanese pension funds are updating or revising their investment policies, according to a review of the funds’ investment policies. At the same time, there’s evidence that asset managers pitching for pension mandates are now adjusting their approach to match growing demand for impact strategies.
The ripple effect through Japan’s $5 trillion money management industry is backed by the government, which has identified the strategy as a way to help address some of the country’s real-world challenges. That’s as policymakers in Japan face a rapidly aging society and one which ranked 118th last year in a gender-equality review of 146 countries.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.