October 2022
25Oct

Canada pension fund to pour $470m into Japanese renewables company

Major Canadian pension fund CDPQ plans to invest 70 billion yen ($474 million) in Shizen Energy, a Japanese developer of renewable energy. Demand is increasing for environmentally conscious investing globally. If Japanese renewable energy companies can build a track record at home and abroad, they will be able to attract global decarbonization money. CDPQ will invest 20 billion yen by subscribing to Shizen Energy convertible bonds in October. In addition, 50 billion yen has been set aside for an investment framework...

October 25, 2022
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September 2022
19Sep

Over 75s make up over 15% of Japan’s population for first time

The share of Japan's older adult population, those over age 65, has been increasing every year since 1950 and is expected to reach 35.3% of the total population in 2040. For the first time, Japan's over 75s account for over 15% of the population, after their cohort rose by 720,000 to 19.37 million people, government data released Sunday showed, in further evidence of the country's rapidly graying society. Also hitting a record high this year was the number of those over...

September 19, 2022
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August 2022
15Aug

Japan’s GPIF eyes more alternatives after promising returns

After joining alternatives investment rush relatively late, Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) is now speeding up its allocation to the asset class after solid initial performances. As of end June 2022, alternative investments made up 1.32% of the ¥193 trillion ($1.5 trillion) portfolio, amounting to ¥2.548 trillion. The alternatives portfolio was up from ¥1.456 trillion a year before, an increase of about 75% in one year. While growth might not continue to be as rapid, GPIF is advertising for new...

August 15, 2022
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05Aug

Investment results for 1Q of fiscal 2022(update report)

By GPIF Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) manages the public pension fund in the long term and its investment results should be assessed in the same manner. In addition to the annual report, which is legally required, GPIF publishes the quarterly update report to enhance the transparency to the public. Please note that returns, which are marked to market as of the end of each quarter, include unrealized gains and losses and are influenced by the market trends. Get the report here...

August 5, 2022
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July 2022
04Jul

Pension giant GPIF to invest in Japanese startups for first time

Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund, one of the world's largest institutional investors, will begin investing in Japanese startups in order to give the sector a boost, Nikkei has learned. The amount of the GPIF's investment in startups is expected to total several tens of millions of dollars. The move could serve as a magnet for other pension money and give momentum to the development of Japanese startups, which have lagged behind those in the U.S., China and other countries, observers...

July 4, 2022
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01Jul

Japan. World’s Top Pension Fund Writes Off Russia Stocks, Sells Bonds and Closes Year With Gains

Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund said Friday that it’s been selling Russian assets since March following the invasion of Ukraine, marking down some values to almost zero in the process. The world’s biggest pension fund has substantially reduced holdings of Russian bonds, which can still be traded over-the-counter. The fund has been largely stuck with the country’s stocks, as foreign investors face trading restrictions, Chief Investment Officer Eiji Ueda said in the GPIF annual report. The Government Pension Investment Fund lost...

July 1, 2022
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June 2022
22Jun

Japanese corporate pension funds: risks growing for Asia’s emerging markets

Relying on high-growth markets is not showing the results it once did - and the current situation is posing more questions than answers, says one corporate pension fund manager. Corporate pension funds in Japan are struggling to identify the best allocation strategies as the knock-on from distruptive events globally is being felt in Asia's emerging markets, according to leading pension funds. With China’s economy challenged by lockdowns and general repercussions from the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as regulatory interventions that have...

June 22, 2022
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April 2022
27Apr

Homeless Population Aging in Japan

The proportion of homeless people aged 70 or over in the total homeless population in Japan surged to 34.4 pct in 2021 from 19.7 pct in 2016, a welfare ministry survey has found. The survey on people without housing, held about every five years, also showed that the average age of homeless people rose by 2.1 years to 63.6 years. In the survey, conducted in November 2021, homeless people in Tokyo's 23 special wards, ordinance-designated major cities and other cities were...

April 27, 2022
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20Apr

Japan eyes expansion of workers’ insurance scheme

The Japanese government is reportedly discussing plans to expand the coverage of its employee pensions and health insurance programs to all workers in the country. The proposal will be initially handled by a government panel of experts on Japan’s social security system for all generations, The Japan Times reported. In June, Tokyo plans to decide on the direction for the insurance system covering all workers and have it reflected in its honebuto, or basic economic and fiscal policy guidelines. This follows the...

April 20, 2022
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15Apr

Japan’s population down 640,000 in 2021, biggest drop on record

Japan's population totaled 125,502,000 as of Oct. 1, down 644,000 from a year earlier, marking the biggest decline on record, according to government data released Friday. The fall was attributed to stricter border restrictions propelled by the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said. The tally includes foreign nationals. Tokyo's population shrank for the first time in 26 years. All of Japan's 47 prefectures except Okinawa posted a fall in the number of residents in the year to...

April 15, 2022
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