PERSPECTIVE3-5 min to read

Behind the trust: Schroder Japan Trust plc

Schroders depth of resources on-the-ground in Japan and in smaller companies allows Schroder Japan Trust (formerly the Schroder Japan Growth Fund) to invest with conviction in the best that the country offers.

21/04/2023
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The world’s third largest economy, Japan is home to globally recognised leaders in areas such as automobiles and electronic components. It is also a hotbed of many smaller, lesser known companies that possess key enabling technologies in structural growth areas such as robotics and factory automation.

Schroders’ Japan team is in a strong position to form an independent view of these companies and back that conviction for the longer term.

“I invest in individual Japanese companies, not simply in the broad Japanese economy,”says Masaki Taketsume, manager of the Schroder Japan Trust plc. “That means I only invest where I see strong company-specific drivers for future performance, while avoiding the impact from the well-known structural issues that Japan faces.”

In many cases, positive company views are supported by significant improvements in corporate governance seen in Japan in recent years. This has led the management at many companies to improve their business models, especially through better capital allocation, which has resulted in sustainable improvements in return-on-equity.

These changes are already directly benefiting investors in the Schroder Japan Trust, particularly as Japanese companies have begun to improve returns to shareholders in the form of increasing dividends and share buybacks.

Shareholder activism is on the rise in Japan too, creating a powerful force for accelerating change. Over time, this will provide an additional route through which the hidden value in many Japanese companies can be realised for investors in the investment trust.

The current economic outlook for Japan is also broadly positive. The political environment is expected to remain stable for the foreseeable future, with Prime Minister Kishida continuing to pursue policies aimed at reinforcing ongoing recovery in the domestic economy.

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Very accommodative monetary and fiscal policy is expected to continue for at least the next couple of years, underpinning an economy that is growing well above its usual rate. Growth in Japan will accelerate to 2.4% in 2022, the fastest in 12 years, and should maintain close to same pace next year, according to the International Monetary Fund’s latest economic projections [1]. While Japan should avoid the kind of spike in inflation being seen elsewhere, global pressure on energy and food has helped Japan to reach a headline inflation rate of around 2% after decades of deflation.

What does the trust do?

The trust is a portfolio of the best ideas. The companies cover the complete spectrum of Japanese equities, across different sizes and sectors. But they have two common factors: firstly, they are well-managed, high-quality companies, and secondly, their current share prices do not yet reflect their potential.

Research on these companies by Schroders’ in-house research analysts gives the fund manager the conviction he needs to invest in just 60-70 stocks from among more than 3,000 available to the trust in the Japanese equity market.

How does Schroder Japan Trust do it?

Schroders boasts a wealth of experience in investing in Japan. In managing the trust, Masaki draws on the extensive global resources of Schroders, including the data insights unit, sustainable investment team and independent risk management team.

The strongest contribution to the trust, however, comes from a team of dedicated analysts working on the ground in Japan. They have in-depth knowledge of the market and gather great insight into the companies operating there.


Masaki’s investment strategy typically identifies performance drivers from three broad categories:

Market misperception: companies with improving growth prospects through management effort, which are underestimated by other investors.

Market oversight: undervalued companies with strong and defendable business franchises in niche product areas, especially among small and mid-caps, that are often overlooked due to a lack of sell-side research coverage.

Short-term overreactions: ideas arising from abrupt but transitory events that push valuations of quality companies to unsustainably low levels. These are more opportunistic positions.

Conversely, Masaki seeks to avoid stocks that lack company-specific drivers for future performance, such as those affected primarily by macroeconomic or cyclical factors, and those that could become casualties of structural headwinds.

Why invest?

There are many compelling reasons to invest in the Schroder Japan Trust. Here are the trust’s six central selling points:

1. Unconstrained approach

The manager has the flexibility to invest in the complete spectrum of Japanese companies, across different sizes and sectors. The trust provides a balance between large-cap companies where there are signs of management-driven improvement and mid- and small-cap companies that may not yet be on many investors’ radar screens but have strong business franchises in niche product areas.

2. Focus on quality

The team focuses on quality companies with strong management teams and defendable market positions. With Japan potentially heading into a period of moderate but sustainably positive inflation, the team is particularly focused on the ability of Japanese companies to re-establish pricing power to protect margins after such a long deflationary period.

3. Focus on valuation

Schroders’ research process has a strong valuation focus. Together with the manager’s naturally contrarian investment style, this typically results in the trust having a modest style tilt towards ‘value’ stocks. These are companies deemed to be trading at prices below their intrinsic value.

4. Experience and resources

Schroders’ Japanese equity team is highly experienced. Masaki has 28 years’ experience investing in Japanese equities. He is backed by Schroders’ 12-strong team of Tokyo-based equity analysts, including three small-cap specialists. This team has strong links with the management of each company the trust invests in.

5. ESG integration/ Active ownership

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are integrated throughout Schroders’ Japanese equity research, drawing on Schroders’ proprietary sustainability tools. The team also conducts an active engagement programme with a focused list of Japanese companies. Collectively, it undertakes around 2,500 contacts with Japanese companies each year.

6. Geared returns

The investment trust structure allows the use of gearing – borrowing money to invest alongside shareholders’ capital with the objective of augmenting investment returns. Given the team’s expectations for long-term revaluation of the Japanese equity market, the trust typically maintains a positive gearing level of 10% through the market cycle. Masaki has flexibility to increase gearing by an additional 7.5% on a more tactical basis to take advantage of idea flow in small-cap companies. This ability to gear can provide a powerful kicker to returns.

Find out more at www.schroders.com/sjg

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[1] - Japan: 2022 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Japan, IMF, April 2022

Key risks

Past performance is not a guide to future performance and may not be repeated.
The value of investments and the income from them may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the amount originally invested. The Company invests in smaller companies that may be less liquid than in larger companies and price swings may therefore be greater than investment companies that invest in larger companies.
The Company will invest solely in the companies of one country or region. This can carry more risk than investments spread over a number of countries or regions.

The Company holds investments denominated in currencies other than sterling, investors should note that exchange rates may cause the value of these investments, and the income from them, to rise or fall. The Company may borrow money to invest in further investments, this is known as gearing. Gearing will increase returns if the value of the investments purchased increase in value by more than the cost of borrowing, or reduce returns if they fail to do so

Important information

This information is a marketing communication.

This document does not constitute an offer to anyone, or a solicitation by anyone, to subscribe for shares of Schroder Japan Growth Fund plc (the “Company”). Nothing in this document should be construed as advice and is therefore not a recommendation to buy or sell shares.

Any reference to sectors/countries/stocks/securities are for illustrative purposes only and not a recommendation to buy or sell any financial instrument/securities or adopt any investment strategy. The material is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, accounting, legal or tax advice, or investment recommendations. Reliance should not be placed on any views or information in the material when taking individual investment and/or strategic decisions.

Past performance is not a guide to future performance and may not be repeated.

The value of investments and the income from them may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the amounts originally invested. Exchange rate changes may cause the value of investments to fall as well as rise. Schroder Japan Growth Fund plc have expressed their own views and opinions in this document and these may change. Information herein is believed to be reliable but Schroders does not warrant its completeness or accuracy.

Third party data is owned or licensed by the data provider and may not be reproduced or extracted and used for any other purpose without the data provider’s consent. Third party data is provided without any warranties of any kind. The data provider and issuer of the document shall have no liability in connection with the third party data. The terms of the third party’s specific disclaimers, if any, are set forth in the Important Information section at www.schroders.com.

We recommend you seek financial advice from an Independent Adviser before making an investment decision. If you don’t already have an Adviser, you can find one at www.unbiased.co.uk or www.vouchedfor.co.uk

Issued in November 2022 by Schroder Unit Trusts Limited, 1 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU.

Registration No 4191730 England. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

Important information

This communication is marketing material. The views and opinions contained herein are those of the named author(s) on this page, and may not necessarily represent views expressed or reflected in other Schroders communications, strategies or funds.

This document is intended to be for information purposes only and it is not intended as promotional material in any respect. The material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument. The material is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, accounting, legal or tax advice, or investment recommendations. Information herein is believed to be reliable but Schroder Investment Management Ltd (Schroders) does not warrant its completeness or accuracy.

The data has been sourced by Schroders and should be independently verified before further publication or use. No responsibility can be accepted for error of fact or opinion. This does not exclude or restrict any duty or liability that Schroders has to its customers under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended from time to time) or any other regulatory system. Reliance should not be placed on the views and information in the document when taking individual investment and/or strategic decisions.

Past Performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of investments and the income from them may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the amounts originally invested.  Exchange rate changes may cause the value of any overseas investments to rise or fall.

Any sectors, securities, regions or countries shown above are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be considered a recommendation to buy or sell.

The forecasts included should not be relied upon, are not guaranteed and are provided only as at the date of issue. Our forecasts are based on our own assumptions which may change. Forecasts and assumptions may be affected by external economic or other factors.

Issued by Schroder Unit Trusts Limited, 1 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU. Registered Number 4191730 England. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

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Please remember that the value of investments and the income from them may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the amounts originally invested.

Issued by Schroder Unit Trusts Limited, 1 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU. Registered Number 4191730 England.

For illustrative purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation to invest in the above-mentioned security / sector / country.

Schroder Unit Trusts Limited is an authorised corporate director, authorised unit trust manager and an ISA plan manager, and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

On 17 September 2018 our remaining dual priced funds converted to single pricing and a list of the funds affected can be found in our Changes to Funds.

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