While Japan has proven to be a difficult market for investors over decades, the past few years have seen dramatic outperformance spurred by the prospects of the outcomes of massive quantitative easing. In fact, the extent to which the eurozone can take some lessons from Japan’s experience as it embarks on its own program is notable. It also leads us to question what else can be learned from Japan, and what are the persistent challenges? We take this opportunity to consider whether it will be a new commitment to corporate governance, in conjunction with potential structural reforms, that might spark continued strong performance for Japan.
In this month’s “Journal of Sustainable Finance and Banking” (JSFB), we adopt the “Mind of the Beginner” and look with fresh eyes across disciplines of economics & finance, and even the martial & culinary arts as we consider prospects for the Japanese market performance. We highlight Japan’s evolution in corporate governance, a “Japan Founders Index” whose leaders are outperforming their peers, and we consider how a culture steeped in tradition can deal with change as “necessity is the mother of invention.”
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS MONTH’S ISSUE:
Environmental Issues & Country Valuations: What Matters? By Michael Geraghty
Japan’s New Codes: Studying the Impact on Valuations, By Sebastian Vanderzeil
The Economics of Automation: Quick Serve Restaurant Industry, By Michael Shavel and Dehao Zheng
Post Crises, Japan is a Good Investment, By Joshua Walker
Corporate Governance in Japan – A Developing Story, By Hiroshi Komori
The Japan Founders Index, By Ayako Hirota Weissman
Necessity Is the Mother of Invention, By Jiro Yasu
UmamiFinance.com: Flavor is Information, By Christopher Loss
Mind of the Beginner, By Matthew Fremon
Revisiting the Wealth of Nations: The Seas, By Erika Karp
READ THE MARCH 2015 EDITION OF THE JSFB.
