Neuberger Berman, the New York-based wealth manager, has launched a UCITS ESG fund for the Japanese market.
The firm said the fund is tailored to make returns through active engagement and constructive dialogue with Japanese companies.
The Japan Equity Engagement fund will seek an exposure $9.3bn.
Corporate governance has never been more firmly on the Japanese government’s agenda."
Neuberger said today the ESG fund will be a "highly-concentrated portfolio", with a selection process "defined by a rigorous three-stage screening and scoring" process to evaluate firms' ESG criteria.
Keita Kubota, head of Japanese equities at Neuberger Berman, will manage the fund from Tokyo.
She said: "Corporate governance has never been more firmly on the Japanese government's agenda, and we are seeing a new level of open-mindedness amongst companies to change and improve."
"We believe now is the time to find undervalued Japanese equities through using a fundamental research approach with active and constructive engagement. Our team's local knowledge, coupled with Neuberger's global equity research expertise, will be key to generating long-term returns for clients."
