lawyers weekly logo
Advertisement
Markets
31 October 2025 by Georgie Preston

China’s turning point beyond the US–China lens

While investor focus often centres on Washington–Beijing relations, China’s diversified trade partnerships reveal a different trend, according to ...
icon

Unregistered MIS operator sentenced over $34m fraud

Unregistered managed investment scheme operator Chris Marco has been sentenced after being found guilty of 43 fraud ...

icon

Banks push to expand Australia’s sustainable finance rules

Australia’s major banks have backed a push to broaden sustainable finance rules, aiming to unlock global capital and ...

icon

September marks strongest ever quarter for gold demand

Gold demand and prices hit fresh records as investors turn to safe-haven assets amid geopolitical volatility and market ...

icon

Ironbark AM partners to expand global qualitative equity access in Australia

Ironbark Asset Management has formed a strategic partnership with US-based global quantitative equity manager Intech ...

icon

Salter Brothers creates ESG-focused platform in PE partnership

Investment manager Salter Brothers has partnered with private equity firm Kilara Capital to launch an Australian ...

VIEW ALL

A new paradigm for Japan

  •  
By Owen Holdaway
  •  
5 minute read

According to leading investment firm Nikko Asset Management, Japan has the potential to end its decades-long deflationary and stagnant growth cycle.

“Confidence is rebuilding, you can see it, you can feel it, you can taste it,” Charles Beazley, chairman and chief executive officer at Nikko Asset Management told InvestorWeekly.

The current policy of the Shinzo Abe government has called on the Japanese people to employ a “three arrow approach” involving massive monetary stimulus, fiscal boosts and changes, and structural reforms.

“Abe essentially is warning his people that you cannot have one arrow, you do not get a choice of two arrows, you must understand that it is three arrows if this is to succeed,” Mr Beazley said.

 
 

The Bank of Japan has already implemented an unprecedented round of quantitative easing, which has had a strong effect on monetary markets.

“It has been critical to domestic and consumer and investor confidence that the Yen weakens. That is the most important thing that has happened,” John Vail, head of global investment strategy at the firm stated.

With the second arrow, fiscal reform, Abe’s government has also been pushing forward on this front, with Nikko pointing out “they have done quite a lot, especially on infrastructure spending”.

Uniquely, the Abe administration has threatened to implement a structural revolution, which has traditionally been the most difficult for governments to tackle.

“By far the most important, of course, is the structural changes that Abe has threaten to bring upon his people ... these are structurally Reagan and Thatcherite things to do,” Mr Beazley said.

Nikko believes the government has made headwinds in this area.

“He is actually promoting the role of women in the Japanese economy to where it has never been before and that addresses some of the demographic worries that people have,” Mr Vail stated.

He added, “Japan has a very low participation ratio of women in the labour force and the plan is to increase that dramatically by improving the childcare availability and pushing for better maternity leave and rules.”

The danger for the West is that investors will miss out if his reforms are successful.

“There is an element of cognitive dissonance in the West, ‘oh Japan, it won’t work, it won’t happen,’” Mr Beazley said, but added “by and large people are significantly under-invested in Japan”.