Intel, Ford and Target rise premarket; Deckers slumps
LONDON - Schroder Japan Trust (SJG) reported annual results for the year ending July 31, 2025, with net asset value (NAV) total returns of 6.8% and share price total returns of 5.6%, both exceeding the TOPIX benchmark return of 4.8%.
The outperformance was driven by portfolio manager Masaki Taketsume’s strategy focusing on undervalued companies benefiting from structural change in Japan, according to the trust’s statement. The portfolio maintained above-market exposure to small and mid-cap companies where corporate governance reforms are taking hold.
Positions linked to artificial intelligence infrastructure supply chain also contributed positively to performance amid growing interest in generative AI applications.
Under Taketsume’s six-year tenure, the trust has outperformed the TOPIX by 17.9 percentage points as of October 7, 2025.
The trust highlighted Japan’s equity market momentum, supported by broad-based wage growth, steady inflation, and rising business investment as signs the economy is emerging from its deflationary period.
SJG has implemented an enhanced dividend policy, committing to distribute 4% of its average NAV annually, aligning with Japan’s growing income opportunity as dividend growth and shareholder returns become more central to the Japanese equity market.
The trust noted that while trade tensions and political uncertainty have introduced occasional volatility, the domestic economic backdrop remains favorable for active stock selection.
The information was released in a press statement from Schroder Japan Trust PLC, which included analysis from Kepler Trust Intelligence.
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