Mergermarket M&A Forum Japan 2023
The premier M&A forum in Japan
The Conrad, Tokyo and online
29
Jun
Regulatory landscape: The future of Japan’s ESG and corporate governance
Japan’s recent changes to sustainability and corporate governance disclosure requirements for listed companies has accelerated the use of M&A as a way for corporates to recognise that sustainable transformation is a long-term investment. Separately, the renewed emphasis on human capital and diversity is impacting the decisions of both financial and strategic buyers. A panel of regulators, investors, and advisors will discuss the effects of the new regulations, how companies can navigate them and utilise M&A to deliver sustainability transformation.
- What are the latest regulations that corporate acquirors need to be aware of, especially on the data requirements from an ESG perspective?
- What are the new polices on ESG, and will it help to improve transparency and tackle greenwashing?
- How can investors ensure their medium-to long-term sustainability initiatives are consistent with their management policies and M&A strategy?
- How can Japan tackle human capital and diversity challenges and reverse the talent drain?
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SpeakersMasamichi Kono Senior Advisor, MUFG BANK Member of Global Advisory Board, MITSUBISHI UFJ FINANCIAL GROUP
Ayaka Fujiwara Climate Investment Specialist, Private Sector Facility GREEN CLIMATE FUND
Yumiko Murakami General Partner MPOWER PARTNERS
Shoji Misawa Executive Director and Responsible Officer ORIX ASIA ASSET MANAGEMENT
Kazuhiko Tahara Director, Corporate Governance & Sustainability - Japan MORROW SODALI
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Mr. Masamichi Kono is the Senior Advisor of MUFG Bank and a Member of the Global Advisory Board of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG). He also serves as a trustee of the IFRS Foundation from July 2021.He served as the Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD from August 2017 until October 2021.
His portfolio included navigating strategic direction of OECD policy on environment, tax, trade and agriculture, along with financial and organizational affairs. He oversaw the horizontal project on Climate and Economic Resilience and initiatives on Infrastructure and Sustainable Growth. Mr. Kono represented the OECD at the Financial Stability Board.
Prior to joining the OECD, Mr. Kono was the Vice Minister for International Affairs, Financial Services Agency, Japan (JFSA) and the President of the Asian Financial Partnership Center of the JFSA.
In his capacity as the Vice Minister, he represented JFSA in various international bodies and was responsible for coordinating policies relating to international affairs for the JFSA.
During his term at JFSA, he served as the Chairman of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) Technical Committee from April 2011 until May 2012, and thereafter as the inaugural Chairman of the IOSCO Board until the end of his term in March 2013. He was also theCo-chair of the Financial Stability Board Regional Consultative Group for Asia from July 2013 to June 2015, and Chairman of the IFRS Foundation Monitoring Board from February 2013 to June 2016.
He has had a long career in financial supervision and the regulation of financial services, both in Japan and in the international arena, since joining the public service in 1978.
Before joining the Financial Services Agency, Mr Kono was Secretary to the WTO Trade in Financial Services Committee between 1994 and 1999, as Counsellor of the Trade in Services Division, World Trade Organization.
He also served for 4 years at the OECD Secretariat in the Economics Department, at the beginning of his career.
Mr Kono holds a B.A. in law from the University of Tokyo
Ayaka Fujiwara is a Climate Investment Specialist at the Green Climate Fund's (GCF) Private Sector Facility, where she has been responsible for the origination and appraisal of private sector climate projects and programs since 2018. With 13 years of experience in corporate, fixed income, and equity investments, Ayaka brings a wealth of expertise to her role.
Prior to joining GCF, she spent most of her career as an Associate Director in Daiwa Capital Markets' Tokyo headquarters and London office, where she provided fixed income investment strategy and managed transactions with institutional investors. Ayaka also worked as a corporate governance researcher in an M&A consulting firm in Myanmar.
Ayaka holds a bachelor’s degree in law from Keio University in Japan, an M.Sc. in Finance from London Business School in the UK, and is a Ph.D. candidate in Green Finance at Inha University in the Republic of Korea.
Yumiko is the former head of the OECD Tokyo Centre. Prior to the OECD, she worked for 20 years in the global financial industry, mostly as a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs in New York, London and Tokyo. She is a leading authority on a wide range of economic policy issues such as corporate governance, tax guidelines, diversity, education, trade and innovation. She sits on several Government advisory panels, including Prime Minister Kishida’s panel on “the New Form of Capitalism”. Yumiko has an MBA from Harvard Business School, MA from Stanford University and BA from Sophia University.
Shoji Misawa serves as Executive Director and Responsible Officer at ORIX Asia Asset Management (OAAM) based in Hong Kong which is a wholly owned subsidiary of ORIX Corporation headquartered in Tokyo (ORIX). OAAM is HK SFC Type 1, 4 and 9 licensed asset management company established recently to provide professional investors with both debt and equity investment opportunities leveraging the resource of ORIX Group in Asia. Prior to OAAM, he has served as Managing Director of the climate fund management company in HK sponsored by ORIX Group and Asian Development Bank. Misawa has joined ORIX in 1988 and served a number of senior roles within ORIX Group in Japan, Hong Kong, United States and Canada. Misawa is known as the expert of structured finance and spoke at various industry events held in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and France. Misawa has received his B.A. in Commerce from Doshisha University, Kyoto.
Kazuhiko is a global finance and investment expert, with particular expertise in ESG and sustainable finance.
Prior to joining Morrow Sodali, Kazuhiko was a principal advisor at S&P Global Market Intelligence (IHS Markit), providing insight and guidance on ESG to clients in APAC including Japan. Previous roles include promotion of ESG stewardship activities at Daiwa Asset Management. Earlier responsibilities in a long career include international primary markets, quants, corporate access and compliance at Daiwa Securities.
Kazuhiko has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Kyoto University and Master of Business Administration at the University of Chicago. He is a CFA Charterholder.