Exploring Japan’s “next gen” winners

Strong corporate earnings

Since 2010, corporate profits in Japan have tripled, alongside a rise in free cash flow. At the same time, companies’ debts have been repaid and their cash balances have increased.

There are several factors driving strong corporate earnings. Firstly, Japan is home to a number of global companies such as Sony that have a significant presence outside Japan. So even though the domestic market may be flat, these companies are able to continue to grow strongly overseas. Additionally, Japan is on the doorstep of fast-growing and thriving markets in Asia, predominantly China - which has also helped these companies.

Another big driver has been the corporate governance reforms that have been introduced over recent years, which have forced companies to restructure and focus on core areas - thereby moving towards more rational balance sheets and free cash flows.

Small-cap opportunities

While Japanese equities have generally performed well versus most other developed markets over the past five to ten years, the returns of Japanese small-cap companies have outstripped the performance of larger companies in the last decade. We believe these smaller companies offer a richer source of excess returns. As a result, the Trust tends to invest in these companies where there's a long runway of growth.

Additionally, the mid/small cap space is not widely covered by sell-side analysts compared to other developed markets such as Europe and the US.

An example to highlight here is JustSystems, a software development firm focused on education and enterprise software that we invested into in 2017. The company had no analyst coverage and had a market capitalisation of £600 million. Market cap is now over £2.5 billion, and its share price has increased four-fold.  

Pre-IPO market

Another area in which we’re seeing strong opportunities is the pre-IPO market. Over the past few years, we have seen a sharp rise in entrepreneurial activity in Japan with a number of new growth companies coming through, creating opportunities in the pre-IPO market

Unlike in the US, there is very limited institutional participation in late-stage pre-IPOs in Japan, which means that there is less competition and valuations are more attractive. We see the sweet spot as one to two years prior to IPO, there is very limited competition at this stage.

In this space, we invested in a company called Coconala, an online C2C freelancing platform that enables users to trade knowledge, skills and experience.

Generating excess returns

Overall, we believe there is a wealth of under-covered companies in Japan that represent a significant source of potential excess investment returns for investors that are willing to turn over enough stones and find the undiscovered or underappreciated gems.

In the current uncertain macro environment, our strong research and on-the-ground knowledge is invaluable when looking at the micro level and speaking to company management to fully understand the current dynamics. We believe this puts us in a strong position to continue to identify mispriced winners which should create positive long-term outcomes for investors.

Important information

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns. The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. Fidelity Japan Trust PLC can use financial derivative instruments for investment purposes, which may expose it to a higher degree of risk and can cause investments to experience larger than average price fluctuations. The shares in the investment trusts are listed on the London Stock Exchange and their price is affected by supply and demand. The investment trusts can gain additional exposure to the market, known as gearing, potentially increasing volatility. Investments in smaller companies can carry a higher risk because their share prices may be more volatile than those of larger companies. Changes in currency exchange rates may affect the value of an investment in overseas markets. Reference to specific securities should not be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell these securities and is included for the purposes of illustration only.

The latest annual reports and factsheets can be obtained from our website at www.fidelity.co.uk/its or by calling 0800 41 41 10. The full prospectus may also be obtained from Fidelity. The Alternative Investment Fund Manager (AIFM) of Fidelity Investment Trusts is FIL Investment Services (UK) Limited. Issued by Financial Administration Services Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Fidelity, Fidelity International, the Fidelity International logo and F symbol are trademarks of FIL Limited. ISSCSO00025/03/22