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Japan's US$1.7 trillion fund boosts ESG holdings as others flee

Japan's US$1.7 trillion fund boosts ESG holdings as others flee

[TOKYO] Japan's US$1.7 trillion Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) has added to its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments, rejecting the shift away from green strategies by many global asset managers.
GPIF held about 18.2 trillion yen (S$160.5 billion) of assets tracking ESG indexes at the end of March – or 14.7 per cent of the fund's equity investments – up from 17.8 trillion yen a year earlier, according to documents published on Friday (Jul 4). The fund posted a quarterly loss on a declining dollar and weaker domestic assets.
ESG funds have experienced record outflows as many investors shun a strategy that has been plagued by lacklustre returns, regulatory fatigue and political backlash, particularly from President Donald Trump's administration in the United States. GPIF and Norway's US$1.9 trillion sovereign wealth fund are seen as rare examples of major investors that are continuing to support sustainability-related securities.
Japan has a positive outlook for ESG investments through the rest of the year, supported by GPIF's plans to continue to add green holdings and a push by the Tokyo Stock Exchange to overhaul corporate governance, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. BLOOMBERG
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