Miyako Urabe will be lead manager of JPMorgan Japan Small Cap Growth & Income plc (LON:JSGI) in a highly experienced Japanese equities team.
The Board of JPMorgan Japan Small Cap Growth & Income plc has been informed by its Manager, JPMorgan Funds Limited, that Eiji Saito, the Company’s lead portfolio manager, will be leaving JPMorgan after 18 years’ service. Eiji has made the decision to leave the industry after 26 years to return to university and pursue a degree in law. Eiji has been a valuable member of the team and led JPMorgan Asset Management’s Japan Small/Mid Cap strategy over the last 18 years.
Eiji’s specific portfolio management responsibilities will be transitioned to other members of the JPMorgan Asset Management’s Japanese Equity team.
Miyako Urabe will replace Eiji as the lead manager of the Company and the JPMorgan Asset Management’s Japan Small/Mid Cap strategy. Miyako has spent 14 years within the industry, including 9 years at JPMorgan, having joined the Japanese Equities team in 2013. She has been a named manager on the multi-cap Japan Growth Unconstrained strategy since 2015.
Xuming Tao will join Miyako as a portfolio manager of the Company. Xuming was recruited to the team in 2019 as an investment analyst to focus on Japanese Small Cap research and has worked closely with the managers of JPMorgan Asset Management’s Japan Small/Mid Cap strategy since then.
Nao Ozawa will continue as a portfolio manager of the Company, working alongside Miyako and Xuming. Nao has spent 16 years in the industry, 14 years with JPMorgan and 4 years managing the Company. Michiko Sakai will leave the team to focus on the JPM Japan Sustainable strategy responsibilities.
The three portfolio managers will continue to work closely with the highly experienced team in Tokyo that has been managing Japanese equities mandates since 1969. They are supported by JPMorgan Asset Management’s extensive resources around the world.
The Company will continue to pay quarterly dividends without compromising the objective of achieving capital growth, funded from dividends from investment holdings and capital reserves, equivalent to 1% of its net asset value. There is no change to the investment objectives or investment policies of the Company. These management changes will come into effect immediately (on 19th January 2022).
The Board would like to thank Eiji for his contribution to the management of the Company. It looks forward to working with the portfolio management team and welcomes the new co-managers, Miyako and Xuming.
Japan income fund, JPMorgan Japan Small Cap Growth & Income, targets Japan income without compromising on Japanese growth opportunities. This Japan income investing opportunity gives investors access to a diverse and fast growing sector managed by local managers. The Investment Trust offers a regular quarterly income without compromising on Japanese growth opportunities, by paying a higher dividend funded part by capital reserves as well as revenue returns.
