Stockholm (NordSIP) – In March, J.P. Morgan Asset Management (JPMAM) announced a new strategy whereby it will expand ESG integration into all its strategies. In the latest step towards this goal, JPMAM appointed Shizuko Ohmi as head of investment stewardship for Japan, on Monday, July 20th. She will be responsible for the asset manager’s ESG Agenda in Japan as well as its local engagement and proxy voting.
Ohmi was Head of ESG for Japan at Amundi since 2015. She leaves Amundi after 16 with the French asset manager. Before Amundi, she was the Head of Sustainable Finance, Japan for HSBC securities. Ohmi will remain based in Tokyo and report to Jennifer Wu, global head of sustainable investing. She was also a member of Japan’s Ministry of Trade and Industry working group responsible for formulating guidance on climate risk disclosure disclosure in accordance with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
“Ohmi-san has extensive expertise from more than 20 years as an equity research analyst, much of it covering industries such as chemicals, textiles and oil exploration and refineries. With a dedicated focus on ESG since 2015, she brings impressive technical and analytical knowledge together with a dedicated focus on sustainability and corporate governance,” JPMAM’s Wu says in the statement.
As we noted in January, ESG integration in Japan has its own specific features. The homogeneity of the population and the size of the country create a barrier to outsiders in the form of Japanese language requirements. While the country’s cultural practices and geographical constraints have facilitated a natural focus on the environment, Japan has continued to grapple with labour market and governance issues.
Image by Sofia Terzoni from Pixabay
