Kazuhito Yoshihara

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Japan Ltd. (BNPP AM-Japan) is the Japan-based, wholly-owned asset management subsidiary of BNP Paribas Asset Management France SAS, itself a subsidiary of BNP Paribas SA (XP: BNP; ADR: BNPQY) in France. Formerly known as BNP Paribas Asset Management Japan Ltd., founded in 1998, the firm changed their name to BNP Paribas Investment Partners Japan Ltd. when they merged with Fortis Asset Management Japan Co. Ltd. in 2010 and subsequently became BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Japan Ltd. Headquartered in Tokyo, BNPP AM-Japan provides investment management and advisory services to corporate and institutional clients including pension funds. They specialize in Japan-domiciled investment trusts and advise Japanese equity portfolios for BNP Paribas Asset Management (Luxembourg).

Barings Japan Ltd. is the Japan-based investment management subsidiary of Baring Asset Management (Asia) Holdings Ltd., which is ultimately owned by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. in the US. Headquartered in Tokyo, Barings Japan was founded in 1986 and manages mutual funds and hedge funds for institutions and private individuals.

APS Asset Management (Japan) Co. Ltd. (APS-JP) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of APS Asset Management Pte Ltd., an independent private company based in Singapore. Established in 2001, APS-JP is located in Tokyo. APS maintains additional offices in New York and Shanghai. APS-JP is an Asian equity specialist focused on the Japanese market. They provide investment management and advisory services to Japanese institutional investors. The firm advises a Japanese equity fund and an alternative portfolio, operating in close relationship with their parent company.

Jefferies (Japan) Ltd. (JJ) is the Tokyo branch and subsidiary of US-based Jefferies Asia Holdings II Pte Ltd., ultimately held by Leucadia National Corp. (NYSE: LUK) in the US. Established in 1996, the firm focuses on Asian markets and provides brokerage and investment banking services to institutional and corporate clients located primarily in Asia and the Middle East. Their activities include sales and trading of Japanese equity, equity-linked and structured products, the distribution of equity research and execution services in cooperation with US and European offices and the provision of electronic connectivity throughout Asia. They issue equity shares through GDRs and ADRs, and are a leading issuer of convertible bonds, high-yield in particular. In-house research covers a variety of industries including the maritime sector, infrastructure, logistics, outsourcing, technology and IT. In addition to Japan, JJ focuses on countries such as China and India, providing a range of services to Chinese and Indian companies, including access to international equity and debt capital markets, securities underwriting, US public and private offerings and cross-border M&A advisory. They also cooperate with private equity and venture capital firms focused on the Chinese and Indian markets.