Japan making ESG progress, with GPIF’s help

By their own admission, Japanese asset owners and the companies they invest in still have a lot to learn about environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. For instance, Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) is the only Asian institution among the 20 founder members of a new global ESG platform announced late last month by the ¥140 trillion ($1.23 trillion) retirement institution. While the region is a laggard on this front, UK investment manager Hermes said …