Major asset managers in Japan 2023, by total net assets in public investment trusts

As of December 2023, Nomura Asset Management Co., Ltd. was one of the leading asset management companies in Japan, with total net assets in publicly offered investment trusts amounting to around 51.7 trillion Japanese yen. Daiwa Asset Management followed, with total net assets of over 25.1 trillion yen. 

Investment management industry

The investment management industry in Japan encompasses two types of business: asset management and investment advisory. The former is offered by discretionary investment advisory firms, which are authorized to manage assets on behalf of their clients. On the other hand, investment advisory firms, as the name suggests, are limited to providing advisory services. The total amount of assets under management in the investment management industry, including discretionary assets and assets under advice, amounted to 542.3 trillion yen in March 2023. 

Investment trust market

The investment trust market in Japan has gradually grown over the past ten years. As of the end of 2023, the total net assets of investment trusts amounted to around 325.8 trillion yen, up from 147.6 trillion yen a decade ago. While publicly offered investment trusts made up the larger share of the amount, privately placed investments reached a net asset value of 113.4 trillion yen. Securities companies represented the leading distribution channel for investment trusts, followed by financial institutions, such as banks.