RI Asia Japan 2019

Summary


The RI Asia Japan conference has established a reputation for thought-provoking content, delivered by first class speakers from around the globe. The eighth annual conference, 10-11 April 2019 at Tokyo-Midtown Roppongi, will step up to another level.

The adoption and integration of ESG into investment and business practices is set to flourish in Japan.

The foundations have been put in place since 2014 with the Ito Review, the new and revised Stewardship Codes and Corporate Governance Codes, the rise in Japanese signatories to the PRI and, of course, the leadership of the world’s largest pension fund GPIF. In the past five years, ministries such as the FSA, METI and MoE have been instrumental in supporting the ESG agenda, while JPX backed the RI Asia Japan conference from the start, hosting it at the TSE. JPX is now a member of the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative (SSE), another key building block for Tokyo as a sustainable finance centre.

Most notably, and core to our belief that Japan is at a tipping point, is the “Dash to the Goals” as the Keidanren titles one of it’s two policy proposals (July 2018) extolling the virtues of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a game-changer for responsible investment, ESG and sustainable finance, providing, in the words of Unilever’s CEO Paul Polman, a road map for planet earth.

The Japan Securities Dealers Association (JSDA) is also publishing positive opinions about the SDGs (Role of Securities Industry for the Sustainable Development Goals, March 2018) and, like the Keidanren, has set up an internal committee to focus on SDG policies.

It is difficult to overstate the importance of organisations like the Keidanren and JSDA putting their weight and influence behind the SDGs. Set alongside the clear leadership on the SDGs being provided by government, this signals a key moment for responsible investing to become the mainstream in Japan.

The RI Asia Japan 2019 conference will focus on climate and SDGs. These two key themes will drive the narrative for regulators, companies and investors until 2030 and beyond. RI Asia Japan 2019 provides a platform to learn, share and debate on the key issues that are set to define every aspect of the investment landscape in the next decade.

Additionally, in 2019, the RI Asia Japan conference is being restructured to deliver more advanced content, taking the discussion to the next level. After 5 successful years hosted by the Tokyo Stock Exchange, we are moving to a new home at Tokyo Midtown Roppongi. This means that in addition to the regular panels, interviews and keynotes, we can produce three specialist breakout streams offering 21 in-depth sessions presented by high-level experts. The Tokyo Midtown facility also allows us to substantially increase the audience capacity, enabling greater networking from a wider cross-section of industry leaders across the investment chain. 

 
 Click here to view the post conference report.
 
 Click here to pre-register for the Responsible Investor Tokyo 2020 conference.