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10 recent regulatory changes in Japan relevant to fund managers

09 Dec 2024

By Kenjiro Araki, Associate Director, Regulatory Compliance, Japan, and Philippa Allen, Managing Director, Regulatory Compliance, Asia

In this article, we highlight 10 recent and noteworthy changes in accounting, financial laws, Financial Services Agency (FSA) guidelines, and regulations from the Investment Trusts Association that are relevant for Japan’s Type II Financial Instruments Business Operators, Investment Management Operators, and Investment Advisory/Agency Operators.

1. Amendments to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law and the Investment Trust Law (Unlisted Stock Incorporation): (May 2024)

  • Mutual funds can now invest in unlisted stocks, with a limit of 15%. Amendments to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law and the Investment Trust Law allow private equities to be included in mutual funds
  • Additionally, on 21 December 2023, the relevant rules of the Investment Trusts Association, Japan, were amended to include audit considerations regarding investments in non-marketable stocks and other securities

2. Revision of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law (Large-Scale Shareholding System): (May 2024)

  • The definition of co-ownership was clarified to facilitate collaborative engagement by institutional investors
  • Certain derivative transactions scheduled to be settled in cash are now subject to reporting requirements
  • Material proposal acts affecting the special reporting system were reviewed

3. Financial Instruments and Exchange Law Amendments (Tender Offer System): (May 2024)

  • The tender offer regulations were extended to intra-market transactions, the threshold was reduced from one third to 30%, and the number of eligible transactions was expanded

4. FSA's Financial Administration Policy for the 2024 fiscal year: (June 2024)

  • In a move to enhance risk management, internal audits and capital requirements must be reviewed to improve the soundness and transparency of financial institutions

5. FSA Revised Supervisory Guidelines for Financial Instruments Business Operators: (June 2024)

  • The proposal adds supervisory evaluation items (e.g. whether the threshold is at an appropriate level, whether management is involved in the formulation and operation of the policy, and whether disclosure is made) when a materiality policy (a policy for handling material cases in which errors in the calculation of the NAV of assets under management exceed a certain threshold) has been formulated

6. The Investment Trusts Association, Japan "Regulations for Valuation and Accounting of Investment Trust Assets" Revised: (April 2024)

  • Article 51.2 (Principles for calculating NAV) is amended to state that the calculation of NAV for investment trust beneficiary certificates, whose additional establishment date or partial cancellation date is limited to a specific date in the investment trust agreement, may not be calculated on a daily basis. Instead, it should be calculated only on the last day of the calculation period and on the specified date. These details must be described in the mutual fund articles of incorporation and prospectus upon execution of the trust agreement

7. The Investment Trusts Association, Japan "Regulations Concerning Management of Investment Trusts, etc." Revised: (June 2024)

  • Regulations regarding the inclusion of domestic domicile in publicly offered investment trusts have been revised. The amendment stipulates that the borrowing restriction rules do not apply to certain foreign investment trust securities designated by the resolution of the Self-Regulatory Committee. It also outlines the points to be observed when including such foreign investment trust securities

8. The Investment Trusts Association, Japan "Detailed Regulations Concerning the Preparation of Prospectuses for Investment Trusts" Revised: (August 2024)

  • The shift to digital formats for prospectuses has facilitated a move away from paper-based systems, making the provision of information to customers more efficient
  • The prospectus has been made easier to understand by clarifying product categories and attribute classifications and allowing items that do not apply to be omitted
  • Descriptions should be concise and plain, avoiding difficult technical terms. These amendments aim to improve investor protection and transparency

9. Amendments to the Law on Limited Partnership Agreements for Investment (LPS Law): (September 2024)

  • Investment in foreign corporations by Limited Partnership Funds (LPS), previously limited to 50% of the total capital contribution of all partners, is now exempted for foreign corporations effectively controlled by domestic businesses
  • The acquisition and holding of limited liability company interests have been added to the businesses that LPS can conduct
  • The scope of audit opinion has been modified; it’s now limited to the balance sheet and income statement, excluding the operations report

10. Areas of focus highlighted at the International Organisation of Securities Supervisors (IOSCO) Annual Meeting: (May 2024)

  • Strengthening financial resilience: Follow-up on guidance for liquidity management for open-ended funds and compilation of good practices on leveraged loans and loan-backed securities (CLOs)
  • Market effectiveness support: Developing good practices to address business model changes and market outages at exchanges
  • Investor protection: Addressing challenges in the retail market and online fraud due to technological advancements
  • Sustainability and fintech: Discussions on transition plans, green finance compliance, AI use and financial asset tokenisation

For information on IQ-EQ’s regulatory compliance services and expertise in Japan, please click here.

 


About the authors

Kenjiro is Associate Director, Regulatory Compliance for IQ-EQ in Japan. He has more than 33 years of working experience in asset management, including 18 years in legal affairs and compliance. Over the years, Kenjiro has communicated closely with the FSA and KLFB and responded to requests under the FIEA. He has experience in preparing statutory documents, conducting compliance training and assisting financial institutions with various licences and business registration applications in Japan.

Philippa is IQ-EQ’s Managing Director of Regulatory Compliance, Asia, with over 30 years’ extensive business and regulation experience in Asia. Prior to founding ComplianceAsia, which is now part of IQ-EQ, Philippa was the Head of Compliance, APAC for Dresdner Bank and GT Asset Management (LGT Asset Management). She was one of the drafters of the original Fund Manager Code of Conduct in Hong Kong and is involved in numerous submissions to regulators and lobbying efforts with financial industry bodies.

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