We Support Japan Water Forum
Nikko Asset Management joined the NPO Japan Water Forum in coordination with the June 2006 launch of the Nikko Global Water Fund. The Japan Water Forum is fully committed to resolve global water issues through policy recommendations, research, and financing groups in developing countries that work on regional water-related issues. Japan has an ample supply of water, but it also consumes the world’s water supply through imported food and other consumer products. Water problems are expected to become more acute in Japan as the impacts of global warming amplify longstanding floods and water shortages.
Nikko Asset Management believes that it has a critical mission to both support water-related companies through the management of the Nikko Global Water Fund as well as aid groups that seek to resolve water issues.
Open Seminar at the 1st Asia-Pacific Water Summit
The 1st Asia-Pacific Water Summit was held in Beppu, Oita prefecture on December 3-4, 2007. The summit brought together more than 300 people from nearly 40 countries and regions, including top
national leaders, to discuss regional water issues such as water shortages and flooding. Nikko Asset Management sponsored the event and held an open seminar on December 4 entitled “Paper Uses Water.” CEO Timothy McCarthy gave a presentation on issues of limited resources, including water, from Nikko Asset Management’s perspective.
In FY2006, Nikko Asset Management used 2,000 tons of paper to prepare disclosure materials; an amount equivalent to 1.1 billion A4-sized pages. A study conducted jointly with University of Tokyo Professor Atsushi Inaba showed us that it takes 166,600 tons of water to create that much paper, or enough water to supply 2,000 people for one year.
And that wasn’t all we found. If we had not used such a huge amount of paper, we could have saved 7 hectares of forest, equivalent to the grounds of Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills. It would also have allowed us to avoid emitting 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide (equivalent to the annual total for 200 people). People tend to think the financial industry has a small impact on the environment, but in fact that is not the case. There is a lot the financial industry can do to preserve the environment. Nikko Asset Management will continue its research and efforts to contribute create a sustainable society.
FIT for Charity Run
Financial Industry in Tokyo (FIT), a charity group involving the entire financial services industry in Tokyo, held its 3rd Charity Run on Saturday, May 26, 2007, on the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Nikko Asset Management participated in the event both as a sponsor and a member of the Executive Committee, just as we did the previous year. The day of the event, 39 runners, walkers, and volunteers from Nikko Asset Management gathered to make the event a resounding success. The 50 participating companies and 4,811 registered runners and walkers generated 63.2 million yen for charity.
Teachers Visit Private Sector Training
Nikko Asset Management participated in Keizai Koho Center’s FY2007 teacher private-sector training program. On July 24 and 25, five teachers from the Kanagawa Prefecture Board of Education participated in our training program. The training consisted mainly of (1) an introduction of Nikko Asset Management’s business, and (2) a session on investment trusts, asset management, and products. We also had a lively discussion on the significance of investment education in schools.
Nikko AM
