Investment Team
The investment professionals of Nippon Value Investors are dedicated to managing the Nippon Value Investors Japanese Equity Program, acting as both research analysts and portfolio managers.
Yoshihiko Ito - Founder, Chairman & Chief Investment Officer
Yoshihiko (“Yoshi”) Ito is the Founder and Chairman of Nippon Value Investors. As Chief Investment Officer, Yoshi oversees the Nippon Value Investors Japanese Equity Program. Yoshi started his career at Zenkyoren where he was involved in its international investment program from 1987 to 1990. In 1990, he joined Asahi Mutual Life Insurance Company and was engaged in its international investment program. From 1996 to 1997, as a trainee investment professional from Asahi Life, Yoshi spent a year at Silchester International Investors, a London-based international equity value manager and learned value investing based on the fundamentals of individual companies. Yoshi then used the value-investment philosophy and approach to invest in Japanese equities at Asahi Life Asset Management Company as a senior investment manager (1999-2005). He established Nippon Value Investors with his colleagues Shingo Kobayashi and Hisanori (“Hisa”) Kuroda in December 2005. Yoshi is a graduate of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and earned his master's degree in finance at London Business School. He is a Certified Member Analyst of the Securities Analysts Association of Japan.
Shingo Kobayashi - Director of Research
Shingo Kobayashi is a Founding Partner of Nippon Value Investors. As Director of Research, Shingo chairs the company’s weekly investment meetings and oversees the screening process. Shingo also helps oversee the research resources allocated to new ideas as well as the monitoring of the portfolio companies of the Japanese Equity Program. Shingo started his investment career at Asahi Mutual Life Insurance Company in the late 1980s. Prior to joining Nippon Value Investors, he was a senior portfolio manager of a value-oriented Japanese equity strategy team at Asahi Life Asset Management Company. This is where he met Yoshi and Hisa and he has been working with them since 1999. Shingo is a graduate of Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo and is a Certified Member Analyst of the Securities Analysts Association of Japan.
Hisanori Kuroda - Senior Portfolio Manager
Hisanori (“Hisa”) Kuroda is a Founding Partner of Nippon Value Investors. As Senior Portfolio Manager, he oversees backtests as well as the activities of the trading team to effectively implement investment decisions made by the investment team for the Japanese Equity Program. Hisa began his investment career at Asahi Mutual Life Insurance Company in 1990 and has been involved with Japanese equity investments since 1996. From 1999 until 2005, Hisa worked with Yoshi and Shingo to manage the Japanese equity value strategy as a senior portfolio manager at Asahi Life Asset Management Company. Hisa is a graduate of Waseda University in Tokyo and is a Certified Member Analyst of the Securities Analysts Association of Japan and a Certified International Investment Analyst.
Daisuke Shibata – Senior Investment Manager
Daisuke Shibata joined Nippon Value Investors in 2018. As Senior Investment Manager, Daisuke’s responsibilities include research and fundamental analysis on a wide range of companies as well as participation in portfolio management as a portfolio manager. Before joining NVI, Daisuke was an equity research analyst from 2012 to 2018, covering transportation, trading companies, health care, cosmetics and other industries at Daiwa Asset Management, which is a subsidiary of Daiwa Securities Group, one of the leading financial institutions in Japan. Prior to joining Daiwa Asset Management, he was a sell-side research analyst at Daiwa Securities (2010-2012), where he covered the information and communication technology sector. Daisuke started his career at NTT Communication, an affiliate of NTT, Japan’s largest telecommunications company (2005-2008). Daisuke is a graduate of Waseda University in Tokyo and earned his MBA from Waseda University. He is a Certified Member Analyst of the Securities Analysts Association of Japan.
Hajime Oba - Senior Investment Manager
Hajime Oba joined Nippon Value Investors in 2019. As Senior Investment Manager, Hajime covers companies in various sectors for in-depth research and analysis and participates in portfolio management as a portfolio manager. Before joining NVI, Hajime was a sell-side research analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities (2016-2019) and covered the information and communication technology sector. Prior to Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, Hajime was a research analyst covering the chemical and materials sectors at Citigroup Global Markets Japan Inc. (2015-2016). Hajime is a graduate of the University of Tokyo. He is a Certified Member Analyst of the Securities Analysts Association of Japan and is a CFA charter holder. Hajime is also a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Washington.
Rie Mashimo - Investment Manager
Rie Mashimo joined Nippon Value Investors in 2023. As Investment Manager, Rie covers companies in various sectors for in-depth research and analysis and participates in portfolio management as a portfolio manager. Prior to joining NVI, Rie had 5 years of experience in the Investment Banking Division of Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley (2018-2022) where she was involved in global transactions such as M&A, IPO, Public offering and Bond issuance, and performed various analytical tasks including financial modeling and industry research. Rie is a graduate of Keio University in Tokyo.