SRI dawns on Japanese investors

Japan now has its first clear benchmark for socially responsible investment (SRI), aimed at investors concerned to monitor corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance. Run by the investment trust information and ratings company Morningstar Japan KK, it tracks how 150 leading Japanese companies perform on CSR criteria. The Morningstar SRI Index is designed particularly to assist pension funds and other institutional investors. Earlier this year the Japan Research Institute launched the first comprehensive Japanese web site about CSR and SRI, which has until now received little prominence in Japan, although investor interest in it is growing.

1 December 2003