Asset Management One launches Japan bond fund aimed at overseas investors

By Rocky Swift

TOKYO, April 1 (Reuters) - Asset Management One International (AMOI) said on Wednesday it launched an actively managed Japanese fixed income fund aimed at overseas investors, as rising yields revive interest in the country's bond market.

The Japan Government Bond Plus UCITS fund will invest primarily in Japanese government bonds (JGBs), with up to 30% allocated to corporate debt, the London-based firm said in a statement.

Foreign investment in JGBs has been on the rise since the Bank of Japan started normalising policy in 2024, allowing bond yields to trend higher. The benchmark 10-year JGB yield JP10YTN=JBTC touched a 27-year high of 2.39% on Monday.

RBC BlueBay Asset Management, a unit of Royal Bank of Canada, last week announced the launch of a long-only fund focused on JGBs.

AMOI's Tokyo-based parent has about $512 billion in assets under management, and is itself a unit of Mizuho Financial Group 8411.T.