Buffett spurs Japan activist pioneer to seek $2 billion for fund

When veteran money manager Shuhei Abe met with Warren Buffett in Tokyo earlier this year, they exchanged similar thoughts about value investing in Japan.

Now the founder of Sparx Group is seeking to put his ideas into action with a so-called engagement fund to invest in well-run but undervalued Japanese businesses. He’s seeking to attract about $1 billion (¥147 billion) from global institutional investors over the next three months, and $2 billion by 2024, for the Sparx Owners’ Commitment Fund.

After more than three decades investing in Japan, “now, I am more sophisticated,” Abe, 69, said in an interview. “I understand what investors like Warren Buffett think, what is the value that we should uncover, and the macro environment of Japan is now supportive of the type of investors like us.”