Expert speaks on creation of sovereign wealth fund

September 26 , 2025

Economist Sayuri Kawamura spoke on a Japanese sovereign wealth fund at a Komeito hearing on Sep. 25Economist Sayuri Kawamura (bottom right) spoke on a Japanese sovereign wealth fund at a Komeito hearing on Sep. 25

On September 25, a Komeito committee to establish a sovereign wealth fund (SWF) invited Sayuri Kawamura, chief economist at the Japan Research Institute’s Economics Department, to share her thoughts on optimizing usage of a state-owned investment fund, should one be established, and to ensure the sustainability of its fiscal management. Komeito is examining ways investments from a SWF, along with foreign exchange reserves and exchange traded funds (ETFs), could best be used. The JRI economist said there was still room to optimize existing state-backed investments; she also pointed out that once issues regarding the operating efficiency of invested foreign exchange reserves and ETFs were settled, Japan could draw inspiration from successful cases of foreign SWFs.