TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Taiyo Pacific Partners announced today that it has accumulated in excess of 5% in J Trust Co., Ltd. (8508) to become J Trust’s third largest shareholder. Taiyo Pacific Partners is known for its cooperative investment style working with senior management to enhance shareholder value.

Brian K. Heywood, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner of Taiyo Pacific Partners, said, “J Trust stands out within the Japanese non-bank financial industry as a truly innovative company. President Fujisawa has shown an ability to find attractive investment opportunities in areas often overlooked by other market players. At Taiyo we also like to discover companies led by credible management in industries that are traditionally less popular with investors. I greatly admire how President Fujisawa has grown his business, and have confidence his vision will continue to steer J Trust to even higher profit levels.”

Michael A. King, Chief Investment Officer and Managing Partner of Taiyo Pacific Partners, said, “As can be seen by the high asset efficiency of the J Trust group, President Fujisawa has demonstrated an ability to achieve synergies among the various consumer finance components he has put together. I expect he will be able to apply the same high return on capital approach to the proceeds of the recent rights issuance.”

President Nobuyoshi Fujisawa commented, “We appreciate that Taiyo Pacific Partners takes a long term view and selected J Trust out of the many potential candidates for investment after well understanding our business model and strategy. Using the financial business as a pillar for growth, we will continue working to raise the corporate value of J Trust in order to meet shareholders’ high expectations.”

Taiyo Pacific Partners, located in Kirkland, Washington, was founded in 2003 by Asia-focused professionals dedicated to friendly shareholder activism in Japan and other Asian countries. The firm currently manages over $2.0 billion in Japan-focused funds. All strategies employ a friendly activist approach. Investors include US, Japanese and European pension plans, endowments and other institutional investors.