By Mariko Katsumura
TOKYO (Reuters) – At first glance, the duo hardly seems qualified to inspire confidence as the brains behind Japan’s newest stock fund: one, a former comedian and the other, every bit the stereotypical “otaku” nerd.
But their first fund, announced Wednesday, could be the Christmas gift followers of former entertainer Toshiya Imura have been waiting for since he revealed his plans for it about two years ago.
The 40-year-old father of three had achieved fame and an enthusiastic fan base by parlaying his obsession with stock research into 6.5 billion yen ($41.4 million) in assets as an individual investor.
His reputation was such that every time his name appeared as a major shareholder in a filing with regulators, that company’s shares would soar as followers sought out “Imura shares” to piggyback on his bets on value investment.
But Imura had bigger dreams: to become a professional investor to help more Japanese benefit from the stock market – a goal that dovetails with the government’s efforts to put the roughly $6.5 trillion in household cash into financial investments.
He doggedly began his courtship with Keizo Takeiri, a maverick former Goldman Sachs analyst, to become his partner-in-crime.
Imura said he was immediately struck by Takeiri’s photographic memory, talent for analysis and sheer nerddom when they first met in 2020.
“His knowledge was next level,” Imura told Reuters this month in an interview alongside Takeiri and an official from the fund’s manager, Fundnote.
Takeiri had also previously caught the attention of Akira Katayama, a famous online gamer turned billionaire whose invitation to join his hedge fund was further proof of his analytical skills.
Takeiri, 38, known to his ex-Goldman colleagues as “that stock otaku,” said his years at the elite Tokyo University consisted of skipping classes, playing mahjong and researching stocks. Care was low on his priority list.
“He sometimes shows up with holes in his clothes and freakishly long fingernails,” Imura teased. “Maybe he doesn’t care or doesn’t notice? He’s a real, high-quality madman.’
That feeling is mutual.
Takeiri said Imura would send him 200 Slack messages on a normal day, but then go missing for days as he digs deep into a company’s balance sheet.
“The strength with which he throws himself into discovering what he wants to know is out of this world.”
The pair’s new fund will go on sale on January 10 and will have an initial investment limit of 10 billion yen.
($1 = 157.1000 yen)
