Fund of the week: Strong returns from Japanese firms

Despite the headwinds coming from Japan's economy, it's still possible to make strong returns, as this fund proves.

The Bank of Japan's 5trn ($61bn) asset purchase programme helped lift the Nikkei to a one-year high in March. But since then it has slid 11.8% on fears about the global economy. Yet Chern-Yeh Kwok, manager of the Aberdeen Global Japanese Equity Fund, tells Investment Week that "despite the headwinds" it's still possible to make strong returns.

Kwok's £152m fund boasts a three-year annualised performance of 5.82% against a benchmark of 0.65% and a sector average of 1.2%. It is also in the top quartile over one, three and five years. So far in 2012 it is up 13.04% against a sector average of 11.86%.

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Canon Inc6.5%
Shin-Etsu Chemical Co6.1%
FANUC Corp5.2%
Keyence Corp4.6%
Honda Motor Co4.5%
Bank of Yokohama4.1%
Unicharm Corp4.0%
Astellas Pharma3.9%
Toyota Motor Corp3.9%
Nabtesco Corp3.5%
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