< The 2016 All-Japan Research Team

Taro Ishihara
Daiwa Securities Group
First-place appearances: 0

Total appearances: 4

Team debut: 2013

In third place is Daiwa Securities Group’s Taro Ishihara, who slips from second on this list while notching his first appearance on the Internet roster, at runner-up. One favorite among the 22 Japanese stocks he tracks is Tokyo-based advertising agency Dentsu. As the nation’s industry leader, Dentsu is best positioned to benefit from several positive catalysts that should buoy performance for the whole sector, the 42-year-old researcher contends. Liberalization this month of the domestic retail electricity market and the likelihood of a 2 percentage point sales tax hike next April, to 10 percent, are two potential drivers of ad demand, he believes. In addition, Ishihara advises, this summer’s upper house elections in Japan and Olympic Games in Brazil should propel further upside. Finally, he credits Dentsu for “increasing overseas sales” and for management’s “positive stance toward shareholder returns.”