< The 2015 All-Japan Research Team
Nana Otsuki
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
First-place appearances: 1
Total appearances: 6
Analyst debut: 2010
Down one notch to the second-place spot she held in 2013 is Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Nana Otsuki, 50. She reports on five names with a “deep, specific knowledge that makes her the top analyst in Japan,” one enthusiast says. In February the researcher reiterated her buy position on Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, reasoning that although the firm’s pace of expansion is likely to slow in the near term, owing to lower interest rates overseas, “its strengths as the only major Japanese bank with fully local commercial units in the U.S. and Asia [will help it] continue to grow steadily.” Moreover, she notes, Mitsubishi UFJ is also increasing its nonbank business. Shares of the Tokyo-based megabank had gained 12 percent by late March, climbing to ¥765.10, and Otsuki projects a further rise to ¥890. “Through her connections I’ve been able to access stakeholders in nascent segments of the sector,” attests another fund manager.