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Roundtable and Networking Event in Japan

Japan Collage Revised


On July 24th, 2025, the Impact Principles and Japan Impact-driven Financing Initiative (IDFI) hosted a joint roundtable and networking event in Tokyo, bringing together Signatories, IDFI members and leaders from across Japan’s impact investing community.

The program featured remarks from IDFI’s Yuka Ogasawara and Head of Secretariat Joohee Rand, followed by a panel discussion focused on Japan’s impact investing momentum as well as current and emerging global trends in IMM practices. Panelists also shared perspectives on how LPs and GPs can collaborate to advance IMM best practices in the Japanese impact ecosystem and contribute to global market development, including by aligning on industry standards like the Impact Principles.


Featured panelists included:

  • Katsuji Imata-san, IDFI – Moderator
  • Masahiro Hata, GLIN Capital
  • Shoji Kinugasa, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG)
  • Chihiro Baba, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank (SMTB)


A few key takeaways:


  • Japan seems to be building a powerful foundation of cross-sectoral support for the impact economy, with institutional asset owners bringing scale capital and a long-term orientation to impact, and diverse impact asset classes, including active VC and public market sectors.

  • There is an increasing focus on system-level approaches to impact investing in Japan, evident both in thematic impact strategy and in impact market development efforts that balance a global lens with localization.

  • We were impressed by the spirit of learning and collaboration, including between asset owners and asset managers. There was a commitment to both institutional and collective learning and continuous improvement that aligns with global best practices and tailors to local contexts.

  • Aligning on impact management practice and reporting frameworks like the Impact Principles and the Impact Performance Reporting Norms can help enhance market infrastructure for impact rigor, credibility and comparability as Japan’s impact market continues to develop.

We’re grateful to all our partners, Signatories and other participants for their insights and commitment to advancing the impact agenda together. We look forward to continuing the collaboration and supporting the growth of Japan’s impact investing ecosystem in the coming years.