Michael Stanes, Investment Director at Heartwood Investment Management

Global investors have had a love-hate relationship with Japan for many years. Effectively ignored for two decades since the bubble years of the late 1980s (with some short bursts of enthusiasm in between), the arrival of Shinzo Abe as prime minister in 2012 kindled hopes that this sleeping giant would find its feet, and help unlock the latent potential of its corporate and consumer sectors.