JPMorgan Japanese Investment Trust: Underperformance in Six Months but Strong Long-Term Track Record

JPMorgan Japanese Investment Trust half-year results: a soft six months against TOPIX, but the bigger picture still looks solid

JPMorgan Japanese Investment Trust has had one of those periods that looks disappointing at first glance, then a bit more reassuring once you step back. Over the six months to 31 March 2026, the trust’s net asset value, or NAV, total return was 2.0%, which lagged the TOPIX benchmark return of 6.7% in sterling terms.

That is not the result investors wanted. But it is also not the whole story. Over one year, three years and ten years, the trust is still ahead of its benchmark on an NAV basis, which matters because this is an actively managed Japan fund and the long-term record is what it is really being judged on.

Key number	Result
Six-month NAV total return	2.0%
Six-month TOPIX return	6.7%
Six-month share price return	3.8%
One-year NAV total return	24.5%
One-year benchmark return	23.4%
Three-year annualised NAV return	16.4%
Ten-year annualised NAV return	10.2%
Shares bought back in the period	4,527,000
Cost of buybacks	£33.2 million

Why JPMorgan Japanese Investment Trust underperformed in the six months to March 2026

The main issue was style. The managers favour what they describe as Premium and Quality-rated companies – in plain English, businesses with stronger economics, better returns and usually higher valuations. That approach has worked over time, but in this period the Japanese market again preferred value stocks.

In fact, the trust says value outperformed growth by around 12 percentage points over the six months. That is a huge headwind if your portfolio leans towards higher-quality growth names. So while Japan as a market did well, this particular style of investing was out of fashion.

The numbers show it clearly. Benchmark return was 6.7%, while stock selection knocked off 6.7 percentage points and currency had a small negative effect of 0.1 percentage points. Gearing and cash added 1.8 percentage points, but not enough to make up the gap.

My read is fairly straightforward: this was disappointing stock-picking in the short term, but not a broken strategy. If you own this trust, you are buying a specific style, and style droughts happen. The danger would be if the managers started chasing what has just worked, rather than sticking to the process that built the stronger three-year and ten-year numbers.

Japan market backdrop: record highs, political stability and then a Middle East shock

The backdrop in Japan was actually pretty lively. The Japanese market rallied strongly and hit record highs in February 2026, helped by corporate governance reforms, stronger shareholder returns, and a snap election victory for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that the trust says brought political stability.

Then came the shock. The conflict involving the USA, Israel and Iran, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, hit markets late in the period. That mattered a lot for Japan because it imports around half of its crude oil from the Middle East.

March was described as the worst month for the Japanese market since October 2008. Even so, TOPIX still finished the six months up 6.7%, which tells you the underlying market strength had been substantial before the pullback.

The managers also point to another important theme: wages. They say wages will rise by over 5% for the third successive year. If that sticks, it supports consumption and strengthens the case that Japan is becoming a more normal, growing economy rather than a perpetual low-growth outlier.

Share buybacks and discount management: this is a genuine positive for shareholders

One of the best parts of this update is the discount management. Investment trusts often trade below their NAV, known as a discount, and when boards buy back shares at a discount it can be accretive – meaning it adds a bit of value for remaining shareholders.

Here, the company repurchased 4,527,000 shares over the six months at an average discount of 8.8%, costing £33.2 million. Since the period end, it has bought back another 2,415,000 shares at an average discount of 8.3% for £18.5 million.

That is active support for the share price, and I think it matters. The discount ended the period at 9.0%, better than the 10.5% at 30 September 2025. It is still a discount, so not perfect, but the board is at least doing something practical rather than pretending the gap will sort itself out.

Gearing in JPMorgan Japanese Investment Trust: more conviction, but also more risk

The board remains very keen on gearing, which is borrowing or using derivatives to increase market exposure. Gearing stood at 15.3% at 31 March 2026, up from 13.5% at the start of the period.

That tells you the managers are bullish on Japan. The trust also says its long-term fixed-rate borrowings have an average coupon of 1.1%, which is cheap funding, and it uses Contracts for Difference, or CFDs, to gain additional market exposure in a flexible way.

This cuts both ways. When stock-picking is working, gearing can boost returns nicely. When the portfolio lags, it can amplify the pain. In this period, gearing helped by 1.8 percentage points, so it was a net positive, but retail investors should still remember that geared trusts are not low-risk products.

Portfolio changes: leaning into AI, defence and shareholder reform in Japan

The managers are backing several Japan themes. They added names such as Sumitomo Electric and Mitsubishi Electric, where they see benefits from AI infrastructure, data centres, robotics, energy systems and defence spending.

They also bought Japan Tobacco, citing strong shareholder returns, pricing power, high margins and robust free cash flow. On the sell side, they exited several software-related companies, including Hitachi, Nomura Research Institute, OBIC and Rakus, because of concerns that AI could disrupt their business models.

That is an interesting shift. It suggests the managers are not blindly buying anything with an AI label. Instead, they seem more interested in the physical infrastructure around AI and in businesses where reform and capital discipline can lift returns.

Dividend, NAV and balance sheet: steady income, no interim payout

This trust is mainly about capital growth, not income, so there is no interim dividend. That said, it did pay a final dividend of 8.70p per share for the year ended 30 September 2025, up from 6.75p the year before.

Net assets were £1.19 billion at 31 March 2026, down from £1.22 billion at 30 September 2025. NAV per share was 762.4p on a debt-at-par basis, or 772.8p with debt at fair value. The fall in net assets is not surprising given the £33.2 million spent on buybacks and the £13.9 million dividend payment during the period.

Revenue return per share rose to 6.38p from 5.32p in the comparable period. Total return per share was 12.33p, versus 12.17p a year earlier. So even though relative performance versus the benchmark was weak, the income line did improve.

What this JPMorgan Japanese Investment Trust RNS means for retail investors

My verdict is balanced. The short-term underperformance is real and should not be brushed aside. If Japan keeps rewarding lower-quality value shares over quality growth companies, this trust could remain out of step for a while.

But there is still plenty to like. The long-term record remains good, the board is buying back stock aggressively when the discount is wide, gearing is being used with conviction, and the managers still sound constructive on the structural reform story in Japan.

The big question is whether you believe Japan’s current value leadership continues, or whether quality businesses regain the upper hand. If it is the latter, this trust could look better again. If it is the former, investors may need patience.

So this is not a disaster RNS. It is more a reminder that even a strong long-term investment trust can have awkward periods when the market style runs against it. For existing shareholders, that is frustrating but manageable. For new investors, the persistent discount and upbeat long-term case for Japan may still make it worth a closer look.