Fiduciary Declaration｜What We Do｜Asset Management One

Our Policies on Fiduciary Duties and Action Plan

Based on Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.'s Corporate Identity and Dai-ichi Life Group's Mission, Vision and Values, Asset Management One Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “the Company”) has created its corporate philosophy. The Company aims to provide products and services of the highest standard, underpinned by a responsibility and ambition.

In its corporate philosophy, we aspire to:
- Be our customers' most trusted company
- Provide products and services of the highest standard, and
- Become a world-leading asset management company

To realize these visions, the company draws on its breadth of expertise as a global asset management company providing solutions for its customers' financial needs.

Mizuho Financial Group has established and announced the policies regarding Mizuho's fiduciary duties (*) in its asset management business to remain its customers' most trusted group as a medium- to long-term partner in providing appropriate products that are in the customers' best interests.

*　Fiduciary duties is a general term for the broad range of various roles and responsibilities that fiduciaries are expected to fulfill when engaging in certain business activities in order to live up to the trust that is placed in them by their customers.

As a member of the Mizuho Group, the Company will put the customer first in everything we do, working in partnership with its clients to build their assets over the long term. Please refer to the Company's Action Plan to see its concrete initiatives.

For details of Mizuho's Corporate Identity and Policies Regarding Fiduciary Duties, Dai-ichi Life Group's Mission, Vision and Values and Asset Management One's Corporate Philosophy, please see below:

The Company's Action Plan

1．Enhancing Asset Management

The Company will aim to provide added value of the highest standard to its customers by enhancing investment analysis and decision-making capabilities through further reinforcements to its personnel base and asset management foundations.
To continue to provide optimal solutions to its customers' asset management needs, the Company will continuously pursue improvements in existing asset management methods, new methods and investment opportunities.

Action Plan
To continue to provide high added value to customers, the Company will cultivate asset management specialists of next-generation such as using outside training programs. To build a more performance-based evaluation system for the Company's asset management specialists in order to make clear their responsibility and incentive for providing added value to customers. The Company will build a system to gather and use asset management skills to enhance added value. The Company will enhance its asset management by executing ESG1 initiatives, complying with the Stewardship Code2, improving the existing investment models, and expanding investment targets.

Action Plan

To continue to provide high added value to customers, the Company will cultivate asset management specialists of next-generation such as using outside training programs.
To build a more performance-based evaluation system for the Company's asset management specialists in order to make clear their responsibility and incentive for providing added value to customers.
The Company will build a system to gather and use asset management skills to enhance added value.
The Company will enhance its asset management by executing ESG*1 initiatives, complying with the Stewardship Code*2, improving the existing investment models, and expanding investment targets.

*1 ESG
ESG stands for environment, social, and governance. It is one of the criteria that investors use to choose investment destinations.

*2 Stewardship Code
The Stewardship Code is principles that are considered to be useful when responsible institutional investors work to fulfill their responsibility for expanding customers and beneficiaries' medium- to long-term investment return by encouraging investee companies to enhance corporate value and achieve sustainable growth.
The Company supports the Stewardship Code and expressed its acceptance of the code. The Company established and announced its Policies on Japan's Stewardship Code.

2．Initiatives to Continuously Improve Product Quality and Develop New Products Based on Customers' Needs

Through appropriate risk management and checking of products, the Company will continuously improve the quality of its products and respond to changes in the market environment.
With its understanding of its customers' needs and its expertise as asset management professionals, the Company will develop products that help its customers to steadily build their assets.
In seeking to provide superior products at a reasonable cost, the Company will take a customer-oriented view and promote a high-degree of transparency in setting management fees.

Action Plan
To maintain and improve the quality of products to meet customers' expectations, the Company will sophisticate risk management and the checking of asset management performance, including the enhancement of performance evaluation and analysis methods. To identify customer needs more accurately, the Company will strengthen its system to promote dialogues with distributors and discussions within the Company. The Company will strengthen its framework for reflecting customers' comments and opinions in product development and explanatory materials for customers. The Company will clarify its policy on management fees.

Action Plan

To maintain and improve the quality of products to meet customers' expectations, the Company will sophisticate risk management and the checking of asset management performance, including the enhancement of performance evaluation and analysis methods.
To identify customer needs more accurately, the Company will strengthen its system to promote dialogues with distributors and discussions within the Company.
The Company will strengthen its framework for reflecting customers' comments and opinions in product development and explanatory materials for customers.
The Company will clarify its policy on management fees.

3．Enhancing the Provision of Information and Services from the Customer's Perspective

To become our customers' most trusted company, the Company will practice the highest quality of service.
We will prioritize in proving appropriate and comprehensible information to the customers.
The Company aims to enhance useful services that help to improve the financial and investment knowledge of its customers.

Action Plan
The Company will try to advance portfolio analysis for pension customers and will strengthen consulting abilities. The Company will promote the provision of information useful for investment by enhancing seminars for customers and support to distributors. To improve customer convenience, the Company will continue to expand the information it provides by making materials available over the Internet and through tablets. The Company will enhance materials for individual customers to learn about investment, including asset management, in their life planning.

Action Plan

The Company will try to advance portfolio analysis for pension customers and will strengthen consulting abilities.
The Company will promote the provision of information useful for investment by enhancing seminars for customers and support to distributors.
To improve customer convenience, the Company will continue to expand the information it provides by making materials available over the Internet and through tablets.
The Company will enhance materials for individual customers to learn about investment, including asset management, in their life planning.

4．Strengthening Corporate Governance

In an effort to further strengthen the Company's organizational structure for its customers' best interests, the Company will seek to build a highest standard of corporate governance system in the industry and that ensures its independence as an asset management company.
Decisions pertaining to new product development will be made based on objective evaluations and highly transparent processes, which will include the involvement of the compliance divisions.

Action Plan
Placing top priority on customers' interests, the Company will introduce independent non-executive directors and will build a system to ensure appropriate management independence from the holding company and Group distributors. In compliance with the Stewardship Code, the Company will establish and comply with regulations on conflicts of interest, including those at the exercise of voting rights of shareholders, as a responsible investor. The Company will build a transparent process to develop new products to meet customer needs.

Action Plan

Placing top priority on customers' interests, the Company will introduce independent non-executive directors and will build a system to ensure appropriate management independence from the holding company and Group distributors.
In compliance with the Stewardship Code, the Company will establish and comply with regulations on conflicts of interest, including those at the exercise of voting rights of shareholders, as a responsible investor.
The Company will build a transparent process to develop new products to meet customer needs.

5．Group Management Policy, Etc.

Action Plan
Management of Fiduciary Duties Under the Policies Regarding Mizuho's Fiduciary Duties, the Company will establish and announce a specific action plan to fulfill its fiduciary duties. The compliance divisions will report the status of compliance regularly to the Board of Directors, etc. The Company will pursue the management of conflicts of interest within the Group. Training To promote initiatives of its fiduciary duties, the Company will provide education and training for its officers and employees continually in relation to the Policies Regarding Mizuho's Fiduciary Duties.

Action Plan

Management of Fiduciary Duties
- Under the Policies Regarding Mizuho's Fiduciary Duties, the Company will establish and announce a specific action plan to fulfill its fiduciary duties. The compliance divisions will report the status of compliance regularly to the Board of Directors, etc.
- The Company will pursue the management of conflicts of interest within the Group.
Training
- To promote initiatives of its fiduciary duties, the Company will provide education and training for its officers and employees continually in relation to the Policies Regarding Mizuho's Fiduciary Duties.