Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) was ranked in joint first place in terms of brand name recognition among all 25 foreign asset managers in Japan in a recent corporate pension survey conducted by Mercer Investment Consulting. Tied in first place with MSIM was Fidelity. Schroder Investment Management ranked second, followed by Putnam Investments (Nissay) and Goldman Sachs Asset Management tied in third place.

Conducted in March 2002, over one hundred Japanese pension plan sponsors evaluated asset managers in Japan according to a broad range of criteria. In addition to its excellent brand ranking, the survey also identified MSIM as #1 in the preferred new manager to be hired category and #4 in an overall evaluation of client service, investment ability, fees and reliability among foreign asset managers in Japan.

"The survey underscores the positive feedback we have been receiving as a result of our significant and ongoing effort to increase our visibility with Japanese pension sponsors," said Chiharu Furukawa, Head of Pension Marketing & Sales in Japan. "The results of this survey, and improvements in our position in the annual Nikkei asset management ranking earlier this year, stem from a unique mix of grass-roots marketing activities conducted over the last year."

These activities have included frequent seminars held in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya; a bi-monthly pension magazine "Nenkin Management" focusing on plan design, regulatory and product issues of importance to the pension society; a monthly e-mail magazine, "Nenkin Tsushin" (pension newsletter); and training programs for small groups of pension executives (MSIM College). More than 4,000 people have attended the seminars and training programs so far.

In an effort to further enhance the pension team's visibility and ability to generate new business, Investment Management in Japan has also added professionals in the Pension Marketing & Sales team, including a certified pension actuary and defined contribution specialists. The team has also been active in lobbying for legislative and regulatory changes, as well as participating in research programs, such as the Research Institute for Policies on Aging.