Daye Deng, Co-Founder and Editor of the Value Punks newsletter on Substack, joins the podcast to discuss his articles that are deep dives on Japanese Trading Companies and why Warren Buffett invested in Japan. Value Punks article on Japanese Trading Companies: https://valuepunks.substack.com/p/deep-dive-japanese-trading-companies Chapters: [0:00] Introduction + Episode sponsor: Alphasense [1:26] History of the Japanese trading companies and Warren Buffett [6:59] Why trading so important in Japanese economy [12:37] Why Buffett made his first investment in Japan [22:23] Breaking down of Sogo Shosha (Japanese Trading Companies) [26:38] Why Buffett holding his investment despite run-up [28:21] Examples of corporate governance and capital allocation changes that Japanese trading companies specifically made to improve them [37:54] Overview of the basket of 7 Japanese Trading Companies, and what Daye thinks is the most interesting/exciting; difference between tier one, tier two and tier three players, and how would Daye label the 5 companies Buffett invested in (Tier 1-3) [43:16] Geopolitical reasons folks interested in Japan [47:13] ESG in Japan Today's episode is sponsored by: Alphasense This episode is brought to you by AlphaSense, the AI platform behind the world's biggest investment decisions. The right financial intelligence platform can make or break your quarter. AlphaSense is the #1 rated financial research solution by G2. With AI search technology and a library of premium content, you can stay ahead of key macroeconomic trends and accelerate your investment research efforts. AI capabilities, like Smart Synonyms and Sentiment Analysis, provide even deeper industry and company analysis. AlphaSense gives you the tools you need to provide better analysis for you and your clients. As a Yet Another Value Podcast listener, visit alpha-sense.com/fs today to beat FOMO and move faster than the market.