Yoshiaki Murakami is founder of the Murakami Family Foundation and the pioneer of shareholder activism in Japan. In 1999 he established what came to be known as the Murakami Fund. Aware that Japanese corporates were not properly governed from the perspective of shareholder interests, his investment strategy focused on listed companies which were undervalued by the market in comparison to their net cash and assets. By 2006, the Murakami Fund had USD 5 billion in assets under management. He closed the fund in 2011 and is currently based in Singapore, overseeing his family office. His current focus is on achieving better corporate governance within Japanese companies through the development and fostering of shareholder engagement with corporate management. In addition, he has investment interests in real estate across South East Asia. Prior to establishing the Murakami Fund, he worked at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) for 16 years. Murakami holds a law degree from the University of Tokyo.