Taiyo Pacific Partners announced today that it has accumulated in excess of 5% in Funai Soken Holdings, Inc. (9757). Taiyo Pacific Partners is known for its cooperative investment style working with senior management to enhance shareholder value.

Brian K. Heywood, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner of Taiyo Pacific Partners, said, “The continued existence of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (“SMEs”) in Japan will depend on their ability to compete and their access to sophisticated management skills. We believe Funai Soken is the only company with the depth of experience and breath of skills to address this SME need. President Takashima has positioned his firm and his team as the leader of innovative solutions for their clients. We expect to see strong growth and excellent shareholder returns in the years ahead.”

Michael A. King, Chief Investment Officer and Managing Partner of Taiyo Pacific Partners, said, “Funai Soken is able to generate steady profit from its unique stock-type consulting service in the SME market. The company is also well positioned to build additional business platforms such as M&A consulting and direct recruiting services which can create synergies with existing consulting services. We believe these new platforms will grow to other pillars of the company and contribute to further increase in shareholder value.”

President Sakae Takashima commented, “With the group philosophy of ‘We help to build a better future for people, business and society,’ Funai Soken offers solutions to our SME clients and provides support to turn the ideas into reality. Taiyo Pacific Partners has in-depth understanding of our vision and strategy from a long-term perspective. We are pleased to know that Taiyo selected our company and we look forward to working with them as a long-term partner. We continue to focus on increasing corporate value by becoming the management consulting group that can provide solutions to anything related to corporate management.”

Taiyo Pacific Partners, located in Kirkland, Washington, was founded in 2003 by Asia-focused professionals dedicated to friendly shareholder activism in Japan and other Asian countries. The firm currently manages over $2.4 billion in Japan-focused funds. All strategies employ a friendly activist approach.