Investor Communications Japan (ICJ), a joint venture by global fintech Broadridge Financial Solutions and the Tokyo Stock Exchange, has launched ESG Access, a solution that enables Japanese corporate issuers to assess their performance across environmental, community, employee and governance issues.

ESG Access, ICJ points out, uses a proprietary algorithm to convert over 300 million data points into a single rating, aggregating over 800 sources, including socially responsible investment and environmental, social and governance (ESG) analysis firms, government databases, publications and research reports, every month across 148 countries covering 30,000 companies.

The service provides efficiencies to clients by removing the need for tedious, time-consuming work of collecting and analyzing data from dozens of rating agencies, tracking it over years and allows clients to strategically focus on improving their ratings.    

“At a time when ESG considerations have become increasingly important to Japanese firms, we are excited to provide our clients with deep insights on their ESG performance relative to peers,” says Shigeo Imakiire, ICJ’s president. “The launch of this new service is our latest initiative for issuers, enabling our clients to better understand how the world sees them and drill down into the organizations and agencies reporting on their company.”

Demi Derem, Broadridge’s senior vice-president for investor communication solutions, adds: “This service provides Japanese corporate issuers with greater transparency and understanding of their ESG scores, enabling them to improve and pinpoint ways to boost their ratings and standing in the marketplace.

“Better understanding their ESG profile and how it can be improved will enable companies to strengthen relations with their stakeholders, including investors, suppliers, employees, board members and others.”