The business is focused completely on the credit markets.

Muzinich & Co, the privately owned investment firm specialising in public and private corporate credit, has named Akihiro Hayashi as country head, Japan and Tokio Morita as senior advisor.

Hayashi is joining from Barings Japan where he spent eight years as a member of institutional sales. He has more than 25 years’ industry experience with a strong focus on servicing, planning and business development for pension funds (corporate and public) and financial institutions.

Morita has spent over 36 years at the Ministry of Finance and the Japanese Financial Services Agency in a variety of roles, most recently as Vice Minister for International Affairs, Financial Services Agency. He was also a member of the Basel Committee and at IOSCO, served as the chair of the Asia and Pacific Regional Committee, and co-chair of the Follow-Up Group to the 2015 Cross-Border Regulation Task Force.

“I am looking forward to joining the Muzinich team as the Firm continues to broaden its client outreach into the Japanese market,” Morita said.

“Muzinich & Co have 35 years’ experience in corporate credit, underpinned by a deep focus on fundamental analysis and capital preservation,” Justin Muzinich, CEO, said. “We believe we are well placed to offer Japanese investors an interesting suite of investment options with the potential for compelling returns.”

The firm was founded in New York in 1988 and has a total of 14 offices around the world.