UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM N-Q

 

 

 

QUARTERLY SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY

 

 

 

Investment Company Act file number:

 

811-06142

 

 

 

Exact name of registrant as specified in charter:

 

Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc.

 

 

 

Address of principal executive offices:

 

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor

 

 

Philadelphia, PA 19103

 

 

 

Name and address of agent for service:

 

Ms. Andrea Melia

 

 

Aberdeen Asset Management Inc.

 

 

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor

 

 

Philadelphia, PA 19103

 

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:

 

866-839-5205

 

 

 

Date of fiscal year end:

 

October 31

 

 

 

Date of reporting period:

 

January 31, 2015

 



 

Item 1. Schedule of Investments - The schedule of investments for the three-month period ended January 31, 2015 is filed herewith.

 



 

Portfolio of Investments (unaudited)

 

As of January 31, 2015

 

Shares

 

Description

 

Value
(US$)

 

LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS—99.1%(a)

 

 

 

COMMON STOCKS—99.1%

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY—16.3%

 

 

 

26,500

 

Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd.

 

$

925,794

 

87,500

 

Asics Corp.

 

2,147,193

 

35,200

 

Denso Corp.

 

1,557,188

 

81,000

 

FCC Co. Ltd.

 

1,539,967

 

92,200

 

Honda Motor Co. Ltd.

 

2,782,112

 

69,700

 

Resorttrust, Inc.

 

1,669,313

 

14,900

 

Shimano, Inc.

 

1,969,682

 

63,700

 

Toyota Motor Corp.

 

4,106,798

 

97,500

 

USS Co. Ltd.

 

1,529,633

 

 

 

 

 

18,227,680

 

CONSUMER STAPLES—19.7%

 

 

 

64,000

 

Calbee, Inc.

 

2,499,195

 

156,700

 

Japan Tobacco, Inc.

 

4,267,984

 

73,100

 

Mandom Corp.

 

2,468,220

 

47,000

 

Pigeon Corp.

 

2,934,603

 

51,000

 

San-A Co. Ltd.

 

1,702,663

 

116,000

 

Seven & I Holdings Co. Ltd.

 

4,244,914

 

143,300

 

Unicharm Corp.

 

3,948,444

 

 

 

 

 

22,066,023

 

FINANCIALS—9.9%

 

 

 

73,000

 

AEON Financial Service Co. Ltd.

 

1,311,829

 

481,000

 

Bank of Yokohama Ltd. (The)

 

2,595,410

 

176,000

 

Daibiru Corp.

 

1,548,537

 

24,100

 

Daito Trust Construction Co. Ltd.

 

2,682,686

 

90,000

 

Mitsubishi Estate Co. Ltd.

 

1,810,868

 

59,000

 

Suruga Bank Ltd.

 

1,107,772

 

 

 

 

 

11,057,102

 

HEALTH CARE—9.6%

 

 

 

41,100

 

Asahi Intecc Co. Ltd.

 

2,178,262

 

215,800

 

Astellas Pharma, Inc.

 

3,333,108

 

119,500

 

Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.

 

3,572,559

 

36,700

 

Sysmex Corp.

 

1,640,019

 

 

 

 

 

10,723,948

 

INDUSTRIALS—19.3%

 

 

 

348,000

 

Amada Co. Ltd.

 

3,171,683

 

41,000

 

Daikin Industries Ltd.

 

2,853,025

 

47,300

 

East Japan Railway Co.

 

3,653,362

 

30,500

 

FANUC Corp.

 

5,122,149

 

39,500

 

Makita Corp.

 

1,752,083

 

194,000

 

Nabtesco Corp.

 

5,008,401

 

 

 

 

 

21,560,703

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY—10.3%

 

 

 

141,200

 

Canon, Inc.

 

4,466,923

 

11,100

 

Keyence Corp.

 

5,188,548

 

560,000

 

Yahoo Japan Corp.

 

1,883,344

 

 

 

 

 

11,538,815

 

MATERIALS—10.6%

 

 

 

183,000

 

Kansai Paint Co. Ltd.

 

3,198,527

 

75,000

 

Nippon Paint Holdings Co. Ltd.

 

2,349,392

 

 

See accompanying Notes to Portfolio of Investments.

 



 

95,400

 

Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd.

 

$

6,316,833

 

 

 

 

 

11,864,752

 

TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES—3.4%

 

 

 

54,400

 

KDDI Corp.

 

3,840,036

 

 

 

Total Long-Term Investments—99.1% (cost $102,127,490)

 

110,879,059

 

 

Par
Amount

 

Description

 

Value
(US$)

 

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT—0.6%

 

 

 

$

636,000

 

Repurchase Agreement, Fixed Income Clearing Corp., 0.00% dated 01/30/2015, due 02/02/2015 repurchase price $636,000, collateralized by U.S. Treasury Bond, maturing 11/15/2041; total market value of $649,688

 

636,000

 

 

 

Total Short-Term Investment—0.6% (cost $636,000)

 

636,000

 

 

 

Total Investments—99.7% (cost $102,763,490) (b)

 

111,515,059

 

 

 

Other Assets in Excess of Liabilities—0.3%

 

300,262

 

 

 

Net Assets—100.0%

 

$

111,815,321

 

 


(a)

 

Unless otherwise noted, all securities are fair valued. Fair Values are determined pursuant to procedures approved by the Fund’s Board of Directors. See Note (a) of the accompanying Notes to Portfolio of Investments.

(b)

 

See Notes to Portfolio of Investments for tax unrealized appreciation/depreciation of securities.

 

See accompanying Notes to Portfolio of Investments.

 



 

Notes to Portfolio of Investments (unaudited)

 

January 31, 2015

 

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

a. Security Valuation:

 

The Fund values its securities at current market value or fair value consistent with regulatory requirements. “Fair value” is defined in the Fund’s valuation and liquidity procedures as the price that could be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between willing market participants without a compulsion to contract at the measurement date.

 

Equity securities that are traded on an exchange are valued at the last quoted sale price on the principal exchange on which the security is traded at the “Valuation Time” subject to application, when appropriate, of the valuation factors described in the paragraph below. The Valuation Time is as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time). In the absence of a sale price, the security is valued at the mean of the bid/ask price quoted at the close on the principal exchange on which the security is traded. Securities traded on NASDAQ are valued at the NASDAQ official closing price. Closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds (“ETF”s) are valued at the market price of the security at the Valuation Time. A security using any of these pricing methodologies is determined to be a Level 1 investment.

 

Foreign equity securities that are traded on foreign exchanges that close prior to the Valuation Time are valued by applying valuation factors to the last sale price or the mean price as noted above. Valuation factors are provided by an independent pricing service provider. These valuation factors are used when pricing the Fund’s portfolio holdings to estimate market movements between the time foreign markets close and the time the Fund values such foreign securities. These valuation factors are based on inputs such as depositary receipts, indices, futures, sector indices/ETFs, exchange rates, and local exchange opening and closing prices of each security. When prices with the application of valuation factors are utilized, the value assigned to the foreign securities may not be the same as quoted or published prices of the securities on their primary markets. A security that applies a valuation factor is determined to be a Level 2 investment because the exchange-traded price has been adjusted. Valuation factors are not utilized if the independent pricing service provider is unable to provide a valuation factor or if the valuation factor falls below a predetermined threshold; in such case, the security is determined to be a Level 1 investment.

 

In the event that a security’s market quotations are not readily available or are deemed unreliable (for reasons other than because the foreign exchange on which it trades closes before the Valuation Time), the security is valued at fair value as determined by the Fund’s Pricing Committee, taking into account the relevant factors and surrounding circumstances using valuation policies and procedures approved by the Fund’s Board of Directors. A security that has been fair valued by the Pricing Committee may be classified as Level 2 or Level 3 depending on the nature of the inputs.

 

In accordance with the authoritative guidance on fair value measurements and disclosures under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), the Fund discloses the fair value of its investments using a three-level hierarchy that classifies the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure the fair value. The hierarchy assigns Level 1 measurements to valuations based upon other significant observable inputs, including unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets, Level 2 measurements to valuations based upon other significant observable inputs, including adjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets, and Level 3 measurements to valuations based upon unobservable inputs that are significant to the valuation. Observable inputs are inputs that reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, which are based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The three-level hierarchy of inputs is summarized below:

 

Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical investments;

Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, and credit risk); or

Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments).

 



 

Notes to Portfolio of Investments (unaudited) (concluded)

 

January 31, 2015

 

The following is a summary of the inputs used as of January 31, 2015 in valuing the Fund’s investments at fair value. The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. Please refer to the Portfolio of Investments for a detailed breakout of the security types:

 

Investments, at Value

 

Level 1

 

Level 2

 

Level 3

 

Total

 

Long-Term Investments

 

$

 

$

110,879,059

 

$

 

$

110,879,059

 

Short-Term Investment

 

 

636,000

 

 

636,000

 

Total

 

$

 

$

111,515,059

 

$

 

$

111,515,059

 

 

Amounts listed as “-” are $0 or round to $0.

 

The Fund held no Level 3 securities at January 31, 2015.

 

For movements between the Levels within the fair value hierarchy, the Fund has adopted a policy of recognizing transfers at the end of each period. During the period ended January 31, 2015, there were no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2.

 

For the period ended January 31, 2015, there have been no significant changes to the fair valuation methodologies.

 

b. Repurchase Agreements:

 

The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements under the terms of a Master Repurchase Agreement. It is the Fund’s policy that its custodian/counterparty segregate the underlying collateral securities, the value of which exceeds the principal amount of the repurchase transaction, including accrued interest. The repurchase price generally equals the price paid by the Fund plus interest negotiated on the basis of current short-term rates. To the extent that any repurchase transaction exceeds one business day, the collateral is valued on a daily basis to determine its adequacy. Under the Master Repurchase Agreement, if the counterparty defaults and the value of the collateral declines, or if bankruptcy proceedings are commenced with respect to the counterparty of the security, realization of the collateral by the Fund may be delayed or limited. Repurchase agreements are subject to contractual netting agreements with the counterparty, Fixed Income Clearing Corp. The Fund held a repurchase agreement of $636,000 as of January 31, 2015. The value of the related collateral exceeded the value of the repurchase agreement at January 31, 2015.

 

c. Federal Income Taxes:

 

The U.S. federal income tax basis of the Fund’s investments and the net unrealized appreciation as of January 31, 2015 were as follows:

 

Cost

 

Appreciation

 

Depreciation

 

Net
Unrealized
Appreciation

 

$

102,763,490

 

$

14,480,032

 

$

(5,728,463

)

$

8,751,569

 

 



 

Item 2. Controls and Procedures

 

(a)         The Registrant’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, have concluded that the Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-3(c))) are effective, as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of the report that includes the disclosure required by this paragraph, based on the evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a3(b)) and Rule 13a-15(b) or 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR 240.13a-15(b) or 240.15d-15(b)).

 

(b)         There was no change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-3(d))) that occurred during the registrant’s last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Item 3. Exhibits

 

(a)   Certification of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer of the Registrant as required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-2(a)) is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.302CERT.

 



 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Alan Goodson

 

Alan Goodson,

 

Principal Executive Officer of

 

Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

Date: March 25, 2015

 

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

By:

/s/ Alan Goodson

 

Alan Goodson,

 

Principal Executive Officer of

 

Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

Date: March 25, 2015

 

 

 

 

 

By: 

/s/ Andrea Melia

 

Andrea Melia,

 

Principal Financial Officer of

 

Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

Date: March 25, 2015