Japanese activist investor Yasuto Monden, who gained notoriety after assuming the presidency of a target company, has launched a new equity fund aimed at US investors, including family offices, according to a report by Bloomberg.

The Singapore-based Axium Capital Pte, which began operations in July, focuses on undervalued small- and mid-cap Japanese stocks. Monden plans to grow fund assets to JPY100bn ($678m) within two years, expanding gradually into larger-cap equities. The fund secured JPY6.5bn in capital inflows in August, with investments from US university endowments and fund-of-funds managers. To support growth, Axium plans to hire six additional staff, including back-office personnel.

Monden brings experience from Swiss-Asia Financial Services Pte, where he managed Japanese equity funds, and has attracted investors such as US family office “the Observatory,” linked to the founders of VitaminWater. He believes activist investing in Japan remains highly attractive, as many domestic companies continue to underutilise capital compared with US peers.

The fund launch follows Monden’s controversial rise at Tokyo Cosmos Electric Co, where shareholder activism propelled him to the presidency in what was described as a rare boardroom “coup” in Japan. Monden emphasises that his role aligns with shareholder interests and is compensated solely through fund returns.