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Daisaku Masuno
Nomura Securities Co.
"His industry knowledge and connections have proved to be tremendous assets."
Daisaku Masuno is No. 1 for a fifth consecutive year — and for the sixth time in seven years. Buy-siders prize the Nomura Securities Co. analyst for his “thorough explanations of merit and risk,” as one ally puts it. Masuno, 48, has an upbeat outlook and believes the sector will perform roughly in line with the broad market this year. Key issues he expects to affect these companies include the positive impact of fourth-generation wireless communications on earnings for mobile-broadband carriers; growth in fixed-mobile bundled services; more-intense competition for mergers and acquisitions; and renewed emphasis on shareholder value. Examples of the latter include dividend hikes at KDDI Corp., a Tokyo-based provider of mobile communications services, and share buybacks at crosstown rival NTT DoCoMo. — Pam Baker