< The 2014 All-Japan Research Team

Hirosuke Tai
Daiwa Securities Group
First-place appearances: 1

Total appearances: 12

Analyst debut: 2002

Up one position to No. 3 is Hirosuke Tai. The Daiwa Securities Group analyst rises on the strength of his “good knowledge of managements, great conferences and, especially, his plant tours,” says one impressed client. “When you walk around the plants, he seems to know everyone — even the welders.” Among the researcher’s favorite names this year is Chiyoda Corp., an integrated contractor that provides engineering services and oversees industrial facilities for the hydrocarbon and chemicals industries worldwide. The Kanagawa-based company, Tai advises, maintains a “very high market share,” upwards of 40 percent of global capacity, in construction of plants for the production of liquefied natural gas. What’s more, he says, Chiyoda last year embarked on a management plan to be implemented through the fiscal year ending in March 2016. Dubbed “Seize the Moment, Open up New Frontiers,” the scheme calls for expanding the geographic footprint of the company’s core natural-gas and LNG operations. “Many countries, such as the U.S., Mozambique and Malaysia, for example, are willing to construct LNG plants,” Tai explains, “which will be the biggest business opportunity for Chiyoda.” In addition, the company is diversifying into new lines of business, such as renewable energy sources. All of this should buoy its shares to ¥2,000, the analyst believes, far ahead of the ¥1,425 they commanded in mid-March.

See also Hirosuke Tai's profile in the 2012 All-Japan Research Team.