Manabu Akizuki Nomura Securities Co.

Bounding from runner-up to No. 3 is Nomura Securities Co.’s Manabu Akizuki, who wins praise for his “timely analyses,” as one admirer puts it. One example: Akizuki published a report in October about capacity reductions at hard-drive parts manufacturers, owing to widespread flooding in Thailand in the wake of Tropical Storm Nock-ten as well as industry consolidation. He upgraded precision ball bearings manufacturer Minebea Co. from neutral to buy, at ¥270, dubbing the Tokyo-based outfit a likely beneficiary of supply constraints. Sure enough, by late February the stock had shot up 41.1 percent, to ¥381.  — Ben Mattlin

RUNNER(S)-UP
- Masashi Itaya J.P. Morgan
- Masashi Kubota Bank of America Merrill Lynch
- Takumi Sado Daiwa Securities Group
- Shoji Sato Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities Co.
- Akihiko Uchino Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co.