The head of the United Nations' Principles for Responsible Investment group hopes that signing up the world’s largest pension fund – the $1.1 trillion Japanese Government Pension Investment Fund – to its cause will act as a watershed moment and prompt others in Asia to take note.

Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund, confirmed in a September 28 statement that it has month become a signatory to the UN's Principles for Responsible Investment network. The PRI aims to encourage investors to factor sustainability issues into their investment approach.