Despite his bookish manner, Matsumoto is a man on a mission. He's out to make investing in Japanese stocks more accessible to a nation of people hungry for U.S.-style returns. It's a dream of mine to make the Japanese markets more democratic,'' says Matsumoto. Such a goal might sound hollow from a blue-suited Japanese company president more concerned about board members than consumers. He's up against some giants, though.
Analysts expect the weaker players to start dropping out soon.
To avoid ending up a victim, Matsumoto has added heft to his site by selling Vanguard Group and Dai-Ichi Kangyo Asset Management mutual funds. He's also counting on his appeal to small investors to win a bigger share of the market. We've got to change the way companies go public or we'll never see Japan's capital markets developed,'' says Matsumoto. Success is nothing new to Matsumoto. That was in the go-go late 1980s.