Despite challenging market conditions, Japanese companies are expected to deliver record shareholder returns in the current fiscal year, Richard Aston, portfolio manager of the CC Japan Income and Growth Trust and the CC Japan Income and Growth Fund, told thewealthnet.

Investor payouts have been increasing in the country since the financial crisis thanks in part to a government-backed drive to improve corporate governance.

“The situation is still emerging, with the total amount being paid back to stakeholders in Japan trailing many other developed nations. However, the region’s rate of dividend payment...