About Us   Nihon Equity Research provides expert, unbiased analysis of Japanese stocks in English to institutional investors. We specialize in customized research on small and medium-sized companies, virtually unknown outside Japan, that appear undervalued based on their earnings profile and underlying assets.   The principals of Nihon Equity Research have decades of experience in analyzing Japanese companies from a cross-border perspective. We have the language ability, the financial savvy, and the cultural sensitivity to uncover those stocks with the greatest potential for capital appreciation. With our exceptional analytical skills and efficient cost structure, we can offer a superb return on your research dollar.  The Principals Chako Ando has over 10 years of investment banking and capital markets experience. Ms. Ando was a VP in the M&A department of Daiwa America; manager of a venture capital investment fund for the Industrial Bank of Japan; and a VP of credit control with Sumitomo Bank Capital Markets. At both Daiwa and Sumitomo, she advised and analyzed companies in a wide variety of industries, including IT, health services, food, consumer goods, manufacturing, materials, and financial services.  Ms. Ando has also been a CFO of an online trading system provider and a  consultant for numerous Silicon Valley firms. She is a CFA Level III candidate and has passed the Series 65 investment advisor exam.  A Tokyo native, Ms. Ando obtained her MBA at Stanford with a concentration in finance. Bob Schneider worked in the equity research department of Morgan Stanley for six years. His time at the firm included three years as supervisory analyst of Morgan's Tokyo office, where he had sole sign-off authority for all Japan and Hong Kong research. As senior analyst and writer for a Tokyo IR firm, he wrote the MD&As for more than 100 annual reports of over 30 companies. He has written reports on dozens of industries and hundreds of firms for various publications of Gale Group and has been a contributing editor to Online Investor. Mr. Schneider has written about Microsoft Access for more than ten years and has published two books on the program, including Hands-On Microsoft Access  (Addison-Wesley, 2006). He spent two years as an external auditor and is a CPA (inactive status) in the State of New York. Mr. Schneider has passed both the Series 16 (supervisory analyst) and Series 65 (investment advisor) exams. He holds an MBA from Columbia University in accounting.