Insights from an Analyst Who Knows the Realities of Business: How to Hone Sensitivity for Future Predictions — An Interview with Mariko Mabuchi

──Ms. Mabuchi, you transitioned to being an analyst after working as a trader. Could you share some of the major challenges and turning points in your career?

Mariko Mabuchi: The first major hurdle I encountered was when I had to write corporate analysis articles as an analyst. As a trader, I didn't fully understand how companies were structured, how consensus was built within organizations, or how businesses operated. Initially, my lack of understanding of the internal workings of companies meant I couldn't write competent articles.

From there, I joined a company called 'FUNDINNO', Japan's first equity crowdfunding platform, in a PR and marketing role. I am still employed there as a full-time staff member. Assisting the CEO, updating the website, submitting documents to the Financial Services Agency—experiencing these tasks firsthand enabled me to perform real corporate analysis as an analyst. This was a significant turning point for me.

Another issue has persisted throughout my career as an analyst. When I started, being a 'young female analyst' alone meant that my insights were not taken seriously. I never intended to make 'fluffy' comments; I was incorporating views from economists I respected and spoke with logic. However, due to being 'female' and 'young', my statements were often taken lightly.

I had always pretended that such comments didn't exist. I thought it was regressive to acknowledge them. I even planned to continue pretending that 'I have never been treated differently from men' and push on until I was about 60.

However, recently, I read an interview with Professor Atsuko Higashino, a political scientist, who mentioned in a newspaper interview that she faced far more discrimination and harsh words than her husband, who is also a political scientist. This made me think that perhaps it's okay to start sharing that these realities exist 'for me too'.

The first step as an analyst began with 'incomprehensibility'
The perspective honed in the field invigorates analysis