Asia Stocks Rush to ‘Value Up’ May Be Best Defense Against Trump

A Japan-inspired strategy of seeking to boost shareholder returns, corporate governance and market valuations is spreading like a wildfire across Asia.

From Seoul to New Delhi, governments and regulators are hurrying to implement their own versions of Japan’s decade-long program of structural reforms that helped drive its benchmark index to a record high this year. While these initiatives vary, they are often collectively referred by the term coined by South Korea: “Value Up.”