Japan's GPIF held $1.9 billion of Russian assets last March - spokesperson

FILE PHOTO: A view shows the logo of Sber (Sberbank) at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 5, 2021. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File Photo

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) held Russian assets worth about 220 billion yen ($1.9 billion) as of March last year, a spokesperson said on Monday, representing 0.1% of the total assets of the world's largest pension fund.

The fund's Russian assets consisted of about 170 billion yen's worth of shares in companies such as Russia's largest lender Sberbank, as well as about 50 billion yen's worth of government and corporate bonds.

The $1.7 trillion pension fund said regulations do not allow it to make investment decisions based on political reasons, but it will continue to monitor the situation and work for the benefit of pension recipients.

In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Norway said on Sunday its $1.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund will divest its Russian assets, worth 25 billion Norwegian crowns ($2.83 billion) at the end of 2021.

($1 = 115.5000 yen)

(Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Kim Coghill)

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