PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc.(1) (the "Fund") (NYSE: JEQ), a closed-end equity fund, announced today its performance data and portfolio composition as of November 30, 2014.

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The Fund's total returns for various periods through November 30, 2014 are provided below. (All figures are based on distributions reinvested at the dividend reinvestment price and are stated net-of-fees):



              Cumulative as of
                      11/30/14         Annualized as of 11/30/14
             -----------------         -------------------------

            1 Month            3 Month          YTD               1 Year     3 Years    5 Years  10 Years Since Inception
            -------            -------          ---               ------     -------    -------  -------- ---------------

    NAV                   -1.9            -0.1                6.0         8.5        14.0       7.5       3.1             1.2
    ---                   ----            ----                ---         ---        ----       ---       ---             ---

     Market
     Price                -2.3            -1.0                2.9         4.8        13.2       9.0       2.1             0.6
     ------               ----            ----                ---         ---        ----       ---       ---             ---

    TOPIX                 -0.1            -2.7               -2.3        -1.4        10.5       6.2       2.9             1.9
    -----                 ----            ----               ----        ----        ----       ---       ---             ---

On November 30, 2014, the Fund's net assets amounted to US$111.1 million and the Fund's NAV per share was $8.10.

As of November 30, 2014, the portfolio was invested as follows:



    Portfolio Composition  Percent of
                           Net Assets
    ---                    ----------

    Consumer Staples                  19.6
    ----------------                  ----

    Industrials                       18.6
    -----------                       ----

    Consumer Discretionary            16.3
    ----------------------            ----

    Financials                        10.8
    ----------                        ----

    Information Technology            10.5
    ----------------------            ----

    Materials                         10.5
    ---------                         ----

    Health Care                        9.3
    -----------                        ---

    Telecommunications                 3.1
    ------------------                 ---

    Cash                               1.2
    ----                               ---

The Fund's ten largest equity holdings as of November 30, 2014, representing 41.7% of net assets, were:



    Stock                         Percent of
                                  Net Assets
    ---                           ----------

    Shin-Etsu Chemical                                  5.8
    ------------------                                  ---

    Fanuc                                               4.6
    -----                                               ---

    Keyence Corp.                                       4.6
    -------------                                       ---

    Japan Tobacco                                       4.3
    -------------                                       ---

    Nabtesco Corp.                                      4.2
    --------------                                      ---

    Canon                                               4.1
    -----                                               ---

    Toyota Motor Corp.                                  3.9
    ------------------                                  ---

    Seven & I Holdings                                  3.9
    ------------------                                  ---

    East Japan Railway                                  3.2
    ------------------                                  ---

    Unicharm Corp.                                      3.2
    --------------                                      ---

Important Information
Aberdeen Asset Management Inc. has prepared this report based on information sources believed to be accurate and reliable. All reasonable care has been taken to ensure accuracy. However, the figures are unaudited and neither the Fund, Aberdeen Asset Management Inc. (the current Administrator), Daiwa Securities Trust Company (the former Administrator), Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Limited (the Investment Manager), nor any other person guarantees their accuracy. Investors should seek their own professional advice and should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before acting on this information. Aberdeen is a U.S. registered service mark of Aberdeen Asset Management PLC.

Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. The Fund's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the net asset value (NAV) of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

Total return figures with distributions reinvested at the dividend reinvestment price are stated net-of-fees and represents past performance. Past performance is not indicative of future results, current performance may be higher or lower. Holdings are subject to change and are provided for informational purposes only and should not be deemed as a recommendation to buy or sell the securities shown. Inception date July 24, 1992.

If you wish to receive this information electronically, please contact:
InvestorRelations@aberdeen-asset.com

¹ As of 01/06/2014, Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Limited assumed investment management responsibility from Daiwa SB Investments (USA) Ltd., a subsidiary of Daiwa SB Investments (Tokyo), for Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc. As of 05/01/2014, Fund name changed from The Japan Equity Fund, Inc.

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SOURCE Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc.