Norinchukin Bank (Nochu), Japan's fourth largest by assets, plans to increase investments in securitised products, including asset-backed securities and collateralised debt obligations, by at least Y6,000bn (£29bn) over the next year or two.

The plan by Nochu, one of Japan's biggest institutional investors with an investment portfolio of more than $400bn (£216bn), is a vote of confidence in securitised products, which have suffered sharp declines amid the US mortgage crisis.