The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday, Feb. 28, edition that as economic and geopolitical issues lead to a departure of investors from China, many have been redirecting funds to Japan, boosting the Nikkei index as it reaches new highs. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe reports that investors seeking to harness economic ties between Japan and its troubled neighbor at a cozy distance are winning handsomely, while some are just embracing the land of the rising sun. Investors who have historically owned Chinese stocks but are now keeping a distance for fear of U.S. sanctions say owning a Japanese firm that either sells to China or is based there is becoming the more politically palatable option. Others are betting on China's eventual recovery, either driven by its quest for self-sufficiency or improved spending by its 1.4 billion consumers. Buying Japanese stocks is "less controversial in the U.S. political environment right now," said Liqian Ren, director of Modern Alpha at WisdomTree Asset Management. "We are seeing a lot of flows in our hedge fund book globally coming out of China, and a lot is coming into the Japanese market," said Bruce Kirk, chief Japan equity strategist at Goldman Sachs.