Move Over, Alphabet! Warren Buffett's Successor, Greg Abel, Has Nearly $47 Billion Devoted to This Top Investment Idea

It's the dawn of a new era for Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRKA)(NYSE:BRKB). Following Warren Buffett's retirement as CEO on Dec. 31, the trillion-dollar conglomerate that the Oracle of Omaha helped build entered the year with a new boss for the first time in over half a century.

His successor, Greg Abel, has wasted little time making his mark. He jettisoned 16 stocks from Berkshire's $360 billion investment portfolio during the first quarter and absolutely piled into Google parent Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL)(NASDAQ:GOOG).

Warren Buffett retired as Berkshire Hathaway's CEO on Dec. 31. Image source: Getty Images.

Although Alphabet offers plenty for Berkshire's current and former bosses to appreciate, including its virtual monopoly on internet search and the blistering growth potential of its artificial intelligence-driven cloud infrastructure services platform, Google Cloud, there's another investment idea that arguably trumps Alphabet, at least in dollar terms.

Greg Abel has nearly $47 billion wagered on Japan

As of the closing bell on Sept. 18, Alphabet's two share classes (GOOGL and GOOG) accounted for close to $37 billion of Berkshire Hathaway's invested assets. But in aggregate, Abel's investments in a half-dozen Japanese stocks total almost $47 billion:

• Mitsubishi (OTC:MTSUY): $12.94 billion in invested assets
• Itochu (OTC:ITOCY): $10.36 billion
• Mitsui (OTC:MITSY): $10.21 billion
• Marubeni (OTC:MARUY): $5.44 billion
• Sumitomo (OTC:SSUMY): $5.29 billion
• Tokio Marine (OTC:TKOMY): $2.52 billion

The first five are known as the sogo shosha. They're Japan's five trading houses and have their proverbial fingers in most sectors and industries. Meanwhile, Tokio Marine is one of Japan's largest property and casualty insurers.

Abel opened Berkshire's position in Tokio Marine in March 2026 and has been adding to his company's existing stakes in the sogo shosha. Berkshire opened its positions in the sogo shosha in 2019.

With approximately $10 billion more invested in Japanese stocks than in Alphabet, the obvious question on the minds of investors is: "Why Japan?"

The most logical answer is valuation. While Warren Buffett bent or broke several of his unwritten investing rules as CEO, the one thing he never wavered on was value. If he didn't believe he was getting a good deal, he wouldn't invest.

Abel and Buffett are very similar in their investment approaches. Though Abel has demonstrated an affinity for tech stocks, much more so than the Oracle of Omaha, he still holds value in the highest regard.

The stock market entered 2026 at its second-priciest valuation in history, making it extremely challenging for Berkshire's brightest investment minds to find bargains. However, the sogo shosha and Tokio Marine have been trading at more attractive price-to-earnings ratios, relative to U.S. stocks.

Stock Market Shiller PE Ratio on the verge of taking out its Dot Com Bubble all-time high 🚨 🤯 👀 pic.twitter.com/CtCmSgWnLt

— Barchart (@Barchart) July 11, 2026

Additionally, the argument can be made that Japanese stocks offer more favorable governance. Compared with U.S. companies, the executives at Japan's largest companies are receiving less compensation.

Furthermore, the sogo shosha and Tokio Marine offer robust capital-return programs, featuring steady dividends and share buybacks. Abel, like his predecessor, appreciates companies that reward long-term investors.

While Alphabet may be Greg Abel's superstar purchase of 2026, it's his Japan trade that stands out as his top investment.

Sean Williams has positions in Alphabet. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet and Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.