Japan
Japan's Meiji Yasuda beats PE to Thai Life stake
Japan’s Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance has agreed to buy a 15% stake in Thai Life Insurance for an undisclosed sum, thought to be in the region of $750 million. Other participants in the auction reportedly included the Carlyle Group, KKR and CVC Capital...
Femto invests $1m in Japanese restaurant app startup
Japanese venture capital firm Femto has committed JPY100 million ($1 million) of seed funding in Toreta, a start-up developing apps for the food service industry.
DCM, Infinity invest $2.7m in Japanese accounting software firm
DCM and Infinity Capital Partners have invested $2.7 million in Japanese online accounting software company, Freee, as part of a Series A round of funding.
Taiwan’s Chinatrust buys Tokyo Star Bank – report
Chinatrust Commercial Bank, one of Taiwan’s largest commercial lenders, has reportedly agreed to buy Tokyo Star Bank for JPY52 billion ($519 million) from Lone Star and other creditors-turned-shareholders. It would be the first full buyout of a Japanese...
East Ventures backs Japanese flea market app Mercari
East Ventures has invested JPY50 million ($500,000) in Mercari, a Japanese flea market app launched by former Zynga Japan General Manager Shintaro Yamada.
Caffeinated returns: Private equity's coffee shop craving
Private equity is already leveraging the growing popularity of coffee shops across Asia. But where is the next frontier – and is it all about the coffee?
Rich man’s game: The cost of fundraising in Asia
Asian GPs and fund lawyers are struggling with a demand-supply imbalance. LPs are negotiating more and conceding less - but for all that managers say fundraising costs are going up, lawyers say fees are going down
Oak Capital invests $6.6m in Japan's K-Lab
Japan's Oak Capital Corp. has invested JPY650 million ($6.6 million) in online mobile game designer KLab.
Globis, KDDI invest $2.6m in Japanese how-to site
Globis Capital Partners and the KDDI Open innovation fund have led a JPY270 million ($2.6 million) investment in Nanapi, a Japanese website offering everyday how-to advice. This is the second round of investment for Globis which previously backed the...
Japanese mobility chair firm raises $1m VC round
Whill, a Japanese startup which has designed a type of electronic mobility chair, has received JPY100 million ($1 million) in funding from a group of venture capital investors including Itochu Technology Venture, 500 Startups and Sun Bridge Global Ventures....
J-Star reaches $205m final close in Fund II
Japanese mid-market buyout firm J-Star has reached at JPY20.4billion ($205 million) final close on its second buyout fund.
Q&A: KKR's Joe Bae
KKR last week announced a final close of $6 billion on its second pan-Asia fund, the largest vehicle of its kind ever raised in the region. Joseph Bae, KKR's head of Asia, tells AVCJ how it will be deployed
Ant Global Partners' $150m secondary fund targets Greater China, Japan
Ant Global Partners (AGP) - the international investment arm of Japanese PE firm Ant Capital Partners - is targeting $150 million for a new secondary fund focused on Greater China and Japan.
Toho Bank, Yamada Business Consulting establish $10m VC fund
Japan's Fukushima-headquartered Toho Bank has established a JPY1 billion ($10 million) venture capital fund, along with Tokyo-based Yamada Business Consulting, to provide early-stage capital to Japanese businesses.
J-Star, supply chain fund back Tokai Trim
Japanese mid-cap buyout firm J-Star has joined the Supply Chain Support Fund (SCSF) - a vehicle backed Japan Auto Parts Industries Association and Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) - in investing around JPY1-2billion ($10-20 million) in auto parts firm...
Fidelity Japan leads $3m round for e-ticketing start-up PeaTiX
Fidelity Japan has led a $3 million Series A round for Japanese e-ticketing startup PeaTiX. The company provides an online platform for event organizers, allowing them to manage ticket sales.
Samurai Incubate Fund invests in Japanese child monitor app
Samurai Incubate Fund has backed Japanese mobile app developer Unirings - the company behind child monitoring app Mimamoru. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
INCJ invests in $1.7m in Japanese tech firm Exvision
The Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has invested JPY180 million ($1.7 million) in Exvision, a company which develops high-speed image processing technology.
Japanese software testing service in $4m VC round
Shift, a Japanese software testing service, has raised JPY400 million ($4 million) from VC investors Simplex Holdings and Movida Capital as well as strategic investor Bit-isle, a cloud data service provider.
DBJ, SMBC, Mitsubishi UFJ back Japan's Adinnovation
The Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) , SMBC Ventures and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital have together invested JPY160 million ($1.5 million) in marketing specialist Adinnovation.
Japan's Chiyoda acquires PE-backed energy consultancy
Chiyoda Corp, a Japanese engineering contractor, has acquired a majority stake in Scottish energy consultancy business Xodus Group from UK private equity backer Simmons Parallel Private and Dutch investor Sunrise Xodus. Financial details were not disclosed.
Nissay Capital invests $2m in display component maker Cerebrex
Nissay Capital has invested JPY250 million ($2.4 million) in Cerebrex, a semiconductor start-up that produces components for liquid crystal displays.
KDDI Fund participates in $2m round for Japanese game developer
KDDI Open Innovation Fund has joined CyberAgent Ventures and Japanese entertainment company FuRyu in committing a total JPY230 million ($2.2 million) to Japanese game developer Mutations Studio.
Japan, Canada pension fund consortium makes first investment
A consortium of Canada's Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement Scheme (OMERS) and a group of Japanese pension funds led by Mistubishi Corp. has made its first investment in Midland Cogeneration Venture (MCV), a gas power plant in the US. The details...