Japan
Carlyle to buy Diversey Japan from Sealed Air
The Carlyle Group has agreed to by Japanese sanitation business Diversey Japan from the Sealed Air Corporation for JPY30 billion ($377 million).
Japan's NTT DoCoMo to set up $125m venture fund
Japanese mobile giant NTT DoCoMo is to set up a venture fund and incubation program targeting mobile business models and technologies.
Japan mulls bank rule change, prompts protectionist fears
The Japanese Government is considering altering regulations to allow banks to own larger stakes in Japanese companies, prompting fears of protectionism among the private equity community.
DCM exits game developer Pokelabo to GREE
DCM has generated a 6x money multiple on its investment in social mobile game developer Pokelabo after the company was sold to Japanese media giant GREE for $175 million.
Nomura to launch Indian infrastructure fund next year
Japanese financial group Nomura Holdings has announced it will launch an India-focused infrastructure fund as early as next year.
J-Star sees 3x return on consolidation play
Fierce competition among the middle-men in Japan’s pharmaceutical industry has created a healthy environment for private equity firms looking to consolidate a fragmented sector. Last week J-Star exited Apo Plus Station (APS) after a two-year holding...
Japan's government to set up $500m VC drug fund
The Japanese government plans to set up a public-private fund to support research into drugs targeting cancer, hepatitis, diabetes and other difficult-to-treat diseases.
Citigroup hires ex-Silver Lake partner as Japan M&A head
Citigroup has hired Masao Yoshikawa, an ex-partner and Japan representative at private equity firm Silver Lake, as its new managing director of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in Japan.
VCs invest $1.2m in Japanese website Retty
GREE ventures, NTT investment Partners and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital have jointly invested JPY100 million ($1.2 million) into Retty, a Japanese social restaurant guide.
China Private Equity restructures Australia securities platform investment
China Private Equity Investment Holdings (CPE), an AIM-listed vehicle that claims to offer European investors exposure to Chinese private equity without the limitations imposed by closed-end funds, has restructured its investment in Australian online...
Japan’s J-Star sees 3x return on Apo Plus Station
Mid-market Japanese GP J-Star has sold its majority stake in the pharma-focused contract sales company Apo Plus Station (APS) to Qol, a Tokyo-based pharmaceutical firm.
Panorama leads Series D round for Skyfire’s Asia expansion
Panorama Capital has led a $10 million Series D round of funding for Skyfire, intended help the mobile video optimization and cloud solutions company expand in Asia.
INCJ-led consortium to complete $2.5b Renesas rescue - report
A consortium led by Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) is said to be nearing a JPY200 billion ($2.55 billion) deal to buy ailing Japanese chipmaker Renesas Electronic Corp.
INCJ backs $35m venture investment in US green energy company
Japanese state-sponsored fund Innovation Network Corp of Japan (INCJ) has teamed up with a Japanese corporation to lead a $35 million Series E funding round for Transphorm, a US provider of energy-saving devices.
Japan’s INCJ to compete with PE on national interest grounds
Innovation Network Corp of Japan (INCJ) is prepared to compete with privately-owned firms where doing so would be in the country's national interest. It comes after the Japanese government fund was said to be mulling making an offer last month for Renesas,...
Longreach eyes corporate carve-outs
After more than 800 days in the market, Longreach Capital Partners 2 reached a final close on September 30. It has been a challenging process that required the target corpus to be scaled back from $750 million to $400 million – but the fund is also...
Japan's GPIF considers alternative investments
Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), the world’s biggest pool of retirement savings, is considering diversifying into alternative assets, including private equity. A GPIF executive told AVCJ that a consultation project began in September...
Carlyle, Unison-backed Covalent avoids bond default
Covalent, the Japanese semiconductor materials manufacturer owned by The Carlyle Group and Unison Capital, has averted a debt default by agreeing to buy back securities from its bondholders. Much like its counterpart Renesas Electronics, which is seeking...
MoFo adds Masahiro Shiga in Tokyo
Morrison & Foerster has appointed real estate finance lawyer Masahiro Shiga as a partner at Ito & Mitomi, the joint venture through which it provides legal services in Japan.
Longreach reaches final close of $400m for fund II
The Longreach Group has reached a final close of $400 million for its second fund. The private equity firm will continue targeting control investments in Japan and North Asia, with a particular focus on the mature industrial and technology space, financial...
Oaktree exits aircraft leasing firm to Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ
Oaktree Capital Group has sold aircraft leasing firm Jackson Square Aviation to Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance Co. for JPY100 billion ($1.3 billion).
PE marginalized on Japan restructuring
The outbound trend sweeping through Japanese private equity owes a partial debt to last year’s earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear crisis. Yes, the economic, demographic and industrial arguments for overseas expansion have been coalescing for...
Cerberus to exit Japan’s Aozora Bank
Cerberus Capital is planning to sell its $2.5 billion stake in Japanese lender Aozora Bank after a 12-year holding period.
Moogwi Kim leaves Asia Alternatives
Moogwi Kim, an investment associate at fund-of-funds Asia Alternatives, has left the company. He plans to spend a year studying in France and Singapore before returning to the market in 2014.