North Asia
KKR hires Blackstone MD to lead Japan capital markets team
KKR has selected Go Yamashita, a former managing director with The Blackstone Group, to head the KKR Capital Markets (KCM) team in Japan.
Deal focus: Seven Dreamers makes laundry robot a reality
KKR co-founders Henry Kravis and George Roberts and Fosun International have joined a $22.8 million Series C round for Seven Dreamers, which will use the capital to accelerate production of its Laundroid
Bain, INCJ consortium named preferred bidder for Toshiba chip unit
Japanese conglomerate Toshiba has selected a consortium led by the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) and including Bain Capital as the preferred bidder in the sale of its Nand flash memory unit, Toshiba Memory Corporation (TMC).
CLSA Capital invests in Japan beauty contact lenses maker
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has invested an undisclosed sum in El Dorado Group, a beauty contact lenses manufacturer based in Japan and Hong Kong.
Bolt-on acquisitions: Buying growth
Bolt-on acquisitions enable private equity firms to bring down the cost of investments through multiple arbitrage and leveraging synergies. But in a climate of heady valuations, are GPs thinking too big?
MBK completes exit from Japan's Komeda with 5x return - update
MBK Partners has sold the remainder of its stake in Japan-based coffee shop chain Komeda Holdings JPY24.3 billion ($217 million), securing a 5x return on the overall investment.
Nippon Mirai to sell Takasago stake back to NEC
Japanese GP Nippon Mirai Capital has agreed to sell its entire 51% stake in Takasago Machinery, an electronic equipment manufacturer, to its previous owner NEC Corporation for an undisclosed sum.
Korean PE consortium named preferred bidder for Arrium
A consortium headed by two Korean private equity firms and supported by domestic steelmaker Posco has been selected as the preferred bidder for distressed Australian mining and minerals giant Arrium.
Bain continues to trim holding in Japan's Skylark
Bain Capital has made its second partial exit in three months from Japanese restaurant operator Skylark, receiving JPY41.6 billion ($373.6 million) and reducing its stake to approximately 15%.
Canadian AI player raises $102m Series A for Asia push
China’s Tencent Holdings and Korea’s Hanwha Investment have backed a $102 million Asian expansion drive by Canadian artificial intelligence developer Element AI. It is said to be the largest Series A round ever raised by an AI company.
Japan private equity: Heating up
Private equity is seeing more succession planning and corporate carve-out opportunities in Japan, but there is a risk that exuberance might turn irrational
Government-backed Cool Japan invests in 500 Startups fund
Cool Japan Fund, a government-backed venture program for promoting cultural exports, has agreed to invest up to $10 million in a recently launched Japan-focused vehicle managed by 500 Startups.
Q&A: Unison Capital's Tatsuo Kawasaki
Tatsuo Kawasaki, co-founder and partner at Unison Capital, discusses why deal flow is growing in Japan’s middle market – not only in terms of volume, but also in seller type and sector scope
KKR founders, Fosun join $22m round for Japan's Seven Dreamers
KKR co-founders Henry Kravis and George Roberts have joined a group of investors including Chinese conglomerate Fosun International in a JPY2.5 billion ($22.8 million) round for Seven Dreamers Laboratories, a Japan-based manufacturer of personal-use devices.
Korea's NPS boosts alternatives allocation to 11.4%
The National Pension Service of Korea (NPS) continued its steady growth in alternatives exposure, with its allocation increasing from 10.7% to 11.4% over the course of 2016 – which equates to additional capital of KRW9 trillion ($7.9 billion) – as...
Japan consumer: Beyond borders
Private equity investors see an opportunity in taking advantage of the popularity of Japanese brands in other Asian markets. Making these strategies work requires patience and a tolerance for risk
Japanese LPs: The end of the beginning
Japan’s GPIF has finally signaled its readiness to invest in alternative assets. Though contributions will likely be slow to come and limited at first, the barest hint of its intentions has wide-ranging ramifications
Japan technology: Light switch
OLED technology is seen as a quantum leap forward for digital panels, but VC investors are reluctant to get on board. Japan may have to overcome this hesitancy to maintain market share in high-end electronics
Japan carve-outs: Chips off the block
Divestment activity by Japanese conglomerates is finally translating into meaningful private equity deal flow, but unwinding people and assets from longstanding parents presents execution challenges
IMM increases commitment to Korean shipbuilder
IMM Investment has agreed to invest another KRW100 billion ($89 million) in Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI).
Skylake invests $53m in Korean O2O services player
Skylake Investment has committed KRW60 billion ($53 million) in Yanolja, a South Korean online-to-offline (O2O) local services platform best known for providing discount hotel deals.
Baring Asia to exit Japan's Joyful Honda
Baring Private Equity Asia will sell its minority stake in Joyful Honda, a Japan-based home improvement center operator, for JPY56.6 billion ($513 million) through participation in a tender offer launched by the company.
Fund focus: Safe hands
With $9.3 billion in dry powder, KKR aims to capitalize on growing big-ticket opportunities in the region. The large and rapid fundraise is further evidence of the flight to quality among LPs
PE-owned Samyang closes up on debut after $60m IPO
Korean camera lens manufacturer Samyang Optics ended its first day of trading on KOSDAQ at a slight premium to its IPO price, having raised KRW66.8 billion ($60 million) in the offering and enabled VIG Partners to make a partial exit.