North Asia
KKR, JIP seek $2.3b buyout of Japan's Hitachi Kokusai Electric
KKR has announced its third tender offer for a Japanese company in six months, teaming up with Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) and Hitachi on a JPY257.1 billion ($2.3 billion) bid for Hitachi Kokusai Electric.
New Horizon acquires Japan firefighting business
New Horizon Capital has agreed to acquire the firefighting equipment business of Japanese manufacturing firm IHI Shibaura Machinery Corporation (ISM).
CITIC Capital to exit Japanese chemicals manufacturer
CITIC Capital has agreed to exit 100% of Japanese chemicals manufacturer Polymatech to two domestic strategics.
Korea healthcare: Quickening pulse
Korea’s government is playing a long game by propping up the local health tech start-up ecosystem. VCs that share this vision are identifying the obstacles and planning for growth
IMM commits $266m to Korean shipbuilder
IMM Investment has agreed to invest KRW300 billion ($266 million) in Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI).
MBK-owned ING Life to raise $972m in Korea IPO
MBK Partners will make a partial exit from ING Life Korea as the insurer raises KRW1.1 billion ($972 million) in its domestic IPO.
IMM launches tender offer for Korean cosmetics player
A consortium led by IMM Investment has agreed to pay KRW188.2 billion ($166 million) for a 25.54% stake in Korean cosmetics manufacturer Able C&C and launched a tender offer to secure control of the business.
VIG buys Korean used car retailer for $97m
VIG Partners has agreed to acquire 100% of South Korea-based used car retailer and maintenance provider Autoplus for KRW110 billion ($97 million). The plan is to build the business into a local equivalent of CarMax, which is the leading player in the...
Integral closes third Japan mid-market fund at $670m
Integral Group has closed its third Japan mid-market buyout fund at the hard cap of JPY73 billion ($670 million), with domestic LPs accounting for approximately three quarters of the corpus.
Bain to invest in Korean botox manufacturer - update
Bain Capital Private Equity has agreed to buy a controlling stake in Hugel, a South Korean manufacturer of botox and other health-related pharmaceuticals, for approximately KRW927.4 billion ($830 million).
Japan's Kobe Steel buys Quintus from Milestone
US private equity firm Milestone Partners has exited its controlling stake in Sweden and US-based industrial equipment company Quintus Technologies to Japan’s Kobe Steel.
Korea to create $7b restructuring fund
South Korea has announced plans for a KRW8 trillion ($7 billion) fund – of which half will come from private sector feeder vehicles – as part of government efforts to initiate a more market-based approach to corporate restructuring.
Japan's GPIF makes call for alternatives managers
Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) has made its first call for applications from alternatives managers, with a view to backing fund-of-funds across private equity, infrastructure and real estate.
VC-backed real estate start-up gets $11.7m from Mitsui
Mitsui & Co has agreed to invest JPY1.3 billion ($11.7 million) in Renoveru, a VC-backed start-up focused on online services in Japan’s home renovations market.
Japan's Tokio Marine closes Fund V at $466m
Tokio Marine Capital has reached a final close of JPY51.7 billion ($466 million) on its fifth Japan mid-market fund on the back of strong support from domestic LPs, notably regional banks.
Deal focus: GSSG sharpens focus on Japan solar
A turnaround in Japanese government policy on solar power is responsible for a renaissance in the renewables space. GSSG Solar has earmarked its entire corpus of its $120 million second fund for deployment in the country
J-Star acquires Japan pet services company
J-Star has bought Japanese veterinarian services company Fuji Field for an undisclosed sum as part of a pet clinic consolidation strategy.
Japan's IMJ Investment rebrands as Spiral
Japanese GP IMJ Investment Partners has spun out from its corporate parent and changed its name to Spiral Ventures.
Bain makes another partial exit from Japan's Skylark
Bain Capital Private Equity has sold nearly one third of its remaining stake in Japanese restaurant operator Skylark, generating proceeds of JPY34.9 billion ($314 million).
Solar-focused GP invests $120m in Japan projects
GSSG Solar, a US private equity firm focused exclusively on the solar energy sector, has agreed to invest at least $120 million in an expansion of its Japanese portfolio.
Korea to invest $102m in life science start-ups
The South Korean government has pledged to establish a KRW113.5 billion ($102 million) fund to support life science start-ups through related ecosystem and infrastructure investments.
MBK set for a second stint with Japanese jeweler Tasaki
MBK Partners has submitted a JPY31.5 billion ($286 million) buyout offer for Japanese jewelry retailer Tasaki & Co – a Tokyo-listed company it previously backed in 2008 and exited seven years later.
VCs invest $33m in Japan's Dely
Jafco, YJ Capital, and Gumi Ventures have taken part in a JPY3.7 billion ($33 million) funding round for Japanese online food media start-up Dely.
KKR seals second Japan tender offer with $4.5b Calsonic deal
Shareholders in automotive components manufacturer Calsonic Kansei Corporation have accepted a JPY498.3 billion ($4.5 billion) buyout offer from KKR as the GP completed its second tender offer for a Japanese company within a day of concluding the first....