North Asia
Deal focus: Mitsui makes medical inroads
Having lost out to KKR when bidding for Panasonic Healthcare two years ago, Mitsui & Co. seized upon a second chance to get involved and offer the company access to its global network of medical assets
KKR to make $4.5b tender offer for Japanese auto parts manufacturer
KKR has agreed to buy Nissan Motor’s 41% holding in Japanese automotive components supplier Calsonic Kansei Corporation and launch a tender offer to acquire the company in full at a valuation of JPY498.3 billion ($4.5 billion).
Japan's LifeRobotics raises $9m Series B round
Japanese industrial robotics developer LifeRobotics has raised a JPY1 billion ($9 million) Series B round led by Global Brain.
Whiz Partners invests $22m in Japanese IT developer
Japan-based private equity firm Whiz Partners has agreed to invest JPY2.4 billion ($22 million) in Tokyo-listed software and marketing products developer Albert.
KKR sells stake in Japan's Panasonic Healthcare to Mitsui
KKR has sold a 22% stake in Panasonic Healthcare, a Japanese medical equipment manufacturer in which it acquired a majority interest in 2014, to Mitsui & Co. for JPY54.1 billion ($510 million).
Deal focus: Treasure Data helps businesses reach the cloud
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan ventured outside its domestic comfort zone to support Treasure Data, and thereby help Japanese corporates get to grips with big data
Japan's Seven Dreamers receives $60m Series B round
Seven Dreamers Laboratories, a Japan-based manufacturer of personal-use devices, has raised a $60 million Series B round of funding from Panasonic, SBI Investment and construction company Daiwa House Industry.
GPs see the Asia risk premium narrowing - AVCJ Forum
Private equity investors still expect a risk premium in Asia, although given uncertainty in Western markets and the relative stability in Asia’s more mature economies, it is debatable how long the status quo will last, industry participants told the AVCJ...
Macquarie Capital invests $10m in Korea's Yello Mobile
Korean mobile internet platform Yello Mobile has issued $10 million in convertible bonds to Macquarie Capital. The investment values the business at approximately $4 billion.
IMM-backed consortium pays $2.1b for stake in Korea's Woori Bank
IMM Private Equity is one of seven investors that have acquired a combined 29.7% stake in Woori Bank, a Korean lender that has been under government control since 2001, for KRW2.4 trillion ($2.1 billion).
Asia's LP landscape
Asia is increasingly a target for private equity firms on the fundraising trail, but the region’s LP base can be difficult to penetrate, with huge variations in size, appetite and sophistication
Japan's Future Venture Capital expands into US
Tokyo-listed VC firm Future Venture Capital (FVC) has entered the US market, establishing a presence in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Q&A: Japan Post Bank's Tokihiko Shimizu
Japan Post Bank, which has $2 trillion in assets, launched its alternatives division earlier this year. Tokihiko Shimizu, head of private markets investment, discusses where and how the group is likely to invest
Japan's Monstar Lab gets $2.4m round
Monstar Lab, a Japan-based company specializing in global outsourcing services for IT companies, has raised JPY250 million ($2.4 million) from investors including Resona Capital.
Japan's INCJ invests $10m in Treasure Data
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has invested $10 million in Treasure Data, a Silicon Valley-based big data start-up founded by two Japanese entrepreneurs.
New Horizon pursues legal action over Japan's Sagami
Japanese GP New Horizon Capital has initiated legal action against Sagami, a domestic clothing retailer which it had targeted for acquisition. It claims the company accepted a weaker offer from rival PE bidder Aspirant Group.
Deal focus: J-Star helps Asiro bring law online
Asiro came into being as a means of addressing the demand-supply imbalance in Japan's legal services industry. New owner J-Star will help the company expand its platform
J-Star owned insurer makes bolt-on acquisition
J-Star will take control of Japanese insurance provider Hunel FEA through a bolt-on acquisition by existing portfolio company Nihon Hoken Service.
J-Star acquires Japan's Asiro
J-Star has acquired Japan’s Asiro, an online marketing platform provider for lawyers, for an undisclosed sum.
Acushnet gains on debut after lowering IPO price
Korea's PE-backed Acushnet Holdings, which owns the Titleist and FootJoy golf brands, saw its shares jump 5.9% in the first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange following a smaller-than-expected $328.7 million IPO.
STIC raises $530m for Korea special situations fund
STIC Investments has raised $530 million for a special situations fund that will target restructuring opportunities involving South Korean conglomerates.
Japanese strategic buys Mactac from Platinum Equity
Japanese adhesives producer Lintec Corporation has agreed to buy US-headquartered labels manufacturer Mactac from Platinum Equity for $375 million.
Corporate carve-outs: Who's selling?
Certain markets in Asia represent a target-rich environment for corporate carve-outs, but private equity firms must be patient in waiting for deals to emerge
Partners For Growth commits $15m to Yello Mobile's marketing unit
Yello Digital Marketing (YDM), the digital marketing unit of South Korean mobile internet company Yello Mobile, has received $15 million in funding from Partners For Growth (PFG), the PE arm of SVB Financial Group.