North Asia
Globis, Gree invest in Japan crowd-sourced editing platform
Globis Capital Partners and Gree Ventures have together invested JPY300 million ($2.9 million) in Viibar, the Japanese start-up behind the video production-focused crowd sourcing platform of the same name.
JIP in talks to buy Sony's PC business – report
Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) is said to be in talks with Sony Corp. over the tech conglomerate’s loss-making personal computer division. It would be one of the country’s highest-profile corporate divestments and part of a business reorientation strategy...
Equis, Partners Group bet on Japanese solar
Japan's rapid embrace of renewable energy in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster has alerted PE investors. In the last 12 months, Macquarie Capital and local engineering firm Maeda Corp. launched a joint venture that will target infrastructure...
LP interview: Axiom Asia
Axiom Asia has followed a consistent approach in backing small to mid-market country funds in the Asia Pacific region. Chihtsung Lam, the firm’s co-founder and managing partner, explains the strategy
Equis, Partners Group invest $250m in Japan solar platform
Equis Funds Group and Partners Group have led a $250 million equity investment in a dedicated Japanese solar platform to be operated by Nippon Renewable Energy (NRE). For both groups, it represents a first foray into Japanese infrastructure and a solar...
Japan's Venture United raises $11m fund
Venture United - the corporate investment arm of Japanese media group United - has raised a new JPY1.26 billion yen ($11 million) fund focusing on internet-related start-ups.
CyberAgent Ventures backs Japan language learning site
CyberAgent Ventures, the corporate VC arm of the company behind Japanese blogging site Ameba, has invested an undisclosed amount in language learning platform Lang-8.
Partners Group, Mizuho target Japanese pension funds
Partners Group has reached a deal with Mizuho Financial Group (MFG) to jointly develop and distribute global private equity and infrastructure products to Japanese pension schemes.
Japanese VCs invest $4m in social retail app developer
Mitsubishi UFJ Capital and DBJ Capital have joined existing investors DCM Japan, Itochu Technology Ventures and Jafco Ventures, in a JPY400 million ($3.8 million) round of funding for Tokyo-based Tab, the start-up behind the location-based retail recommendation...
Profile: Globis Capital Partners' Yoshito Hori
From bust to boom, Yoshito Hori, CEO and founder of Globis Capital Management, has spent 20 years investing in Japanese VC - a story that is as much about education as it is capital
KKR, Affinity in Asia's largest-ever trade sale
Anheuser-Busch InBev's $5.8 billion buyback of South Korea's Oriental Brewery from KKR and Affinity Equity Partners is best viewed in the context of extenuating circumstances in which the original investment was made in July 2009.
Japan Industrial Partners eyes $666m Biglobe deal - report
Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) could acquire Biglobe, Japan's fourth-largest internet service provider (ISP) by number of customers, from IT giant NEC in a deal worth JPY70 billion ($666 million).
Tokio Marine invests $9.5m in furniture maker Asplund
Tokio Marine Capital has acquired a majority stake in Japanese furniture maker Asplund for around JPY1 billion ($9.5 million).
Japanese VCs invest $1.5m in ad platform Logly
Voyage Ventures, Mizuho Capital, SMBC Venture Capital and strategic investor CA Mobile have together invested JPY120 million ($1.15 million) in Logly, a Japan-based start-up running an internet ad platform.
SC Lowy, Yuil PE buy Korea's Shinmin Mutual Savings Bank
Hong Kong-based investing and trading firm SC Lowy has teamed up with a South Korean private equity fund known as Yuil PE to buy Shinmin Savings Bank. The institution’s name will change to Choeun Mutual Savings Bank.
KKR, Affinity exit Oriental Brewery to AB InBev for $5.8b
KKR and Affinity Equity Partners have agreed to sell South Korea’s Oriental Brewery to Anheuser-Busch InBev for $5.8 billion. The money multiple is more than 5x, sources close to the deal said.
Tyco shortlists PE firms for Korean unit - report
KKR, Bain Capital, IMM Private Equity and The Carlyle Group are reportedly among those shortlisted by US security specialist Tyco International as potential buyers for its South Korean unit - ADT Caps - in deal worth as much as $1.4 billion.
Wakabayashi Fund invests in MIT Holding
Wakabayashi Fund, a private equity firm based in Tokyo and New York, has invested in US healthcare firm MIT Holdings. The financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
PE investors rue lost Japan carve-out opportunities
The lack of corporate carve-outs relative to the size of the opportunity in the space has been among the biggest disappointments for Japanese private equity, investors say.
Cerberus set for exit as Japan's Seibu agrees to Tokyo listing
Seibu Holdings, the Japanese conglomerate that had a bitter falling out with leading shareholder Cerberus Capital Management over a planned IPO three years ago, is finally expected to list in Tokyo in the first half of 2014.
IMM to support T-Broad in cable TV battle
Thanks to the rapid emergence of internet protocol TV (IPTV), South Korea’s cable TV operators are expected to broadcast across the country regardless of regulatory hurdles.
Big brother: Japan's government LPs
The government is becoming an increasingly significant LP in Japanese private equity funds. Smaller GPs can’t live without it but there are wider concerns about sustainability and long-term economic impact
Japan and India to launch joint investment fund
Japan and India are to launch a joint investment fund to help finance Japanese companies operating in India.
Korea sovereign fund's CIO resigns
Dong-Ik Lee, the CIO of Korea Investment Corporation (KIC), has resigned. This comes less than three months after Chong-Suk Choi, president and CEO of the sovereign wealth fund, resigned for personal reasons.