J-Star
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?
J-Star acquires Japan tutoring business
J-Star has purchased the tutoring businesses of Japan’s Alpha Corporation for an undisclosed amount.
Japan fundraising: Middle market momentum
Japan’s buyout space has been thrust into the spotlight following a flurry of fundraising activity by domestic private equity firms. Can the middle market retain its sweet spot status?
J-Star raises $291m for third Japan fund
J-Star has closed its third Japan-focused buyout fund at the hard cap of JPY32.5 billion ($291 million), having launched the vehicle last summer with a target of JPY30 billion.
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 succession deals: The long game
Succession planning opportunities are growing in Japan’s middle market as a generation of founders bend to the will of time and commercial pressure. For GPs seeking buyouts, it is all about who you know
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.
J-Star buys Japan aged care services provider
J-Star will take control of Japanese aged care provider Live Cross through a bolt-on acquisition by the firm’s existing portfolio company Kairos Tokyo.
GPs see traction in Japan's middle market - AVCJ Forum
PE firms are seeing more potential deal flow in Japan’s middle market as the lingering succession planning issues facing local founders intensify, and companies struggle to recruit the talent needed to support growth.
Q&A: J-Star's Gregory Hara
Gregory Hara, CEO and managing partner of J-Star, discusses the global opportunities available for smaller Japanese manufacturers and the importance of setting clear goals for portfolio companies
J-Star completes buyout of Japan's Aisei Pharmacy
J-Star has completed its takeover of Japanese drugstore chain Aisei Pharmacy in a deal valued at JPY11.4 billion ($101 million).
J-Star targets buyout of JASDAQ-listed drugstore chain
J-Star has launched a tender offer for drugstore chain Aisei Pharmacy that values the JASDAQ-listed company at approximately JPY12.7 billion ($112.5 million). This is the private equity firm’s first-ever tender offer.
Japan's J-Star buys nursing care business
J-Star has made another investment intended to leverage Japan’s aging population with the acquisition of Platia, a nursing services business that specializes in caring for people with dementia.
Deal focus: J-Star sees low-voltage potential
Japan-based energy savings solutions provider ESCO is expected to benefit from increased consumer awareness of efficiency issues and a shake-up in the broader utilities space
Japan's J-Star buys energy savings business
Japanese GP J-Star has acquired ESCO, an energy savings solution provider that primarily works with condominium managers, for an undisclosed sum.
J-Star owned medical insurer makes bolt-on acquisition
Nihon Hoken Service (NHS), a Tokyo-based insurance agency and insurance solicitation business bought by J-Star earlier this year, has completed the bolt-on acquisition of industry peer Sokisha Corporation.
Banks and deal-sourcing: Information arbitrage
Japan’s banks do not have the power that they once did to source deals, but they are far from irrelevant. GPs say these institutions still have a role to play, though their advice must be considered carefully
J-Star backs Japan medical insurer
Japanese mid-market GP J-Star has invested an undisclosed sum in Nihon Hoken Service (NHS), a Tokyo-based insurance agency and insurance solicitation business.
Portfolio: J-Star and Primagest
Primagest is a long-standing leader in Japan's document-scanning industry, but it faces challenges in terms of a transition in leadership and staying relevant as technology evolves. J-Star is providing support
The crystal ball: Predictions for 2015
From China and India to Southeast Asia and Japan, private equity professionals give their perspectives on the year to come for fundraising, investments and exits
J-Star in hospice care double deal
Not for the first time, J-Star planted the seeds of its latest investment while in pursuit of another deal.
Japan's J-Star buys two healthcare providers
Japanese mid-market buyout firm J-Star has acquired two new care providers - Nagoya-headquartered Nurse Call and Kanagawa-based Kairos & Company - within weeks of its 5x exit from similar business HCM Corporation.