Japan Post Bank
Asia’s LP landscape: North to south
Pools of institutional – and less institutional – capital in Asia are deepening, but it remains a multi-speed market with some investors just beginning their alternatives journey and others achieving maturity
Japan Post Bank sees sharp increase in PE exposure
Japan Post Bank’s (JPB) private equity funds exposure increased 75% to JPY 5.6trn (USD 40.4bn) in the most recent financial year, which it said was largely driven by a change in accounting standards.
Japan's Baseconnect gets $41m Series B
Japanese corporate contact and recruitment database provider Baseconnect has raised a JPY 5.4bn (USD 41m) Series B round led by Z Venture Capital (ZVC), formerly YJ Capital.
Investors see 2022 as a 'turning point' in GP-LP relations - AVCJ Forum
The private equity industry has undergone a profound shift as under-allocations have become over-allocations, fundraising and deployment have slowed, and the dynamic between GP and LPs has changed, the AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Forum heard.
Japanese LPs: Expectation vs reality
Japan’s LP community is an alluring target for global private equity managers, even as currency depreciation and a cultural aversion to risk remain obstacles in the short and long term
Japanese LPs rue shorter fundraising cycles, currency depreciation - AVCJ Forum
Managers coming back to market more frequently and a depreciating yen are playing havoc with LP allocations to private equity, institutional investors told the AVCJ Japan Forum.
Japan mobile banking player Kyash gets $41m Series C
Altos Ventures, Goodwater Capital, Greyhound Capital, and StepStone Group are part of an investor group that has committed JPY 4.9bn (USD 41m) in Series D funding to Tokyo-based mobile banking start-up Kyash.
Investors emphasize GP-LP alignment - AVCJ Forum
Eroding the alignment of interest between GP and LP – by tweaking the partnership structure, a manager overstretching to pursue multiple strategies, or conflicts emerging over secondaries – could harm returns at a time when valuations are already...
EQT recruits Japan private equity head from JPIC
EQT has hired Tetsuro Onitsuka, formerly of Japan Post Investment Corporation (JPIC) and TPG Capital, as head of Japan private equity as it continues to build out a local presence in the country.
Japan microsatellite developer gets $24m Series C
Japanese microsatellite developer Axelspace has raised JPY2.6 billion ($24 million) in Series C funding from a group of domestic VCs, including Sparx Group.
Japanese LPs stress importance of consistent deployment - AVCJ Forum
Institutional investors must maintain a reasonable pace of deployment in alternatives despite the coronavirus pandemic fostering economic uncertainty and hindering efforts to perform due diligence on managers, the AVCJ Japan Virtual Forum heard.
Japan Post Capital joins $26m round for Singapore’s AnyMind
Japan Post Capital and Sparx Group have provided $26.4 million in funding to AnyMind, a Singapore-based marketing technology start-up focused on entertainment.
Japan's SmartNews secures $92m Series E
Japan-based news app SmartNews has closed its Series E round at $92 million with contributions from Japan Post Capital and Globis Capital Partners.
Globis, WiL, Japan Post back Series B for AI Medical
AI Medical Service, a Japanese healthcare technology start-up working on what it claims is the world’s first artificial intelligence-enabled endoscopic diagnosis system, has raised JPY4.6 billion ($43 million) in Series B funding.
Japan's JPIC backs $33m round for Atonarp
Japan Post Investment Corporation (JPIC) has backed a $33 million Series C round for Atonarp, a Tokyo-based molecular diagnostics systems developer that uses artificial intelligence (AI).
Japan Post Capital leads $29m Series E for SmartNews
Tokyo-based news app operator SmartNews is said to have achieved unicorn status following a JPY3.1 billion ($29.2 million) Series E round led by Japan Post Capital.
Global GPs and Japanese LPs: Stirring the pot
As Japanese institutional investors seek to initiate or change up their private equity programs, GPs looking to build long-term relationships in the country must find the right way to engage
Japan Post Capital leads $26m Series E for Sansan
Japan Post Capital has led a JPY3 billion ($26.4 million) Series E round for Sansan, a Tokyo-based company that applies cloud technology to business card management services.
Japan Post backs $94m round for US-based Cloudian
Japan Post Investment Corporation (JPIC), a direct investment unit launched by Japan Post Bank and Japan Post Insurance earlier this year, has joined a $94 million round for Japan-founded and US-based data company Cloudian.
Japan VC: Acorns to oaks
Japan Post Investment Corporation seeks to fill the late-stage investment gap in Japan's venture capital market that local VC investors lack the capacity to address
GPs require comprehensive responses to technology - AVCJ Forum
Private equity firms looking to future-proof their portfolios and enable companies to take advantage of technological change must be prepared to make significant alterations to their investment approach, industry participants told the AVCJ Japan Forum.
Japanese LPs emphasize portfolio diversification - AVCJ Forum
Diversification – by vintage, geography, and strategy – is the priority for Japan’s largest institutional investors as they develop their private equity programs, but they accept that portfolio-building can be challenging.
Japanese LPs: Stirring giants
Japan’s LP landscape is in a state of flux as several large-scale investors ramp up their alternatives programs. The industry must prepare itself, in terms of personnel, structures, and expectations
Japanese LPs: The long walk
PE firms have been trying to open up the Japanese LP market for years. Now that local institutions are showing a greater appetite for alternatives, it is unclear who will manage their investment programs