Japan
Ant Capital targets $253m buyout of Japan's Softbrain
Ant Capital Partners has launched a tender offer for Softbrain, a Japanese sales and marketing software developer, that values the business at approximately JPY26.9 billion ($253.1 million).
Airbus Ventures sets up Japan office
Airbus Ventures, the US-based VC unit of European aeronautics giant Airbus, has set up an office in Japan and received investment from a number of Japanese investors for its third fund.
Japan's ACA exits aged care business
Tokyo-listed healthcare provider Solasto will acquire 100% of Japan Elderly Care Service for JPY2.3 billion ($22 million), providing an exit for local private equity firm ACA Investments.
Globis joins $32.6m round for Japan's Photosynth
Globis Capital Partners has joined a JPY3.5 billion ($32.6 million) Series C round for Photosynth, a Japanese internet-of-things (IoT) developer specializing in smart locks for office buildings.
Bain sweetens offer for Japan's Nichii Gakkan
Bain Capital has increased its offer price for Tokyo-listed aged care provider Nichii Gakkan – after a Hong Kong hedge fund criticized the board for not doing enough to protect the interests of minority shareholders – valuing the business at JPY122 billion...
Advantage shuffles team for succession, strategic reasons
Advantage Partners has appointed Shinichiro Kita as head of its Japan buyout team as part of succession planning within the Japanese firm. The change also ties into efforts to create more synergies between the buyout operation and an expanded public markets...
Asia online gaming: Game on
Videogaming has outgrown entertainment and media to become a sector unto itself, with new angles for exposure multiplying rapidly. E-sports is an area to watch
Deal focus: J-Star maneuvers Japan's restaurant lull
J-Star's acquisition of Pepper Lunch is driven by a willingness to look past COVID-19 dislocations and focus on the long-term fundamentals of the fast-casual dining space in Japan
DCM raises $880m for early-stage funds
DCM Ventures has raised $880 million across two funds that will continue its early-stage technology strategy, with 70% of the capital earmarked for deployment in China.
Corporate VC in Asia: Moment of truth
Cutting non-core operations is the standard corporate response to an economic downturn. Companies in Asia must decide whether the long-term benefits of exposure to new technologies outweighs short-term pain
Japan's J-Star acquires Pepper Lunch
Japanese private equity firm J-Star has acquired regional restaurant chain Pepper Lunch for an undisclosed sum.
MBK-owned Accordia Golf to buy courses from Singapore trust
Japan’s Accordia Golf, which was acquired by MBK Partners in 2017, has agreed a S$804.1 million ($577 million) privatization of a Singapore-listed trust it established six years ago as the holding entity for 88 golf courses.
CLSA acquires Japan household jobs marketplace
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has acquired Assist, a Japanese marketplace that facilitates sourcing helpers for daily household jobs.
Japan Industrial Partners to buy Olympus' imaging division
Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) has agreed to acquire Olympus Corporation’s camera and lens business, which has posted losses in each of the last three years.
Fund focus: Beenext targets a world beyond the mirrors
Beenext Capital Management has expanded its LP base while maintaining fund size discipline. This is born of a philosophy that capacity for cross-pollination is more important than capacity for deployment
Toshiba seeks exit from PE-controlled flash memory business
Toshiba is exploring ways to fully exit its 40.2% stake in Kioxia Holdings, two years after selling control of the Japanese flash memory division to a Bain Capital-led consortium for an enterprise valuation of JPY2 trillion ($18.7 billion).
Corporate carve-outs: Seller's dilemma
Private equity investors expect to see more divestments by Asian conglomerates, but a torrent of new deals is unlikely. Much rests on when the seller is confident enough to pull the trigger
Carlyle adds managing director in Japan
Reiji Terasaka has rejoined The Carlyle Group as a managing director with the Japan team after a seven-year stint in various corporate roles in Japan and the US.
Japan agtech player raises $7m Series A
Japan’s Beyond Next Ventures has led a JPY800 billion ($7.4 million) Series A round for local cell-based agricultural technology specialist IntegriCulture.
KKR, Japanese banks pump $1.2b into Marelli
Marelli, a leading global automotive components supplier formed when KKR combined Japan’s Calsonic Kansei Corporation with Europe-based Magneti Marelli, has secured JPY130 billion ($1.2 billion) in additional funding to ride out a market downturn.
Mitsubishi UFJ invests Japan vegetarian meat player
Mitsubishi UFJ Capital has joined a Series A round for Japanese plant-based meat producer Daiz that brings the company’s total funding to JPY1.2 billion ($11.2 million).
Japan carve-outs: Profit from the core
Private equity firms hoping for a coronavirus-driven uptick on Japanese corporate carve-outs must be patient – and come armed with considered value creation plans when the time arrives
Advantage completes exit from Japan's FMI
Advantage Partners has completed its exit from Japanese kitchenware products manufacturer FMI Corporation to Toho Group, a Tokyo-listed food wholesaler that bought a majority stake in the business two years ago.
MBK closes Fund V at $6.5b hard cap
MBK Partners has closed its fifth North Asia-focused fund at the hard cap of $6.5 billion. It is the joint third-largest PE vehicle raised for deployment across the region and MBK has become the seventh manager to cross the $6 billion threshold.