Japan
CLSA Capital buys Japanese real estate services platform
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has acquired House Partner Holdings, a real estate services provider focusing on apartment rental agencies in the Greater Tokyo area.
Japan hotel-booking start-up raises $6.3m
Metro Engines, a Tokyo-based start-up that provides pricing tools for online hotel booking sites, has raised JPY700 million ($6.3 million) from a group of Japanese venture capital and strategic investors.
CLSA buys Japan beauty salon chain
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has agreed to acquire 100% of Japanese beauty salon operator Puzzle for an undisclosed sum via a bolt-on with industry counterpart Agu Group.
J-Star acquires Japan auto parts company
Japan’s J-Star has acquired a controlling stake in domestic auto parts remanufacturing company Honest for an undisclosed sum.
Visa joins Series C for Japan fintech player Paidy
Visa has committed an undisclosed amount to a Series C funding round for Paidy, a Japanese financial technology company with several VC and corporate backers.
Autonomous vehicles: Driving ambition
Asia’s driverless car space has become an increasingly popular investment destination in recent years, but a number of significant challenges must be resolved for the sector to gain widespread social acceptance
Advantage exits Japan's Fasford to Fuji
Advantage Partners has agreed to sell Japan-based Fasford Technology – a semiconductor components supplier it carved out from Hitachi three years ago – to Fuji Corporation.
Japan's Line launches $10m token fund in Korea
Japan’s Line Corporation has set up a $10 million fund via a Korean subsidiary that will make token investments in early-stage blockchain start-ups.
Q&A: GLP's Yoshiyuki Chosa
Warehouse operator GLP is betting heavily on technology as it builds out capacity in the Tokyo region. Yoshiyuki Chosa, president of the company’s Japan unit, sketches a difficult but rewarding logistics market
Tokio Marine agrees $163m sale of Japan's Izumi
Tokio Marine Capital has agreed to sell Izumi Products, a Japanese manufacturer of electric tools and home appliances, to Maxell Holdings and Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) for JPY18.2 billion ($163.5 million).
NSSK acquires Japanese hotel operator
Japanese private equity firm NSSK has acquired hospitality business Hotel Castle Inn Group for an undisclosed sum.
Longreach to buy majority stake in Japan's Fujitsu Component
The Longreach Group has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Fujitsu Component from its parent company and will launch a tender offer to buy the business outright at a valuation of JPY13.7 billion ($123.6 million).
TPG, ADIA back acquisition of agrochemicals producer Arysta
TPG Capital and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) have teamed up with India-listed UPL Corporation on a $4.2 billion acquisition of Arysta LifeScience, an agricultural chemicals manufacturer that originated in Japan.
Itochu leads $55m Series C for Japan's Paidy
Itochu Corporation has led a $55 million Series C funding round for Japanese financial technology company Paidy.
Yahoo acquires Japan's VC-backed Dely
Yahoo Japan has acquired Dely, the VC-backed Japanese start-up that operates online recipe-sharing service Kurashiru.
Trans Pacific Partnership: A rising tide
When the US withdrew from the Trans Pacific Partnership, the remaining participants decided to go it alone. Hopes are high that the deal will result in improved business environments across Southeast Asia
Jafco leads $11m round for Japan, US-based Trillium
Jafco has led an $11 million funding round for Trillium, a cybersecurity company focused on the autonomous vehicle industry based in Japan and the US.
Pantheon opens Tokyo office to service Japanese LPs
Pantheon has opened an office in Tokyo, having won separate account mandates from the likes of Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF).
Nissan terminates sale of battery business to China's GSR Capital
Nissan Motor has abandoned plans to sell its electric battery operations and production facilities to GSR Capital because the Chinese private equity firm didn’t have sufficient funds to complete the transaction.
Hideyuki Inokuma to retire from Advantage Partners
Hideyuki Inokuma, who as chief administrative officer at Advantage Partners is responsible for investor relations as well as middle and back-office functions, is to retire from the Japan-based firm.
Advantage buys China restaurants from Papa John’s
Advantage Partners has acquired 34 restaurants in Beijing and Tianjin from Papa John’s International. The investment is being made through the Japanese private equity firm’s $380 million debut Asia fund, which closed in May.
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
VCs invest $8m in Singapore's Umitron
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan and D4V, a Japanese seed-stage investor set up by Genuine Startups and US design consultancy Ideo, have joined a S$11.2 million ($8.2 million) investment in Singaporean agricultural technology company Umitron.
World Innovation Lab raises $521m for US-Japan fund
World Innovation Lab (WiL) has raised $521 million for a US-Japan venture capital fund.