Japan
AVCJ Awards 2017: Exit of the Year - Large Cap: Universal Studios Japan
Goldman Sachs, MBK Partners, Owl Creek Asset Management and PAG Asia Capital have profited handsomely from their efforts to bring more families to Universal Studios Japan
AVCJ Awards 2017: Exit of the Year - Mid Cap: Riraku
Over the course of four years, Advantage Partners doubled Japanese massage chain operator Riraku’s store count and tripled EBITDA. A 12x money multiple on exit was its reward
Carlyle sells Japan's AvanStrate to Vedanta Resources
Vedanta Resources, a metals and mining company founded in India and now headquartered in London, has agreed to assume control of Japanese LCD glass manufacturer AvanStrate from The Carlyle Group.
AVCJ Awards 2017: Firm of the Year & Fundraising of the Year - Large Cap: KKR
From raising the largest pan-regional fund ever seen in Asia to concluding Japan’s biggest PE buyout, KKR has enjoyed an eventful 12 months
J-Star buys Japan restaurant business
J-Star has acquired Japanese restaurant operator Echigoya with a view to accelerating a domestic franchising strategy.
MBK completes tender offer for Japan's Kuroda Electric
MBK Partners has completed its tender offer for Japanese electronic components manufacturer Kuroda Electric, having received support from more than 50% of shareholders for the JPY102 billion ($895 million) deal.
Japan's J-Star completes final exit from debut fund
J-Star has exited the last portfolio company in its debut fund, selling Taiheiyo Seiki Holding – a manufacturer of parts for construction machinery – to a subsidiary of Takitai Group for around $28 million.
The crystal ball: Predictions for 2018
From China to Australia and secondaries to venture debt, industry participants share their perspectives on the year to come for fundraising, investments and exits
Rakuten, Techstars launch Singapore accelerator
Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten has launched a Singapore-based accelerator program in conjunction with Techstars. It is Techstars’ first program in an Asian city.
Japanese start-up gets $90m for space trips
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has joined a $90.2 million round for Japanese lunar exploration company iSpace. It is said to be the largest Series A raised in the country to date.
2017 in review: Peak of the cycle?
Large-cap buyouts take private equity investment to record high; KKR leads the way in fundraising, but renminbi vehicles still distort the market; IPOs flourish amid global public markets boom
Western Digital drops challenge to Bain consortium's Toshiba deal
Western Digital Corporation has dropped its legal challenge to the acquisition of Toshiba Memory Corporation (TMC), the Nand flash memory unit of Toshiba Corporation, by Bain Capital Private Equity-led consortium.
Deal focus: GPs smile at emotive robots
Kaname Hayashi, development leader of SoftBank's Pepper, is working on his own line of emotive robots. Few details have been disclosed but investors were happy enough to commit $57 million in funding
Japanese online media player Candee gets $21.6m round
Eight Roads Japan has led a JPY2.45 billion ($21.6 million) funding round Tokyo-based online media start-up Candee.
KKR completes tender offer for Japan's Hitachi Kokusai
KKR has completed its tender offer for Japanese high-tech manufacturer Hitachi Kokusai Electric, having surpassed the 24.1% shareholder support required for the JPY322 billion ($2.9 billion) deal to proceed.
Bain completes tender offer for Japan's ADK
Bain Capital Private Equity has completed its tender offer for Japanese advertising agency Asatsu-DK (ADK), acquiring a majority stake in a deal that values the company at JPY153 billion ($1.3 billion).
Fund focus: Eight Roads fund targets Japan tech
Eight Roads Ventures has $223 million to deploy in Japan, with robotics, inbound tourism and healthcare all high on its agenda
AVCJ at 30: Part Four - Buyouts Across the Region
Joseph Skrzynski of CHAMP Private Equity, Peter Wiggs of Archer Capital, Tim Sims of Pacific Equity Partners, and Richard Folsom of Advantage Partners on the development of buyouts in Australia and Japan
Japan household robot maker secures $57m round
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) and Tokyo-based asset manager Sparx Group have agreed to invest at least JPY6.4 billion ($57 million) in household robot maker Groove X.
Bain to make full exit from Japan's Bellsystem24
Bain Capital Private Equity has agreed to make a full exit from Japan-based call center business Bellsystem24 by selling its remaining 14.43% stake to domestic printing company Toppan Printing.
Eight Roads launches $223m Japan fund
Eight Roads Ventures, the proprietary investment arm of Fidelity International, has launched its second dedicated Japan fund with a corpus of JPY25 billion ($223 million). The firm’s parent committed all of the capital.
KKR improves offer for Japan's Hitachi Kokusai a second time
KKR has increased its tender offer for Japanese high-tech manufacturer Hitachi Kokusai Electric for a second time, valuing the company at approximately JPY322 billion ($2.9 billion), up from JPY298 billion.
Japan-China e-commerce business gets $68m Series C
Inagora, a VC-backed e-commerce platform that supplies Japanese products to Chinese consumers, has received $68 million in Series C funding from Itochu Corp, KDDI Corporation, and SBI Holdings.
Bain to complete exit from Japan's Skylark
Bain Capital Private Equity will divest its remaining 15% stake in Japanese restaurant operator Skylark, completing a gradual sale of the business it acquired in 2011 and took public three years later.