Japan
Toshiba agrees $18b sale of chip unit to Bain consortium
Japanese conglomerate Toshiba Corporation has reached a final agreement to sell its Nand flash memory unit to a consortium led by Bain Capital for JPY2 trillion ($17.8 billion).
Japan's Mizuho launches $250m ASEAN fund
Japan’s Mizuho Bank has launched a private equity fund focused on middle-market companies in the ASEAN region with a target corpus of $250 million.
Toshiba, Bain sign MOU for chip unit - update
Japanese conglomerate Toshiba has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Bain Capital regarding the sale of its Nand flash memory unit to a consortium led by the PE firm.
Japan's Infostellar receives $7.3m Series A
Infostellar, a Japanese company developing cloud-based satellite communication technology, has closed a $7.3 million Series A funding round led by US-based Airbus Ventures.
Japan's J-Star exits pet services business
J-Star has made a full exit from Japanese pet services business Three Arrows to domestic GP Création Capital, its co-investor on the original deal.
Carlyle set for partial exit from Japan's Tsubaki Nakashima
The Carlyle Group has agreed to reduce its stake in Japan-listed manufacturing industry equipment supplier Tsubaki Nakashima from about 47% to 2.4%.
Jafco leads $14.8m investment in Japan's Tech Bureau
Tech Bureau, a Japan-based cryptocurrency exchange platform operator, has received JPY1.6 billion ($14.8 million) in Series B funding led by domestic venture capital firm Jafco.
GP-LP: Dangerous liaisons
A diverging supply-demand dynamic in private equity fundraising is threatening the GP-LP alignment of interest. Concessions on both sides are needed in the interests of long-term stability
J-Star buys Japanese consumer brand Sun Smile
J-Star has acquired Sun Smile, a Japanese manufacturer of consumer products aimed at young women.
Blackstone hires ex-JP Morgan banker as Japan chairman
The Blackstone Group has appointed Katsuyuki Kuki, who previously spent nine years as an investment banker with J.P. Morgan, as its chairman and representative director for Japan.
SoftBank Group, Vision Fund invest $4.4b in WeWork
US-based co-working space operator WeWork has received commitments totaling $4.4 billion from Japan’s SoftBank Group and its SoftBank Vision Fund.
Partners Group appoints Japan head
Partners Group has appointed Shunsuke Tanahashi (pictured) as head of the private equity firm’s Japanese business.
Jafco backs Japan blockchain-IoT start-up
Nayuta, a Japanese start-up focused on combining internet-of-things (IoT) and blockchain technologies, has received a JPY140 million ($1.3 million) funding round led by Jafco.
VCs invest $6.4m in Japan's Monstar Lab
A group of venture capital investors including YJ Capital and Fenox Venture Capital has led a JPY700 million ($6.4 million) funding round for Japanese global outsourcing service developer Monstar Lab.
Token sales: Cryptic beginnings
The sale of digitized contracts known as tokens has become a dominating force in early-stage start-up funding. Venture capitalists are beginning to cautiously participate as the phenomenon matures
VCs commit $9m to Japan blockchain platform
Nippon Technology Venture Partners, Fisco Capital, and ABBALab have committed $9 million to Japanese cryptocurrency platform Tech Bureau.
CLSA-backed BC Ings makes Japan education bolt-on
BC Ings, a Japanese cram school operator owned by CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP), has acquired local counterpart Akasaka Gakuin.
INCJ joins $4.3m round for Japan AI player
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) and Bank of Kochi have agreed to jointly invest JPY470 million ($4.3 million) in Japanese artificial intelligence (AI) technology developer Nextremer.
China’s GSR to acquire Nissan’s electric battery business
Japan’s Nissan Motor has agreed to sell its electric battery operations and production facilities to Chinese private equity firm GSR Capital. Financial terms were not disclosed.
VCs back Asia expansion by Japan's Sansan
Japanese cloud-based professional services company Sansan has received a fresh round of expansion funding from Mirai Creation Investment and existing backers DCM and Salesforce Ventures.
Japan's KDDI to acquire VC-backed Soracom
Soracom, a Japanese internet of things (IoT) communications platform that has several VC backers, will be acquired by domestic telecom operator KDDI Corporation.
Q&A: Permira's Alex Emery
Alex Emery, head of Asia at Permira, on global funds versus regional funds, escalations in dry powder and deal size, and how to lay the ground for when the current bull run inevitably comes to an end
Japan VC: Culture club
The Cool Japan policy aims to internationalize a large but lagging economy beyond its manufacturing roots. Venture capital will be the key to reimagining unique overlaps of culture and technology
Secondary buyouts: Peer to peer
Maligned by some investors, sponsor-to-sponsor deals are gradually becoming more prevalent in Asia as the private equity industry matures. What is the early verdict?