Japan
Japan PE acquires plastics manufacturer, elderly care business
Mid-market GP Japan Private Equity has acquired plastics manufacturer Sekisui Chemicals and care home services business Healthy Service via its third buyout fund.
Japanese crowdsourcing platform gets $8.5m from VCs
Lancers, a Japanese crowdsourcing platform, has raised JPY1 billion ($8.5 million) from six VC and strategic investors, including Gree Ventures, Globis Capital Partners and GMO Venture Partners.
TPG to exit stake in Japanese toy maker
TPG will exit Japanese toymaker Tomy through a buyback by the company. Tomy has agreed to acquire the private equity firm’s entire equity holding and also redeem its convertible bond holdings.
CVC invests $150m in Marubeni's Japan broadband business
CVC Capital Partners has acquired a 50% stake in enterprise-focused Japanese telecommunications carrier Arteria Networks - a unit of Japanese conglomerate Marubeni - for $150 million.
Nippon Life raises stake in India's Reliance Capital
Japanese insurer Nippon Life has agreed to increase its stake in India's Reliance Capital Asset Management and could end up owning 49% of the company.
Fidelity, Arbour lead $8.5m round for Japan fin-tech start-up
Japanese finance technology start-up Accounting SaaS Japan (ASJ) has secured a JPY1 billion ($8.5 million) Series B round of funding from Fidelity Growth Partners Japan, Arbor Ventures and iMercury Capital.
Rakuten leads $10m Series A for Singapore’s PocketMath
Rakuten Ventures, a corporate VC arm of Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten, has led a $10 million Series A round for PocketMath, a Singapore-based mobile advertising platform.
Blackstone acquires GE's Japan real estate business
The Blackstone Group has bought General Electric's (GE) residential real estate business in Japan for JPY190 billion.
Japan VC-backed internet firm Kayac files for IPO
Kayac, a Japanese internet company backed by Globis Capital Partners and CyberAgent, has filed for its IPO on the Mothers (market of the high-growth and emerging stocks) section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE).
Japan's GPIF names Hiro Mizuno CIO
Coller Capital partner Hiro Mizuno has been named CIO of Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF). His appointment comes as the fund prepares to boost its exposure to alternative assets.
JIP sells Japanese phone retailer ITX for $433m
Japanese electronics retailer Nojima has agreed to acquire a 100% stake in mobile phone retailer ITX from Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) for JPY51.3 billion ($433 million).
Jafco invests $1.2m in Japan's Interactive Solutions
Jafco Ventures has invested JPY150 million ($1.2 million) in Interactive Solutions, the Tokyo-based start-up behind enterprise marketing and productivity app Interactive-Pro.
J-Star in hospice care double deal
Not for the first time, J-Star planted the seeds of its latest investment while in pursuit of another deal.
VC-backed Japanese gaming start-up files for Tokyo IPO
Gumi, the VC-backed Japanese game developer, has filed for its Tokyo IPO, which could value the company at JPY100 billion ($900 million).
CITIC Capital exits Japan's Higashiyama Film to Otsuka Chemicals
CITIC Capital Partners has exited Japan's Higashiyama Film, a maker of coated films for touch screens and flat panel displays, to Otsuka Chemical.
Baring Asia buys Japanese drug maker from Tokio Marine
Baring Private Equity Asia has agreed to buy Japan-based Bushu Pharmaceuticals from Tokio Marine Capital at an enterprise valuation of JPY77.3 billion ($670 million).
Tencent, Line invest $110m in South Korean game developer
Chinese internet company Tencent Holdings and Japanese messaging app Line Corp. have invested $110 million in 4:33 Creative Labs, a South Korean, VC-backed mobile games developer.
MBK sells Japan-based Yayoi to Orix for $692m
North Asia-focused buyout firm MBK Partners has exited Japanese accounting software firm Yayoi to Orix Corp. for JPY80 billion ($692 million).
Japan's J-Star buys two healthcare providers
Japanese mid-market buyout firm J-Star has acquired two new care providers - Nagoya-headquartered Nurse Call and Kanagawa-based Kairos & Company - within weeks of its 5x exit from similar business HCM Corporation.
CLSA raises $210m for second Japan fund
CLSA Capital Partners has reached a final close of $210 million on its second Japan-focused fund - Sunrise Capital II.
Infinity Venture launches third China, Japan fund
Japanese tech-focused investor Infinity Venture Partners has launched its third fund - Infinity e.venture Asia III - which will focus on start-ups in Japan and China.
Bain-backed Macromill acquires MetrixLab
Macromill, the Japanese online research firm controlled by Bain Capital, has bought Dutch marketing analytics firm MetrixLab. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Private equity firm names: A brand apart
As private equity becomes more of a mainstream asset class, brand-consciousness kicks in. Finding a suitable name can be a challenge, particularly when operating in multiple markets and languages
Succession-planning deals: A matter of legacy
Long a feature of the developed markets private equity, succession-planning opportunities are beginning to pop up in emerging Asia. Regardless of geography, convincing a founder to sell his business is a challenge