Japan
Cerberus-backed Aozora unveils plan to repay bailout cash
Aozora Bank, the Japanese lender in which Cerberus Capital holds a large stake, has pledged to repay JPY227.6 billion ($2.9 billion) in bailout money received during Japan’s financial crisis. The sum will be repaid over a 10-year period ending before...
Permira acquires Unison’s stake in Akindo Sushiro for $1b
Permira, through its Ireland-based vehicle Consumer Equity Investments (CEIL), has acquired Unison Capital’s stake in Akindo Sushiro, a leading Japanese sushi restaurant. The deal values the company at $1 billion, including debt.
PE firms hedge their bets
Numerous private equity and hedge funds are pursuing alliances with one another in Asia. Could a multi-strategy approach be the golden strategy for the region’s investment environment?
VC firm leads $6m App Annie Series B round
App Annie, the service provider of app store analytics and market intelligence for the global app economy, has raised $6 million in Series B financing led by Greycroft Partners. China’s IDG Capital Partners, the lead investor in the previous funding...
Goldman sells Japanese contractor for $636m
Goldman Sachs has sold Japanese contractor Fujita Corp to local home builder Daiwa House Industry for JPY50 billion ($636 million), representing an exit from one of its longest investments in the country.
Asia’s first secondary real estate trading platform launches
Asia Pacific’s first trading platform for buyers and sellers of secondary interests in real estate funds was launched this week by Jones Lang LaSalle.
Offshore investors: Leap into the unknown
With commitments from domestic LPs easing off, Australian, Japanese and Korean GPs are looking to raise capital from overseas investors. They are entering new territory and some are better prepared than others
Polaris invests in Japan's Myland Real Estate
Polaris Capital Group has acquired a 30% voting stake in Myland Real Estate through its second country-focused fund. The investment is part of the Japanese property broker's wider strategy to expand its business in preparation for an IPO in the next couple...
Japan’s CyberAgent Ventures to open Korea office
Japan’s CyberAgent Ventures will open an office in South Korea next month. It will take the VC firm’s Asia presence to eight locations, complementing existing operations in Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Taipei, Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi.
Micron beats TPG, Hony to acquire Elpida
Micron Technology has beat potential investors including TPG Capital and Hony Capital to acquire Japan’s Elpida Memory for about $2.5 billion, in a move to compete against rivals in South Korea and Taiwan.
Q&A: CVC Asia's Roy Kuan
Roy Kuan, managing partner of CVC Asia, looks back on a busy first half of 2012 in which the firm closed five deals. Falling valuations, planning and patience are among the key factors
Coller Barometer: Asia Pacific PE growth trend to continue
Global investors will continue to up their exposure to Asia-Pacific private equity over the next three years, according to the latest edition of Coller Capital’s Global Private Equity Barometer.
Bain buys half of Japanese TV shopping channel for $1.3b
Bain Capital will buy a 50% stake in Jupiter Shop Channel (JSC), a television shopping company, from Japan-based Sumitomo Corporation. Industry sources noted that the deal is worth JPY100 billion ($1.3 billion), which might be Japan's largest private...
Illiquidity putting Japan pension plans off PE
The liquidity constraints of negative cash flows are making private equity less attractive for Japanese defined benefit pension plans, according to a new survey.
MGPA acquires multi-office portfolio in Japan
MGPA, a private equity real estate investment advisory firm, has acquired eight office properties in Japan, with all but one located in Tokyo. The investment was channeled through MGPA Asia Fund III and took the form of commercial mortgage-backed securities.
WL Ross-backed Ohizumi to go public
Ohizumi, a temperature sensors electrical parts manufacturer backed WL Ross, will list on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on June 22.
SBI, FMO launch $80m financial services fund
Japan's SBI Holdings and Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO) have jointly rolled out a new fund that will invest in financial services across emerging Asia. The SBI-FMO Emerging Asian Financial Services Fund is targeting up to $80 million in...
Unison Capital seeks buyer for sushi chain - report
Japanese private equity firm Unison Capital is searching for a buyer for its sushi restaurant chain Akindo Sushiro. If the transaction goes through, it could be worth as much as JPY70 billion ($893 million) and represent one of the largest private equity...
Bain to target $6b for global fund
Bain Capital has set a target of $6 billion for its new global buyout vehicle, for which it plans to offer three fee options in a bid to attract a more diverse range of LPs.
GA sells Gavilon stake to Japan’s Marubeni
General Atlantic (GA) has sold its stake in US grain trader Gavilon to Japanese trading house Marubeni Corp, in a deal that values the company at an enterprise value of around $5.3 billion.
Cerberus’ Aozora sale stalled
Ceberus’ attempt to exit Aozora Bank faces a fresh obstacle in the shape of the Japanese government, which is on the cusp of becoming a major shareholder. The US private equity firm made its original investment in the Japanese lender more than 10 years...
Asahi says it paid too much for PE-backed Independent Liquor
Asahi Group is re-examining the terms of its NZ$1.5 billion ($1.27 billion) acquisition last year of Independent Liquor from Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and Unitas Capital, suggesting there were differences in understanding between the buyer and sellers...
TPG to invest in bankrupt Japanese apartment developer
TPG Capital has agreed to buy bankrupt Japanese apartment developer Joint Corp. alongside property consultancy Savills. The news comes after the private equity firm reportedly considered investments in two other distressed assets in Japan, Olympus Corp....
Nippon Mirai Capital in ALC buyout
ALC Press, a listed language-focused educational service provider, has approved a tender offer from Nippon Mirai Capital and plans to go private.