Carlyle, Warburg Pincus, and other major global investment firms are ramping up recruitment efforts in Japan as dealmaking accelerates, despite challenges in finding experienced professionals due to historically limited buyout activity, according to a report by Reuters.
The report cites Carlyle’s Co-Head of Japan as revealing that the firm, which raised $2.8bn in May for its fifth and largest Japan-focused fund, aims to expand its 25-member team by adding 10 new hires over the next two years.
Advent International meanwhile, has been engaging with senior private equity experts to establish a local presence and team in Tokyo, while Warburg Pincus, which recently appointed ex-Goldman Sachs banker Takashi Murata as its Japan head, is also setting up a Tokyo office. Warburg has already hired three local professionals to support Murata’s team, according to one Reuters source.
The rush to build teams underscores Japan’s rising prominence in private equity, standing out as a hotbed for M&A activity even as global deal flows have slowed. In 2023, Japan accounted for 30% of all private equity deal value in Asia-Pacific, up from historical levels of just 5-10%, according to Bain & Co.
Several high-profile deals have marked this trend, including Alimentation Couche-Tard’s bid for Seven & i and the ongoing bidding war between KKR and Bain Capital over software firm Fuji Soft.
