Four professionals have already joined this year, with another six expected by December, bringing Carlyle's Japan deal team to 35. The expansion supports the firm's accelerated activity in Japan, where low financing costs and a steady pipeline of corporate carve-outs and succession-led transactions continue to attract strong private equity interest. Carlyle is targeting approximately JPY100bn in new Japanese investments this year. It is also preparing a domestic IPO for Orion Breweries, which it acquired with Nomura in 2019. Other recent local deals include the take-private of software firm Kaonavi and the acquisition of KFC Holdings Japan. Investor demand for Japanese exposure continues to climb. According to Bain & Co, Japan-focused funds made up 15% of Asia-Pacific private equity fundraising in 2024 ' more than double the share in 2019. Carlyle's latest fund, around 70% larger than its predecessor, saw such high LP interest that some commitments were reportedly redirected from...
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