Today (22 December 2016), Fosun Group has announced the establishment of an equity investment platform in Japan. It will serve as an integrated financial platform for Fosun's investment projects and asset management operations in Japan's financial market. This is another move by Fosun to build up its business layout in Japan following its acquisition of IDERA Capital Management Ltd. ("IDERA"), a Japanese asset management platform, in 2014.

The newly established equity investment platform is formed through a partnership between Fosun Group and two renowned experts in the Japanese financial investment sector, Mr. Daisuke KAWANO and Mr. Tetsuya NAGAO. The establishment of the equity investment platform in Japan will help Fosun to explore more investment opportunities in the country’s financial market. It will help Fosun to push forward with its strategies for equity investment and asset allocation in the country and thus can enhance Fosun’s global investment capability. It will also accelerate the development of Fosun’s global asset management. The equity investment platform in Japan will mainly focus on investments in the secondary market and private equity investment projects.

Mr. Daisuke KAWANO has over 15 years of equity investment and advisory experience in Japan. He was one of the founding members of a private equity firm and has been a Partner of the Strategic Investment Team (“Team”) in Tokyo for the past 9 years. During his time as Partner, the Team has invested in 7 deals in Japan which resulted in 7 successful exits.

Mr. Tetsuya NAGAO has a strong track record in public and private equity investments in Japan for over 12 years. His investment strategy based on dense domestic network and business understanding which were acquired from his management consultant career has consistently outperformed the return in the market.

Mr. Gong Ping, Global Partner and Vice President of Fosun Group said, “China’s and Japan’s economies complement each other to a high degree. As two closely correlated economies, many brilliant Japanese brands have also become Chinese households’ favourites. Japan has a strong influence on Asia because it is a well-developed economy and has a mature operating system in its capital market. We are delighted to announce that the equity investment platform in Japan is officially launched. This is an important move by Fosun to push forward with its globalization strategy. Our Japanese equity investment platform is led by a team of outstanding and knowledgeable professionals. With our excellent management and investment team and the multi-industry research capability, we will adhere to Fosun’s philosophy of value investing and explore more investment opportunities in the Japanese capital market. At the same time, leveraging Fosun’s dynamic resources and professionalism in all of its business segments, we can assist Japanese enterprises in providing more high-quality and convenient products and services for households across the world.’’

The two partners said, “We are honored and excited to lead the newly established equity investment platform. The platform has the unique value in the Japanese financial market and will help discover more opportunities for medium- and long-term investments, especially in the secondary market. We look forward to collaborating with Fosun Group and fully grasping opportunities for successful investments in the Japanese market.”

Fosun officially entered the Japanese market by acquiring IDERA in 2014. For more than two years since, the company has completed the acquisition of TFT (the former Citigroup Center) and the quality office buildings W and Y in Harumi Island Triton Square in the central business district. In addition, Yuyuan, the subsidiary of Fosun, successfully completed the acquisition of Hoshino Resort TOMAMU in Hokkaido at the end of 2015, and a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) jointly managed by IDERA and Mitsui & Co. was listed this year. The newly established equity investment platform in Japan will help Fosun to identify more investment opportunities in the medium and long term, and broaden the scope of its investments. This will optimize Fosun’s capital allocation and help the company to succeed in its new initiative to build up its business layout in the Japanese market.