Permira appoints new head for Japan business

Ryotaro Fujii joins as head of Japan from KKR.

Permira has appointed Ryotaro Fujii as its new managing director and head of Japan, and Yoichiro Furuse as chairman of its Japan business, the buyout firm said in a statement.

Fujii joins Permira from KKR where he was part of the senior Asia private equity team. His previous experience includes financial advisory at Goldman Sachs in New York and Tokyo, assisting Japanese companies with principal investment activities, and working in Japan’s Ministry of Finance.

Furuse joined Permira in 2007 as a senior adviser. He was previously executive vice president and chief financial officer at Sanyo Electric, and before that senior managing director at Mazda Motor. Furuse spent 32 years at Sumitomo Bank where he sat on the board and was senior executive director.

Permira’s Asia team is led by Alex Emery, and operates out of its offices in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul.

In the past ten years the firm has invested more than €1.8 billion in the region through four investments, including into sushi chain Akindo Sushiro, of which Furuse is chairman, agro-chemical company Arysta LifeScience, Macau-based Galaxy Entertainment Group and satellite operator Asia Business Satellite.