Japan’s Tycoon Families Seek Buyouts to Evade Investor Pressure
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Akio Toyoda’s $42 billion plan to buy out Toyota Industries Corp. is the most dramatic example of a growing trend in Japan of founding families trying to take companies private.
The Ito family, which owns 8% of Seven & i Holdings Co., tried unsuccessfully to engineer a management buyout to thwart a takeover offer of the retailer. The founding family of software developer Fuji Soft Inc. also made a failed attempt to buy out the firm in conjunction with Bain Capital.