The buy-out firm has hired Nobuhiko Ito, former president and chief executive of General Electric in Japan, as a senior adviser to its Asian buy-out fund.

The move follows KKR and Carlyle Group who also hired Ex-GE Executives before for their Japanese operations. Japan is thought to be the next big market for buy-out firms.

Japan has a large number of under-performing companies and big companies are looking to spin off assets in the near future. Cheap financing options in japan will make acquisitions for buy-out groups an interesting target.