Major recent M&A cases
by Japanese companies in Malaysia
There were a total of 17 externally announced M&A deals in Malaysia by Japanese companies in 2023 that we have confirmed. Of these, 14 were investment or acquisition deals (8 were 100% buyouts) and 3 were exit deals.
| Date | Industry | Invester/Buyer | Target Company/Seller | Scheme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb | Healthtech (medical insurance management services) | INFOCOM CORPORATION | HealthMetrics Sdn. Bhd. | Capital and business alliance |
| Feb | Mould manufacturing | TOWA CORPORATION | K-Tool Engineering Sdn. Bhd. | Business transfer and establishment of new company |
| Mar | Refrigerated and frozen warehousing, transport | NICHIREI LOGISTICS GROUP INC | NL Cold Chain Network（M）Sdn. Bhd. | Acquisition of additional 60% of shares and conversion to wholly-owned subsidiary |
| Mar | Information and communication goods retailing | Nojima APAC Limited | Thunder Match Technology Sdn. Bhd. | Acquisition of 100% of the shares and conversion into a wholly-owned subsidiary |
| Apr | Information and communications equipment manufacturing | Silitech Technology Corporation | Iwatsu （M） Sdn. Bhd. （親会社：岩崎通信機株式会社） | 100% share transfer |
| Apr | Event and content planning and production | NOMURA Co.,Ltd. | FrameMotion Studio Sdn. Bhd. | Dissolution of capital and business alliance |
| Apr | Cyber security services | MITSUI & CO., LTD | LGMS Bhd. | Acquisition of additional 23% shares |
| May | Tyre wholesale | MITANI CORPORATIN | Hoe Guan Pin Kee | Share acquisition (transaction completed on 30 December 2022 in the previous year) |
| Jun | Electrical product parts sales | RECOMM CO.,LTD. | Sin Lian Wah Electric Sdn. Bhd. | 100% share acquisition/becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary |
| Sep | Afforestation business | DAIKEN CORPORATION（Subsidiary：Daiken Sarawak Sdn. Bhd.） | WTK Reforestation Sdn. Bhd. | 100% share acquisition and conversion into a sub-subsidiary |
| Oct | System development | Likearisingsun Sdn. Bhd. | OK Blockchain Centre Sdn. Bhd. | Share transfer and liquidation proceedings |
| Oct | Marketing support and IT services | Bridge International INC. | TK International Sdn. Bhd. | Acquisition of 90% additional shares and conversion to wholly-owned subsidiary |
| Oct | Printing | Asahi Printing Co., Ltd. | Kinta Press & Packaging (M) Sdn. Bhd. | Acquisition of 65% shares/becoming a subsidiary |
| Nov | Paper wholesale | JAPAN PULP AND PAPER COMPANY LIMITED (Subsidiary：Japan Pulp & Paper (M) Sdn Bhd) | Mutiara Paper (M) Sdn. Bhd. | Acquisition of shares/becoming a subsidiary |
| Nov | Media hardware sales and technical services | JAPAN PULP AND PAPER COMPANY LIMITED (Subsidiary：Japan Pulp & Paper (M) Sdn Bhd) | Compedo Media Sdn. Bhd. | Acquisition of shares/becoming a subsidiary |
| Nov | Refrigerant business | Iwatani Corporation （Subsidiary：Iwatani Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.） | Westtech Chemicals Sdn. Bhd.、ISO Kimia (M） Sdn. Bhd. | Acquisition of shares |
| Dec | System integration | Internet Initiative Japan Inc. | PTC Systems Sdn. Bhd. | Acquisition of 100% shares/becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary |
The following chart shows the number of M&As by Japanese companies in Malaysia over the last five years. After the pandemic, the number of deals increased in 2022, but declined in 2023, partly due to the depreciation of the yen, although it still remains at a certain level. Amid the global economic downturn, the number of cross-border M&As is on a downward trend, with only a few cases of Japanese companies acquiring companies for more than 10 billion yen in 2023. The number of M&As between Japanese companies and companies from other countries, not only in Malaysia, is expected to be lower than the previous year.
Major recent successful cases of
Retrenchment and Dismissals
| Year | Industry | Area | No. of Staff | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Manufacturer | Selangor | 1-10 | |
| 2024 | Developer | Johor | 1-10 | Branch office closed |
| 2024 | Manufacturer | Selangor | 500- | Close the business |
| 2023 | Education | Selangor | 1-10 | |
| 2023 | IT | Kuala Lumpur | 1-10 | |
| 2023 | Manufacturer | Selangor | 50- | |
| 2023 | Manufacturer | Selangor | 1-10 | |
| 2022 | Manufacturer | Selangor | 1-10 | |
| 2022 | Manufacturer | Kuala Lumpur | 1-10 | |
| 2022 | IT | Johor | 11-49 | Close the business |
| 2021 | Sales | Kuala Lumpur | 1-10 | Close the business |
| 2021 | Construction | Kuala Lumpur | 1-10 | |
| 2021 | Construction Service | Johor/Kuala Lumpur | 11-49 | Close the business |