KKR makes first private credit hire in Japan

KKR has hired Ken Murata from Goldman Sachs as a managing director in Tokyo.

He will be focusing on both private and liquid credit in Japan and is expected to start sometime in September.

First reported by Bloomberg, the hire comes as many large alternative asset managers have sought to seize the growth opportunity in Japan. KKR first made its intentions to enter the Japanese private credit market last year.

Read more: KKR eyes Japanese private credit

In 2023, Blue Owl Capital opened a Tokyo office, and Ares Management hired a former Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp executive last year to lead its Japan operations ahead of an office opening.

Read more: Apollo appoints private credit head for Japan

KKR launched its Asia credit strategy in 2019 and has completed 60 deals since then, worth $21bn in total. Its private credit strategy focuses on direct lending, capital solutions and collateral-backed lending, with $6bn of capital focused specifically on the Asia Pacific region.

Murata joins the firm from Goldman Sachs, where he spent over 11 years, latterly as managing director and head of strategic solutions and financing group in the investment bank. Before that, he was at UBS Group.

Read more: KKR eyes “rare opportunity” in Asia’s private credit market