We examine the effects of majority buyout investments on employment numbers in unlisted firms or businesses taken private in Japan between 1998 and 2015. In our sample (n=184), regular employment grows at an uncorrected average of 12.3% during a mean holding period of 4.3 years, and an annual...

Tracking the effect of private equity ownership on employment in Japan, we find evidence that employment grows significantly under private equity ownership, a finding that runs against common expectations and stands in stark contrast with results from studies on Anglo-Saxon economies. We further...