Ryusuke Shigetomi joined Blackstone as chairman and representative director of Japan to support the firm’s continued growth in the market, officials said on Monday.
Shigetomi will oversee Blackstone’s businesses in Tokyo and help navigate the local financial and regulatory environments. Previously, he served as vice chairman of Morgan Stanley Global Investment Banking and managing director of Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities’ Investment Banking Division and its head of telecommunication, media and technology banking.
“Ryusuke brings nearly four decades of experience in Japan’s financial industry and a reputation of excellence,” said Blackstone Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder Stephen Schwarzman. “We are thrilled to have him join at an exciting time of growth for Blackstone in Japan.”
The firm announced this was the best year yet in the market last year with landmark transactions across real estate and private equity, according to Schwarzman. Blackstone introduced the Private Wealth Solutions business to serve a broader range of clients, as well as, hiring Eiichi Hasegawa as senior advisor, who was previously special advisor to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Prior to Morgan Stanley, Shigetomi held other roles with The Industrial Bank of Japan and led high-profile deals in the telecom, media, technology and energy sectors. He joins Blackstone officially today, taking over for Katsuyuki Kuki, who is stepping down from the chairman role but continues to support the firm as an executive advisor. He joined the firm in 2017 and has been integral to Blackstone’s investing and capital raising efforts in Japan.
“It is humbling to join Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager and one of the most distinguished in Japan, at a significant time of growth for the Japan business,” Shigetomi. “I look forward to working with the various teams and leaders across the firm to build Blackstone’s presence in Japan, a key market in Asia for the firm.”
For more than three decades Blackstone has been active in Japan, opening its Tokyo office in 2007.
Last year, the firm had a record year in Japan with $7.3 billion in investments across real estate and private equity, including the biggest real estate deal ever and the largest private equity deal in the country since 2017.
This year, the real estate team bought an eight-hotel portfolio in Japan’s top tourist destinations.
