Cool Japan Fund channels $10 mln into pizza chain 4P’s

Cool Japan Fund (CJF) has decided to invest $10 million into 4P’s Holdings Pte., which operates a chain of Japanese Italian pizza restaurants 4P’s in Vietnam and Cambodia incorporating Japanese ingredients.

“Through this investment, CJF will help create a platform for Japanese ingredient manufacturers and breweries to expand overseas, especially in Vietnam,” the Tokyo-based private equity firm said in a release early this week.

“Vietnam is an attractive market, with a population of nearly 100 million people. It is also a very young country, with an average age of 31, and boasts a stable economic growth rate. Further, Vietnam is friendly with Japan, and Japanese food culture is expected to become more popular and widespread in the country,” CJF said, adding that Japanese food has yet to catch on in neighboring Cambodia.

CJF positions Japanese food culture as a key area for investment, the PE firm noted.

4P’s, established in 2011 by two Japanese Yosuke Masuko and Sanae Takasugi and placing its head office in Singapore, operates 28 restaurants in Vietnam and Cambodia. They use Japanese ingredients like scallops and matcha and are recognized as Japanese pizza restaurants among local consumers.