By Yantoultra Ngui
HONG KONG, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Ares Management, a U.S.-based investment firm, said on Tuesday its real estate arm has raised 612 billion yen ($4 billion) for its fifth Japan logistics development fund, marking the unit's largest closed-end institutional fundraise to date.
The fund, Japan Logistics Development Partners V LP, closed at its maximum target, known as a hard cap, and is nearly 50% larger than its 2021 predecessor, Ares said in a statement on Tuesday.
The fund will mainly
invest in developing modern logistics facilities in Japan's key metropolitan markets, including Greater Tokyo, Greater Osaka and Nagoya, Ares said.
Real estate services firm CBRE has projected in a report that rents for large multi-tenant logistics facilities would rise in Japan's four major metropolitan areas by late 2027, as demand for modern logistics space grows across Japan.
The fund attracted money from pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, insurers, financial institutions and other large investors across North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, according to the Ares statement.
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, which as backed every Japan logistics fund since their launch in 2011, is a cornerstone investor in the fund and committed 150 billion yen, Ares said.
"We continue to see value in modern logistics infrastructure supported by resilient demand, evolving supply chains and a positive outlook for rental growth," said Gilles Chow, managing director, head of real estate Asia Pacific at CPP Investments.
Ares said the fund has 1.7 trillion yen of total investment capacity and had already committed to projects representing about 450 billion yen in total investment.
Marq Logistics, Ares' global logistics real estate platform, will develop and operate the assets. Marq manages about 120 million square feet (11 million square m) in Japan and more than 655 million square feet globally as of June 30, according to Ares.
Ares Management had more than $671 billion in assets under management as of June 30, while Ares Real Estate managed about $121 billion in assets, according to the group's statement.
(Reporting by Yantoultra NguiEditing by Tomasz Janowski)
