Bain makes binding offer for Fuji Soft, 7% higher than rival KKR

TOKYO (Reuters) -U.S. buyout fund Bain Capital made a binding offer to buy Fuji Soft for 9,450 yen a share in a deal that values the Japanese software developer at $4 billion and outbids rival KKR by about 7%.

Bain said in a statement on Friday it planned to launch the offer late this month if it can get Fuji Soft's backing.

Bain and KKR have been engaged in a rare showdown to take over the Yokohama-based informational technology firm, which has been at odds with some of its major shareholders.

KKR last month brought forward the start of its tender offer by about a week at the unchanged price of 8,800 yen, and said it would conduct the tender offer in two stages.

Fuji Soft has since said its board had decided to recommend shareholders to tender shares to KKR's first tender offer.

Following Bain's Friday announcement, KKR said its offer was superior and in the best interest of Fuji Soft and all of its stakeholders.

"KKR has a demonstrated track record of collaborating with management teams and employees and unlocking growth for Japanese companies, which contributed to the reasons the board of Fuji Soft has twice recommended and supported our offer," a KKR spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Shares in Fuji Soft closed at 9,000 yen on Friday.

($1 = 149.1200 yen)

(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim, Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Kim Coghill and William Mallard)