Carlyle Group has hired Masao Hirano from McKinsey & Co. as its cohead of operations in Japan and named Takeshi Isayama, former vice chairman at Nissan Motor Co., as chairman in Japan, the group said Tuesday.

Hirano will join the world's second-biggest buyout firm on Nov. 1 to jointly lead it with current country manager Tamotsu Adachi, Carlyle said.

Isayama will join the firm next Monday, according to the release. He will focus on deepening Carlyle's relationship with Japanese companies, using the network of contacts he built as a Nissan executive and as a trade ministry official.

Hostile bids in Japan by investors including Warren Lichtenstein's Steel Partners Ltd. and pressure to raise returns from activist shareholders may encourage companies to seek deals with private equity, Adachi, 53, said in July. Carlyle invests only on friendly terms, he said.

Hirano led McKinsey's operation in Japan for eight years as president, Washington-based Carlyle said. Carlyle, which last year raised ¥215.6 billion for Japan buyouts, plans to invest about ¥50 billion this year, Adachi said last December.