TOKYO :U.S.-based private equity firm KKR and Japanese state-backed fund Japan Investment Corp (JIC) will acquire medical gear maker Topcon in a tender offer buyout worth 348 billion yen ($2.31 billion), KKR said on Friday. Private equity deals in Japan have been booming as corporate governance reforms and increasingly vocal activist shareholders push more companies to go private. KKR will hold the majority interest and JIC a minority interest, while Topcon president and chief executive Takashi