The founding family of Japanese IT company Fuji Soft on Wednesday reiterated its support for a takeover bid by private equity firm Bain Capital that is opposed by Fuji Soft's board, it said in a statement jointly released with Bain.

The estimated $2 billion bid for just under half of the Japanese IT firm's shares likely portends a rare hostile tussle between the two global private equity giants

Bain Capital plans to make a bid to buy shares of software company Fuji Soft without support from the company’s board of directors, kicking off a rare hostile bid in Japan against KKR.

Bain said it plans to launch a tender offer for Fuji Soft shares even without the backing of the Japanese firm’s board should a second-round bid from KKR fail

At a meeting on Tuesday, Fuji Soft's board resolved to oppose the counterbid Bain made on Dec. 11, which raised the purchase price per share to 9,600 yen -- about $62 -- from 9,450 yen.

Bain Capital is increasing its offer for Fuji Soft Inc. with a bid that values the Japanese software company at $4.3 billion, extending a rare battle with KKR & Co. in the country’s booming buyout market.

KKR extended on Thursday its tender offer period for Fuji Soft to Jan. 9 as it battles rival U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital for control of the Japanese software maker. Its offer price was unchanged,

Bain Capital plans to offer to buy shares of Fuji Soft Inc. without support from the Japanese company’s board, setting the stage for a rare hostile bid in its battle with KKR & Co. for the software developer.

Japan-based Fuji Soft Inc.’s ($JP:9749) founding family has backed U.S.-based Bain Capital’s hostile takeover bid, despite strong resistance from