KKR ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF SHUSAKU MINODA
AS CO-CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF JAPAN OPERATIONS

New York/Tokyo May 15, 2007 – Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) announced today that it has appointed Mr. Shusaku Minoda as a Managing Director of KKR and Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Firm’s Japan operations. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Minoda was the Managing Executive Officer in charge of the Global Investment Banking Group at Mizuho Corporate Bank. Mr. Minoda will join KKR from July 1, 2007.

Henry R. Kravis, Founding Partner of KKR, said, “We are delighted that Shusaku will be joining KKR. He is widely recognized as an influential and pioneering figure within the Japanese investment banking community and will add significant experience and expertise to our existing team in Japan.”

Joseph Y. Bae, a Member of KKR, who leads the Firm’s business in Asia, said, “Shusaku’s considerable experience at a leading Japanese financial organization complements the strong operational background of Taketo Yamakawa. With the addition of Shusaku, we have an extremely strong management lineup in place in Japan to further grow our operations in the market.”

Taketo Yamakawa, Chief Executive Officer of KKR’s Japan operations, added, “I look forward to partnering with Shusaku to identify opportunities in the Japanese market and to build friendly, long-term relations with management teams to create value.”

Shusaku Minoda added, “I am delighted to be joining KKR. Over the past 30 years at Mizuho, I have built my career working closely with Japanese companies to help them grow their businesses and accomplish their strategic objectives. KKR shares this same philosophy of working in partnership with management. I look forward to drawing on the full resources of KKR’s global organization to provide Japanese corporate management with not only capital but also hands-on operational advice as they strive to enhance corporate value.”

In addition to being Managing Executive Officer responsible for Mizuho Corporate Bank’s Global Investment Banking Group, Mr. Minoda was also a member of the Bank’s Management Committee since 2004. Previously he was the Chief Compliance Officer of Mizuho Corporate Bank from 2004 to 2006. After graduating from Hitotsubashi University, Mr. Minoda joined the Industrial Bank of Japan (IBJ) (which later merged to form Mizuho Bank), and spent time in both the New York and London offices before being appointed the General Manager of the Syndicated Finance Department at Mizuho Corporate Bank in 1998.

About KKR
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) is one of the world's oldest and most experienced private equity firms specializing in management buyouts. Founded in 1976, it has offices in New York, Menlo Park, London, Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Throughout its history, KKR has brought a long-term investment approach to its portfolio companies, focusing on working in partnership with management teams and investing for future competitiveness and growth. Over the past 30 years, KKR has completed over 150 transactions with a total value of over US$279 billion. For more information, please visit www.kkr.com

Contacts:

• Tokyo:
• Gavin Anderson & Company
• Deborah Hayden
• John Short
• Tel: +813 5404 0640

• New York:
• Kekst and Company
• David Lilly
• Tel: +212-521-4800

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