Anderson Mori & Tomotsune‘s corporate and M&A team advises domestic and international clients on private equity, joint ventures, and strategic investment matters. Specialising in complex cross-border transactions, the team assist clients in Japan and supports Japanese corporations expanding abroad. The team is jointly led by Hiroki Kodate and Keiko Kaneko, whose expertise lies in heavily regulated sectors such as energy, natural resources, and pharma. Key members include Ko Wakabayashi, who is experienced in China-related matters, and Keita Tokura, who focuses on high-tech investments.

The corporate and M&A team at Atsumi & Sakai assists clients with domestic transactions and foreign clients’ inbound deals with Japanese companies. The team is jointly led by Akimoto Kawamura, Masayuki Matsuura, Wataru Kamihigashi, Takasuke Mizukami, and Shintaro Hamasu, all of whom have extensive experience in corporate restructuring, joint ventures, inward investment, financial regulation, and corporate governance matters. Mitsura Misawa handles transactions involving the sale and purchase of renewable assets, while Daisuke Tsuzuki is well-versed in relation to mergers, demergers, and share exchanges.

City-Yuwa Partners‘ corporate and M&A team handles corporate reorganisations, asset transfers, and divisional acquisition matters. Jointly led by Yoshikazu Suzuki and Daisuke Terasaki, the team supports outbound foreign direct investments and M&A by Japanese investors in Asian countries, as well as inbound investments and M&A by foreign investors in Japan. Another key name to note is Noriko Higashizawa.

Hibiya-Nakata‘s corporate and M&A team advises Japanese companies on outbound and inbound M&A transactions, working closely with global networks. Led by Nobuo Nakata, who is an expert in cross-border M&A in sectors like consumer goods, services, and manufacturing, the team also features Tatsuya Soeda, who is known for his M&A and financial advisory experience across various industries.

Iwata Godo‘s M&A team assists both public and private companies in corporate splits and demergers, spin-offs, share-for-share, and tender offers, as well as various corporate and securities law-related matters. The team is jointly led by Hiroki Ito, who specialises in joint ventures, restructurings, and corporate governance, and Atsushi Izumi, whose focus is on corporate and business-related matters. Satoshi Karashima is well-versed in IPOs and TOBs, while Shu Kakuno focuses on corporate governance and securities. In January 2024, Kohei Yamada was promoted to partner.

Kojima Law Offices‘ team is well-versed in corporate and M&A matters, including joint ventures and alliances. Led by Hiromasa Ogawa, who specialises in cross-border transactions, the team also includes Hirokazu Amemiya, who is experienced in multi-jurisdictional matters, and Naoki Idei, who is known for his dispute resolution expertise. Makoto Toyoshima is another name to note.

The team at Miura & Partners supports clients through every stage of acquisition, including scheme formulation, due diligence, contract negotiations, closing, and post-closing. The team is jointly led by Hisashi Shibata, who is an expert in venture investments and share structures, and Haruka Murata, who handles cross-border acquisitions and joint ventures. Ryoichi Inoue assists Japanese clients with overseas expansion and cross-border M&A, while Tetsuya Goto focuses on tender offers and public M&A matters.

‘s corporate and M&A team advises major clients across various industries, including blue-chip companies, banks, and private equity funds. ‘Complemented by a deep reservoir of expertise within each area,’ the team is jointly led by Hajime Tanahashi and Gaku Ishiwata, who are well-versed in private equity, corporate governance, and venture financing matters. Other key members include Atsushi Oishi, who is a taxation specialist; Koji Toshima, who is known for his expertise in classified shares; and Akira Matsushita, who focuses on private equity and cross-border M&A matters.

Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu‘s corporate and M&A team is highly experienced across the electronics, energy, pharma, and real estate sectors. Led by Yuko Tamai, who has extensive experience in corporate governance-related matters, the team’s strong language skills and knowledge of foreign laws allow them to effectively assist both domestic and international clients. Other team members include Tomohiko Iwasaki and Shuichi Nishimura, who handle domestic and cross-border private equity and venture capital matters. Yu Tamura and Yoshitaka Kato were promoted to the partnership in January 2024.

The team at Nishimura & Asahi assist clients in transactions that do not only involve corporate laws and securities regulations, but also tax, antitrust, intellectual property, or bankruptcy. The team is jointly led by Asa Shinkawa and Yoshinobu Fujimoto, who advise domestic and foreign clients on complex corporate governance, joint ventures, and corporate defence against activist shareholders. While Yo Ota specialises in tax and corporate cross-border transactions, Takahiko Date focuses on management buyouts and restructuring transactions. Yuki Oi is also noted for expertise in large-scale M&A and corporate affairs.

 

Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners‘ corporate and M&A team offers legal services to companies and undertakings in Japan and overseas in corporate restructuring and business collaborations. Among these are matters related to life sciences and healthcare. The team is jointly led by Norihiro Sekiguchi, who has extensive experience in domestic and cross-border private equity investments, and Seigo Takehira, who focuses on the investment banking industry. Hajime Taniuchi offers an international perspective on M&A, dispute resolution, and finance-related matters, while Takuro Yamaguchi advises clients on both public and private M&A, as well as commercial transactions.

The ‘small but mighty’ team at southgate is known for ‘delivering exceptional work’ in its M&A and venture capital practice, approaching cross-border and other transactions with the perspective of an international firm. The practice is jointly led by Eric Marcks, Takeshi Iitani, and Gaku Yoneyama, who are well-versed in cross-border tech transactions and venture capital matters, particularly in the tech, IT, automotive, and fashion sectors. Other members to note include Takahito Fujii and Akira Kawashiro.

TMI Associates‘ corporate and M&A team is jointly led by Masakazu Iwakura, who is known for handling matters across sectors in M&A, litigation, and insurance; Tatsuhiro Takahara, who provides strategic and commercial legal advice on transactions; and Nobuyuki Watanabe, who focuses on M&A transactions in the Kansai area. The team has been involved in numerous squeeze-out transactions, representing both private equity funds and targets, with a client base in the asset management, automobile, IT, and pharma sectors. Harumichi Uchida is well-versed in corporate restructurings, while Takashi Toichi provides advice to organisations in restructurings.

Tokyo International Law Office‘s corporate and M&A team is jointly led by Mikiharu Mori and Koki Yamada, who provide strategic advice on cross-border outbound and inbound M&A and international disputes. The team has recently welcomed a number of new partners, including Junzaburo Kiuchi and Jean-Denis Marx, who joined the firm in January and July 2024, respectively.

The corporate and M&A team at Ushijima & Partners specialises in both domestic and cross-border matters, with notable expertise in defending clients against hostile takeovers. The team is jointly led by Shin Ushijima and Hiroshi Watanabe, who are well-versed in international transactions, M&A, and dispute resolution. Other names to note are Osamu Inoue and Masahiko Todo.

ZeLo, a Foreign Law Joint Enterprise‘s team is well-versed at handling M&A involving both listed and unlisted companies, as well as corporate integrations and intra-group restructurings. Under the leadership of Koichi Kitada, the team also advises on fintech-related matters. Kitada brings experience representing a diverse range of clients, from startups and venture capital firms to other M&A-active companies. Kohei Kanzawa advises clients on cross-border M&A, investments, and TOB procedures.