World Co., Ltd. - Acquisition of Mitsubishi Corporation Fashion Co., Ltd.
Nishimura & Asahi advised World Co., Ltd. [TSE: 3612], an operator of apparel and lifestyle stores, on its acquisition of shares in Mitsubishi Corporation Fashion Co., Ltd. from Mitsubishi Corporation [TSE: 8058]. This acquisition makes Mitsubishi Corporation Fashion a wholly-owned subsidiary of World.
The Nishimura & Asahi team advising World was led by M&A/corporate partners Hiroshi Uchima and Junya Kokaji, and antitrust partner Junko Wakabayashi, supported by Atsushi Hatakenaka.
People
Junya handles every kind of M&A deal, whether listed or closed companies, domestic or cross-border, as well as general corporate matters such as shareholders’ meetings and corporate governance. He always provides accurate advice to clients at any time and earns their trust with flexible and dedicated support. In light of his strengths and experience, in recent years, he has been involved in large-scale and complex M&A deals and management integration projects of listed companies. He is also involved in a lot of investment projects by domestic and overseas PE funds. Additionally, with his experience working for law firms in Brazil and Argentina, he supports Japanese companies expanding their businesses to Latin American countries as a member of the Latin American Practice Team. He also has a rich network of law firms in Latin American countries.
Junko Wakabayashi specializes in antitrust and competition law. She has extensive experience with various antitrust matters and issues, including merger filings, cartels, transactional matters, and compliance, in both domestic and cross-border cases. She regularly engages with global clients and negotiates with competition authorities on their behalf. Due to her prior experience at the Ministry Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, where she engaged in policy and rule making, as well as operations, and built a network of connections in government offices, Junko has a deep knowledge and understanding of regulations and government affairs, particularly those that impact transportation industries (e.g., aviation, automotive). She was seconded to a major energy company, where she acquired familiarity with the energy industry. Her wide range of experience enables her to provide precise, tailored advice that accurately addresses and responds to each client’s needs and business operations.
Since 2002, Hiroshi has been a partner in the firm’s M&A and corporate practice area. His experience ranges from M&A (business integration, acquisition and organizational restructuring between operating companies, acquisition of listed/unlisted companies by funds, going private, cross-border M&A, etc.) to general corporate law (general meetings of shareholders, corporate governance, various commercial transactions and contracts, financing, personnel and labor, response to legal revisions, disputes, crisis management, etc.). While he has extensive experience in large-scale and complex M&A transactions, he also provides efficient and effective advice depending on the status of the project in areas such as overseas M&A of Japanese companies, expansion into Japan by overseas companies, and support for startup businesses. In crisis management and dispute cases, he provide practical and effective advice to ensure clients achieve their goals based on a thorough understanding of the circumstances faced by the client. His clients are diverse, including domestic and overseas companies, financial institutions, and investment funds.