Tokyo Century Corporation - Acquisition of a minority stake in a portfolio of onshore wind farms in the UK from Equitix Investment Management Limited
Nishimura & Asahi advised Tokyo Century Corporation (“Tokyo Century”), a company engaged in leasing and financing businesses, on its acquisition of a minority stake in a portfolio of onshore wind farms in the United Kingdom from Equitix Investment Management Limited, a leading UK infrastructure fund.
The team was led by partners Yoshiyuki Kizu, Shingo Ito, Timothy Merchant and Adrian Joyce, with support from associates Yuki Takada and Sotaro Hotta.
People
Shingo began his career as a lawyer at Nishimura & Asahi in Tokyo, where he spent eight years specialising in banking and finance. In 2016, he relocated to London, gaining a decade of experience at leading international law firms before rejoining Nishimura & Asahi in London. Shingo has particular expertise in real estate and renewable energy investments by Japanese businesses. His practice combines deep corporate law knowledge with experience in structuring, debt financing and restructuring, allowing him to provide clients with seamless end-to-end legal support and help navigate complex transactions with confidence.
*Legal advice in the UK is provided under the name of Nishimura & Asahi UK Limited, a legal entity independent from, and a subsidiary of, Nishimura & Asahi (Gaikokuho Kyodo Jigyo). Neither Nishimura & Asahi (Gaikokuho Kyodo Jigyo) or Nishimura & Asahi UK Limited is authorised by the SRA, and none of Nishimura & Asahi (Gaikokuho Kyodo Jigyo), Nishimura & Asahi UK Limited or Shingo Ito will undertake any reserved legal activity as defined in the United Kingdom Legal Services Act 2007.
He advises on a wide range of M&A transactions, including acquisitions, disposals, co-investments, minority investments, complex joint ventures and general corporate matters, regularly representing financial sponsors, Japanese and international investors, and other financial institutions across a range of sectors.
*Legal advice in the UK is provided under the name of Nishimura & Asahi UK Limited, a legal entity independent from, and a subsidiary of, Nishimura & Asahi (Gaikokuho Kyodo Jigyo). Neither Nishimura & Asahi (Gaikokuho Kyodo Jigyo) or Nishimura & Asahi UK Limited is authorised by the SRA, and none of Nishimura & Asahi (Gaikokuho Kyodo Jigyo), Nishimura & Asahi UK Limited or Timothy Merchant will undertake any reserved legal activity as defined in the United Kingdom Legal Services Act 2007.
Adrian has considerable experience advising lenders, sponsors and ECAs on energy, transportation and infrastructure in, Japan, APAC, the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa. He is recognised as a market leader for project finance and asset finance and regularly advises Japanese and international clients on the development and financing of cross-border energy, infrastructure and transportation projects. Highly regarded for his commercial acumen, Adrian is recognised in Chambers Global and Chambers APAC for “Projects & Energy: International” and “Banking & Finance: International Asset Finance” and in The Legal 500 for "Projects and Finance”, “Shipping” and “Banking and Finance” for which he is ranked as a “Leading Individual”. Recent experience includes advising sponsors and lenders on: • LNG: a large number of LNG vessel financings (20 vessels since 2020), SPAs and joint ventures; • Infrastructure: projects including five subsea cable financings in APAC and the Americas and two infrastructure projects in Japan; • Renewables: greenfield projects and project sales in Japan and APAC including solar, wind and waste to energy. • Asset finance: debt finance, restructurings, SLB, ESG and JOLCOs in the shipping and aviation sectors. Adrian attended the University of Tokyo and University of Waseda and speaks and reads Japanese.
Yoshi’s practice covers various M&A transactions, cross border deals, and day-to-day commercial businesses, with a focus on Europe-related matters. He lived in Europe approx. 8 years including studying at the master of law at UCL in London, working approx. 3 years in leading firms in Frankfurt, Paris and Italy, a short secondment in Barcelona/Madrid and having regular business trips all across Europe including the Netherlands, Nordic countries and Eastern Europe. As a leading partner of Europe practice and cross-border team, Yoshi provides a tailored legal services in a timely and flexible manner.
*Legal advice in the UK is provided under the name of Nishimura & Asahi UK Limited, a legal entity independent from, and a subsidiary of, Nishimura & Asahi (Gaikokuho Kyodo Jigyo). None of Nishimura & Asahi (Gaikokuho Kyodo Jigyo), Nishimura & Asahi UK Limited or, the representative, Yoshiyuki Kizu is authorized by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for England and Wales, and none will undertake any reserved legal activity as defined in the United Kingdom Legal Services Act 2007.