Itochu Corporation/Itochu Sugar Co., Ltd. - Business integration between Itochu Sugar Co., Ltd. and Nissin Sugar Co., Ltd., and capital and business alliance among Itochu Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation and Nissin Sugar Co., Ltd.
Leading Japanese law firm Nishimura & Asahi advised Itochu Corp. [TSE:8001] and Itochu Sugar Co., Ltd., a Japan-based sugar and related products manufacturer, on the business integration between Itochu Sugar and Nissin Sugar Co., Ltd. [TSE:2117], a Japan-based sugar manufacturer, as well as the capital and business alliance among Itochu Corp. (a shareholder of Itochu Sugar), Sumitomo Corp.(a shareholder of Nisshin Sugar), and Nissin Sugar.
The Nishimura & Asahi team advising Itochu and Itochu Sugar was led by partners Takuya Matsuo and Junya Kokaji from our corporate/M&A practice and Junko Wakabayashi from our antitrust practice, supported by Atsushi Hatakenaka.
People
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.
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.