Asian Legal Update Second Quarter 2022 (April - June)

Mr. Yoshimoto has been engaging in general corporate legal affairs in Indonesia and other emerging countries for nearly 10 years. He was seconded to the legal and compliance departments of both the headquarters and U.S. regional headquarters of a major Japanese general trading company, as well as to one of the largest law firms in Indonesia. During his secondment at the Indonesian law firm, he was involved in a wide variety of matters, including M&A, finance, litigation, criminal matters, and insolvency proceedings. As a key member of the Indonesian Practice Team, he was able to develop a strong network of Indonesian lawyers, which he has been able to utilize, to handle cases efficiently and flexibly with due consideration to local customs and practices. He has also been involved in many M&A and crisis management cases in other ASEAN countries, such as the Philippines and Cambodia, as well as other emerging countries, such as Bangladesh and Brazil, during which he was able to draw upon his experience from his secondment to the trading company to the clients’ benefit.

He advises on a wide range of merger-and-acquisition transactions, joint ventures, foreign direct investments, general corporate, international corporate finance, and restructurings. His expertise is advising, structuring and leading complex transactions both within and outside of Thailand. He regularly represents, among others, Japanese, Thai and international investors, international investment banks, international private equity investors, hedge funds and international corporations and financial institutions. His main areas of practice include public and private mergers and acquisitions (takeover rules), legal due diligence, joint ventures, fund raising, listings, block trades, stock exchange and securities exchange related laws, restructuring of shareholdings and general corporate advice. His additional areas of practice also cover banking and finance, renewable energy in Japan and Thailand, exchange control law, labor law, and debt restructurings. Before setting up the Bangkok office of Nishimura & Asahi in 2013, he worked with Linklaters for almost a decade. He is also a registered arbitrator of the Thai Arbitration Institute (TAI) with the areas of expertise in corporate M&A, joint venture, banking and finance, capital markets, debt restructurings and energy.

Taeko heads the firm’s India practice, and advises Japanese corporations investing and doing business in India, with a special focus on dispute resolution (litigation and arbitration), and regulatory work (criminal and competition related matters). She also handles jurisdictions such as Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the UAE, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives, and other countries in South Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Mr. Bang is a partner of our firm, with more than 15 years of experience as a lawyer. He joined the Ho Chi Minh City Office in 2010, as the first Vietnamese lawyer in the Ho Chi Minh City Office, and gained experience in a variety of diverse cases, including huge, complex projects. Mr. Bang specializes in inbound investments, corporate & commercial matters, M&A, banking, real estate property & construction, and labour. He also has significant experience in providing advice regarding unfair competition, securities, capital market transactions, project financing transactions, infrastructure projects, and energy projects. Before joining the firm, Mr. Bang gained professional experience in both a law firm and working with multinational corporations. He has been a regular contributor to a number of law-related magazines, and has actively participated in the legal training of law students, having been a law lecturer in Vietnam since 2009. Mr. Bang is a 2001 graduate of Hanoi University of Law (LL.B.), and received an LL.M. from the Transnational Law & Business University in Seoul, Korea in 2006. He is a member of the Ho Chi Minh Bar and the Vietnam Bar Federation, and is fluent in both English and Vietnamese.

Apinya’s extensive practice covers a wide array of matters ranging from business set-up, domestic and cross-border transactions to day-to-day business operations, to name a few. Her clientele includes both local and international conglomerates, trading companies, aircraft operators, real estate developers, petroleum and energy companies, financial institutions, securities companies, venture capitalists, and fund managers. Well-read and a holder of law degrees from three different jurisdictions - Thailand, the United States and Japan, Apinya is able to leverage her international experience and cultural insights to effectively and efficiently resolve complex cross-border legal issues and provide tailored legal services and solutions to her clients. In addition to being a practicing lawyer, Apinya is regularly invited to teach business law at various prestigious universities in Thailand, and serves as a counsellor to the Ad-hoc Committee of the House of Representatives of Thailand for consideration of amendments to the Civil and Commercial Code. Her other notable achievements include being registered as a Barrister-at-Law, Attorney-at-Law, and Notarial Services Attorney in Thailand.

Huong started her career at leading local and regional law firms with diversified national and international practices. In 2009, Huong began pursuing a master’s degree from the University of Melbourne, and after doing so, continued her legal career at a number of law firms. Her areas of expertise include M&A transactions, labor law, corporate law, real estate transactions, restructuring and insolvency, and compliance. Huong often advises clients on cross-border M&A deals in relation to real estate, banking and finance, services, and manufacturing. She also regularly supports clients in regard to the formation and registration of internal labor regulations, dealing with labor disputes, labor contract performance, and retrenchment. In addition, Huong assists clients with the incorporation, operation, restructuring, and termination of their businesses in Vietnam, including with respect to day-to-day commercial business, corporate governance, and compliance. In these areas, clients value her extensive experience and detailed knowledge of local laws and culture, as well as her timely, responsive, and effective support.

Bayfront Law is Nishimura & Asahi Singapore Office’s counterpart in the Nishimura & Asahi - Bayfront Law Alliance, which is based on Singapore law.

Bayfront Law is Nishimura & Asahi Singapore Office’s counterpart in the Nishimura & Asahi - Bayfront Law Alliance, which is based on Singapore law.