Asian Legal Update Second Quarter 2023 (April - June)

After six years of practice in the Tokyo office, Daisuke was seconded to a law firm in the U.S. He joined the Singapore office in 2014 and has managed various M&A transactions including share transfer, subscription of new shares, joint venture formation/dissolution, business transfer, merger, business alliance, etc. in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and other Southeast Asian countries. Currently, he focuses on Malaysian practice. He provides appropriate advice to clients based on local practices with almost ten years of experience in Southeast Asian matters.

She previously lived in Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore and is fluent in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Malay. She has extensive experience and local expertise to advise clients from both legal and practical perspective.

She was admitted to the Malaysian Bar in 2013 and is the managing partner of our strategic alliance firm in Malaysia, WM Leong & Co. She is also a partner at Nishimura & Asahi (Singapore) LLP.

Michelle’s practice covers advising on various M&A and joint venture transactions across a large range of industries including IT, manufacturing, finance, real estate, retail trade, and energy. She also regularly advises clients on other corporate and commercial matters such as licensing, doing business, labour, data privacy and protection, and regulatory compliance. Prior to joining N&A, Michelle was a lawyer with one of the top law firms in the Philippines. Through her experience, she gives clients invaluable insights into Philippine culture and enhances their understanding of the legal and commercial practices in the country, making clients better equipped to do business in the Philippines.

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.

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.

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.

Bang is a partner with more than 20 years of professional legal experience. He joined the Ho Chi Minh City Office in 2010, and was the first Vietnamese lawyer to join Nishimura & Asahi; his experience spans a wide range of matters, including a diverse selection of notable, complex projects and disputes. Bang specializes in dispute resolution, inbound investments, corporate & commercial matters, M&A, banking, real estate & construction, and labor. He also has significant experience advising on international trade, unfair competition, securities, capital markets transactions, project financing transactions, infrastructure projects, and energy projects. Prior to joining the firm, Bang gained advisory experience working at law firms and  for multinational corporations. He is a regular contributor to numerous legal magazines, and has participated actively in the training of law students and legal practitioners as a part-time lecturer in Vietnam since 2009. Bang is also a regular speaker at seminars and events organized by professional legal institutions and organizations.

Bang graduated from Hanoi University of Law in 2001 and earned an LL.M. in International Law from the Transnational Law & Business University in Seoul, Korea, in 2006. He later completed an LL.M. in U.S. Law at Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University in Virginia, and an LL.M. in International Business Law and U.S. Law from Northeastern University School of Law in 2024. In 2025, he obtained a Ph.D. in International Relations from Selinus University of Sciences and Literature. He currently is pursuing Ph.D. programs in International Law and Business in the United States.

Chambers and Partners has recognized Bang as a leading lawyer in M&A and Real Estate. He is a CiArb-accredited mediator, a listed arbitrator of  the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre, and a member of the Ho Chi Minh Bar and the Vietnam Bar Federation. He is fluent in English and Vietnamese.

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.

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.