Singapore Entry Strategy Guide Q&A for Japanese Companies (in J)

Masato Yamanaka joined Nishimura & Asahi in April 2008 after working for Mitsui, Yasuda, Wani & Maeda, Linklaters and Miyakezaka Sogo Law Office. After being seconded to Norton Rose Hong Kong, he started working for Nishimura & Asahi (Singapore) LLP in 2012. Since then, he has supported numerous clients with their M&A transactions, finance, and general corporate matters in the ASEAN region, especially in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. He has significant expertise in public M&As in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

She has a strong track record of representing domestic and overseas clients before the Courts and Patent Offices in Patent, Trademark and other IP disputes and proceedings, including a case that resulted in the first Grand Panel Decision of the IP High Court in Japan. In addition, she has been involved in IP transactions for business development, including license franchising, and corporate projects with Brand & IP strategies. She has been a committee member of the Industrial Structure Council of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan, a member of the special consulting committee for the Minister of METI, and a director of the Japan Trademark Association. In addition, she oversees many lecturers at IP seminars sponsored by bar associations, patent attorney associations, the Japan Intellectual Property Association, etc.

Yusuke has a wealth of experience in the areas of capital raising by corporations, the formation of investment funds, and investments in investment funds, in transactions of all sizes, both domestically and internationally. In the field of capital raising, he has an extensive and excellent track record in the issuance of shares by financially distressed listed companies. In regard to fund formation and fund investment, he is constantly involved in numerous transactions, and advises not only on the legal aspects of those transactions, but also on market standards. He also provides advice on a wide range of financial regulations, including those in new fields such as fintech. His advice includes providing guidance on registering or filing notifications required for conducting finance-related business, analyzing new finance-related businesses, and establishing/reviewing the internal compliance rules/systems of his clients. Recently, he has become more involved in blockchain- and token-related matters, including not only those in the finance sector, such as fundraising by issuing crypto assets, listing crypto assets on domestic and foreign exchanges, and other crypto asset-related transactions, but also those in areas outside the finance sector.

Yuji has been practicing in Singapore for more than ten years, since he was seconded to the Singapore branch of a Japanese financial institution. He advises Japanese financial institutions and regional headquarters of multinational corporations in Singapore and start-up companies on cross-border transactions inside and outside of South East Asia. With finance knowledge and experience, he handles a wide range of matters, including general corporate, business alliances, equity investment, finance transactions, joint ventures, startup investment, fund formation such as variable capital companies (VCC) and family offices, real estate investment, personal data, compliance and cross-border disputes. He graduated from a business school in the UK and provides flexible and creative solutions to his clients from a multifaceted point of view.

Tomoki’s practice covers various corporate crisis management matters such as product defects, breach of industrial regulations including GMP, misleading representations of products, divulging confidential information, window-dressing, misrepresentation of financial statements, insider trading, antitrust (bid rigging, price cartels, and abuse of dominant position), bribery, and misconduct by executives and employees. He provides tailored legal services (investigation, creating a relapse prevention plan, defending against criminal and administrative investigations, public relations, handling the related civil, criminal and administrative litigation, etc.) in a timely and flexible manner. He also has advised many companies in building effective whistle blowing systems and anti-bribery compliance programs, and has assisted with due diligence procedures from a compliance perspective.
After a secondment to a South Korean law firm from 2016 to 2017, he supports South Korean clients on their expansion and business development strategies in Japan.

Based in Singapore since April 2014, Tomoro's areas of expertise include general corporate matters and M&A, disputes, labor and crisis management cases in Singapore, Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries. He strives to deepen his knowledge and understanding of the distinct language/culture/regulations/commercial practices, and believes that communication is the key in any project. He regularly speaks in compliance seminars for the branch offices and the subsidiaries of his clients.