Practical Law Global Guide 2024: Public Mergers and Acquisitions - Japan

Takefumi Sato is a partner in the M&A and general corporate practice groups at Nishimura & Asahi. He has represented clients in various M&A transactions and other kinds of domestic and cross-border commercial transactions. His broad M&A experience includes business mergers and strategic alliances involving listed companies and going-private transactions via cash-out schemes, management buyouts, and joint ventures, and covers a wide range of industries such as manufacturing and financial services. He has also advised companies on defending against unsolicited bids and hostile takeover attempts. In addition, he has a wealth of expertise in matters related to the Companies Act and the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and has frequently counseled clients on corporate governance matters, including advising on shareholders meetings and providing support for business judgments. He also lectures and publishes in these areas. Moreover, he has recently expanded his practice to emerging legal issues in situations requiring difficult business decisions.

Akihisa is a partner in our M&A team. He handles many domestic and international M&As, business alliances including JVs, business succession, equity finance, and hostile takeovers. He has abundant practical experience for both listed and unlisted companies and wide range of company sizes and transaction types, knowledge of cutting-edge practical trends and laws and regulations, and the ability to respond flexibly and hands-on.
In addition, he active in start-up finance support, IPO support, and daily legal support.
Recently, using the network and knowledge cultivated through studying abroad in Europe and the United States, he also deals with sustainability-related topics such as sustainable finance, including ESG investment and impact investment, social enterprise, B Corp certification, and social IPO.