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Nishimura & Asahi to Launch Offices in London and Brussels, Strengthening Operational Capacity in Europe

- Offering Strategic Legal Services to Japanese and Asian Companies -

October 15, 2024
Nishimura & Asahi

Nishimura & Asahi is pleased to announce the further strengthening of its operations in Europe, with the opening of offices in London and Brussels by early 2025. The firm’s presence in London, a global center for M&A and finance and a hub for Japanese companies entering Europe, and Brussels, the center of EU policies and regulations, hold critical importance in providing the optimal support for our clients.

Our London office will be led by Partner Yoshiyuki Kizu, who has extensive experience in cross-border M&A. The Brussels office will be led by Partner Kojiro Fujii, who specializes in antitrust law/competition law, international trade law, digital regulation, and public policy. The new offices will be staffed by both Japanese lawyers, who have extensive knowledge of international projects and an understanding of the needs of Japanese companies, and local lawyers, who have substantial experience in European legal practice. As a Japanese, Asia-based law firm, the expansion of operations in Europe, including enhanced collaboration with our existing offices in Frankfurt and Dusseldorf, is a pioneering initiative.

■ Background and Aim of Expansion
The launch of these new offices is intended to strengthen client support for M&A matters and projects relating to Europe, ensure compliance with European regulations and policies, and position us to give strategic advice aligning with regional policies. As regulatory compliance increasingly impacts corporate operations globally, Nishimura & Asahi aims to provide borderless strategic legal services that encompass perspectives across Japan, the US, Europe, and Asia, for Japanese and other Asian companies.

Since 2020, our Frankfurt and Dusseldorf offices have provided a wide range of legal services to Japanese companies operating in Europe in areas including corporate law, M&A, supply chain regulations, due diligence, and GDPR.

In recent years, particularly in Brussels, we have witnessed rapid changes in competition and international economic laws, as well as updates to policies and regulations around sustainability and data protection. These changes are expected to affect not only companies operating in the region, but the corporate behavior of companies worldwide. London continues to maintain its reputation as a hub in European M&A and finance even after BREXIT, where the demand for expert legal services continues to increase.
It is in the context of these developments that we are opening offices in London and Brussels. We will meet the growing demand for legal services from our clients in the region, enabling us to quickly react to legislative policies and regulatory trends. In addition to our four offices in Europe, Nishimura & Asahi will promote close collaboration within our global network by leveraging the respective legal fields and industrial sector coverage of our offices in Asia, with the aim of realizing higher-quality client support throughout Europe.

■ Our New Offices
● London
Many European businesses operated by Japanese companies are headquartered in London. We will provide legal services focusing on cross-border M&A, corporate, and financial transactions in not only the UK, but Europe as a whole. Our initial London team includes both Japanese lawyers and a locally qualified lawyer with extensive experience.

Comment from Yoshiyuki Kizu, Representative, London Office
Beginning with the opening of our two offices in Germany in 2020, we have been committed to providing high-quality legal services to our Japanese clients doing business in Europe. The opening of an office in London, where numerous Japanese companies operate their European headquarters, is part of our efforts to strengthen our operations to meet the increasingly diverse and complex demands in the region. In this way, we will provide high-value-add services.
In addition, through the establishment of these offices in London and Brussels, we are committed to providing expert legal services to support our clients operating globally by closely linking our 21 offices within Nishimura & Asahi.

● Brussels
Considering Brussels’s position at the center of EU policies and regulations, our office will serve as a base for matters relating to EU competition law, international trade law, sustainability, digital, and related public policies. Our Brussels team will include both Japanese lawyers and European qualified lawyers with extensive local experience.

Comment from Kojiro Fujii, Representative, Brussels Office
Our new office, strategically located in the European regulatory hub of Brussels, is home to a number of key institutions including the European Commission. Brussels is an influential city for global corporate trends, where our experienced lawyers in the region will be based. Nishimura & Asahi already has many experienced professionals in the areas of competition law and international trade law in Japan and the Asia-Pacific, but going forward we will work closely with our London office to strengthen our response capabilities in Europe and globally. In addition, we will be able to promptly ascertain changes and developments in EU legal policies and regulations, especially in the areas of sustainability, digital regulation, and data protection. Ultimately, we aim to provide top-tier legal advice while organically collaborating with the Nishimura & Asahi network and local law firms.

Yoshiyuki Kizu, partner at Nishimura & Asahi
Yoshiyuki Kizu is a seasoned cross-border deal lawyer, as well as a leading partner of our European practice and cross-border team. He provides insightful legal advice in a timely and flexible manner by leveraging his experience of working at leading firms in Germany, France, and Italy. In addition, his practice covers European related M&A transactions, and day-to-day commercial business transactions. He has been recognized for his work both internationally and domestically in leading publications and awards including Legal 500 and Client Choice Awards (Lexology).

Kojiro Fujii, partner at Nishimura & Asahi
Kojiro Fujii specializes in a wide range of areas, including competition law, international trade law, digital regulation and public policy. He has received numerous awards and recognitions from major media such as Chambers, Nikkei, The Financial Times, and Asian Legal Business, for his work. In addition to his career at Nishimura &Asahi, he has worked for the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry and at an international law firm in Washington DC. He also has served as an expert member of various commissions as well as study groups of the Japanese government.

For further information, please contact:
Public Relations Department, Nishimura & Asahi (Gaikokuho Kyodo Jigyo)
Otemon Tower, 1-1-2, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8124
Tel: 03 6250 6201 (Direct) E-mail: info@nishimura.com

People

藤井 康次郎

Kojiro Fujii specializes in the fields of competition law and international trade law. He also covers emerging areas of digital policy/regulations and public policy/regulations, such as those related to sustainability. His expertise in these areas is frequently recognized by international and domestic legal publications. Kojiro also is regularly ranked by Chambers (Band 1 International Trade, Japan and Band 2 TMT, Japan) and Who’s Who Legal (Competition). He achieved the highest ranking in the “International Trade and Economic Security” category of Nikkei’s “Most successful lawyers” (as voted by Japanese companies and peer lawyers) in 2022; he was recognized by Asian Legal Business as one of the Top 15 Technology, Media and Telecommunications Lawyers in Asia in 2023; and he was shortlisted for the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards Asia-Pacific as the Most Innovative Practitioner for his work covering those areas in 2024.

In addition to his career at N&A, he served as the deputy director of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, where he handled several important WTO disputes on behalf of the Japanese government. He also worked at a highly reputable international law firm in Washington DC, where he focused on antitrust matters.

木津 嘉之

Yoshi’s practice covers various M&A transactions, cross border deals, and day-to-day commercial businesses, with a focus on Europe-related matters. He lived in Europe approx. 8 years including studying at the master of law at UCL in London, working approx. 3 years in leading firms in Frankfurt, Paris and Italy, a short secondment in Barcelona/Madrid and having regular business trips all across Europe including the Netherlands, Nordic countries and Eastern Europe. As a leading partner of Europe practice and cross-border team, Yoshi provides a tailored legal services in a timely and flexible manner.