Clifford Chance — Japan

About

- Managing Partner: Charles Adams - Senior Partner: Adrian Cartwright - Regional Managing Partner, Asia Pacific: Connie Heng ### Firm Overview Clifford Chance is a global law firm committed to creating advantage for its clients. The firm combines legal and commercial intelligence to grow, transform, protect and defend its clients’ business. Operating as a single, fully-integrated global partnership Clifford Chance provides forward-thinking insights and tech-enabled solutions in the sectors and markets that matter most to its clients. The firm’s culture of collaboration and commitment to rigorous and ethical standards, ensures consistent, high-quality service worldwide. ### Main areas of practice - Antitrust Our global network of over 200 antitrust lawyers covers all the key hubs of Europe, Asia Pacific, the US and the Middle East, enabling us to support our clients on their most complex and important antitrust matters across the world. Our antitrust teams work together to solve multinational antitrust issues, taking into account the interplay between different practices and rules, and always mindful of the practical implications antitrust issues may have on our clients' business. - Capital Markets We advise major market participants including leading financial institutions, corporates, governments and supranational organisations across the world as well as first time issuers and other new players in the capital markets. Our lawyers cover the whole spectrum of capital markets work including debt and equity transactions, structured debt, high yield and trusts. Alongside mainstream capital markets issuances in the major economies we work on benchmarking and other innovative transactions including in new frontier markets. With over 120 partners and a further 400 lawyers dedicated to capital markets, as well as close links with our finance, corporate and tax practices, we can quickly assemble cross-border teams who combine local and industry focus with international perspective to provide practical, integrated legal advice for all our clients' capital markets activities. - Corporate We advise clients on public and private M&A, disposals, demergers, joint ventures, restructurings, corporate governance and regulatory compliance, with a particular focus on complex, cross-border transactions. Our integrated team includes experts in antitrust/competition law, funds and investment management, insurance, private equity and public policy. Our clients include many of the world's leading companies including more than half of the Global Fortune 500. Our extensive global reach, combined with international deal execution skills and local market knowledge, provides clients with access to 200 partners and a further 500 lawyers with global and local capability. Our team also offers clients the combination of focused technical and industry expertise across 12 sectors from financial services through to energy & resources and healthcare. We are also supported by partners in our market leading finance, capital markets, litigation, tax, pensions, employment and real estate practices. - Energy Transition We advise clients on the full breadth of energy transition-related matters, ranging from project development, construction and financing to M&A and joint ventures, as well as providing detailed regulatory and tax advice. We are also well-positioned to advise and represent multinational clients in cross-border litigation, international arbitration, investigations and risk mitigation. Across the globe, our lawyers are routinely involved in many first-of-a-kind and award-winning transactions as we support our clients in their energy transition journey, across onshore and offshore wind, floating offshore wind, solar, carbon capture, clean hydrogen, battery storage, EV charging, grids, interconnection, carbon trading, digital infrastructure and new nuclear. - Finance We have an expert international finance practice. We act on many of the financial markets' ground-breaking deals and have become trusted advisers to the corporations and financial institutions that define the global markets. We advise on a full spectrum of financial products, including asset finance, corporate & investment grade lending, derivatives & structured finance, fintech, Islamic finance, leveraged & acquisition finance, projects & infrastructure finance, real estate finance, restructuring & insolvency, and trade, commodities & export finance. - Intellectual Property We advise on the IP aspects of our client’s most complex and business-critical projects, including contracts, technology adoption, transactions and disputes. Our team possesses a deep understanding of the intricacies of intellectual property law and its practical application in various industries. Whether your project is a standalone initiative or part of a larger transaction, we are equipped to navigate the complexities involved. We leverage our expertise to protect your innovations and maximise the value of your intellectual assets, ensuring that your business remains competitive and secure. - Litigation & Dispute Resolution Clifford Chance's global litigation & dispute resolution practice has around 500 lawyers based in the UK, Continental Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and the United States, who are experienced in the full spectrum of litigation, dispute resolution and regulatory issues that our clients face. Our highly qualified teams are focused on resolving high risk litigation, international arbitration and regulatory investigations. We are committed to resolving disputes as efficiently as possible and are focused on offering solutions that are practical and commercial. Our peers know that we are always prepared to proceed, however, and recognise our record in delivering results for clients in major litigation and arbitrations. Our credibility is also acknowledged by regulators and prosecutors, which assists with the effective resolution of investigations and other negotiations. - Real Estate Acting for the real estate industry's leading players, we advise on the full range of real estate-related transactions. With an integrated network of highly qualified individuals, we have the commitment, resources and know-how to get your deals done, whatever and wherever they are. Forward thinking and commercial in our approach, with a proven ability to deliver complex deals, we handle the entire property 'life-cycle' from the initial acquisition, development, leasing, joint venturing and financing through to the final exit. Our scale, geographical reach and seamless, coordinated approach means that we can support any real estate project. - Sustainability and ESG We provide support as businesses pursue the opportunities presented by the exponential growth of sustainable finance and investment opportunities, action on emissions, climate tech, innovation and infrastructure to facilitate the energy transition, and the promotion of human rights, talent and diversity in the workforce across businesses and supply chains. Core to business resilience in a time of change, are corporate governance frameworks that support coherent management of the opportunities and risks associated with a just transition to a carbon neutral or negative future. We advise clients internationally and locally as they incorporate ESG into business strategies and implement ESG in operations, supply chains and business relationships throughout value chains. We support businesses as they seek to transition to net zero and invest in new clean or low carbon businesses or products. We provide advice on comprehensive ESG management, implementing net zero strategies, identifying risks and obligations such an increasing reporting disclosure and due diligence requirements on ESG matters, to assistance with litigation, dispute and reputation risks arising from ESG, where effective stakeholder engagement is increasingly paramount. - Tax, Pensions, Employment and Incentives Unlike many competitors, we have offices with tax expertise across the globe and with over 170 tax advisors worldwide, we possess one of the largest international tax groups of any single law firm. We deliver commercial advice across the full spectrum of international and domestic tax issues and have unparalleled experience in advising on cross-border transactions. Our experienced employment, incentives and pensions specialists work with clients from a wide range of sectors to address local and cross-border issues. - Asia Pacific offices: Perth, Sydney, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore ### International offices - Abu Dhabi: Tel: +971 2 419 2500 - Amsterdam: Tel: +31 20 711 9000 - Barcelona: Tel: +34 93344 2200 - Beijing: Tel: +86 10 6505 9018 - Brussels: Tel: +32 2 533 5911 - Bucharest*: Tel: +40 21 666 6100 - Casablanca: Tel: +212 5201 3 2080 - Delhi: Tel: +91 (0) 124 401 7300 - Dubai: Tel: +971 4 362 0444 - Düsseldorf: Tel: +49 211 43 550 - Frankfurt: Tel: +49 69 71 9901 - Hong Kong: Tel: +852 2825 8888 - Houston: Tel: +1 713 821 2800 - Istanbul: Tel: +90 212 339 0001 - London: Tel: +44 20 7006 1000 - Luxembourg: Tel: +352 48 50 501 - Madrid: Tel: +34 91 590 7500 - Milan: Tel: +39 02 806 341 - Munich: Tel: +49 8921 6320 - Newcastle: Tel: +442070061000 - New York: Tel: +1 212 878 8000 - Paris: Tel: +33 1 44 05 52 52 - Perth: Tel: +61 8 9262 5555 - Prague**: Tel: +420222555222 - Riyadh***: Tel: +966 1 478 0220 - Rome: Tel: +39 06 422 911 - São Paulo: Tel: +55 11 3049 3188 - Shanghai: Tel: +86 21 6335 0086 - Singapore: Tel: +65 6410 2200 - Sydney: Tel: +61 2 8922 8000 - Tokyo: Tel: +81 3 5561 6600 - Warsaw: Tel: +48 22 627 1177 - Washington DC: Tel: + 1 202 912 5000 *Clifford Chance has entered into an association agreement with Clifford Chance Badea SPRL in Bucharest. **Clifford Chance has entered into an association agreement with Clifford Chance Prague Association S.R.O. in Prague. - ***AS&H Clifford Chance, a joint venture entered into by Clifford Chance LLP ### Staffing Figures - 99 Number of partners - 554 Number of other fee-earners

Office locations

Practice areas

Lawyers in this office

Chihiro Ashizawa

Chihiro Ashizawa specialises in capital markets, investment management and financial regulatory advice. · Capital Markets

Eiichi Kanda

Eiichi Kanda specialises in real estate including investment, finance, development, funds, asset management and securitisation. Eiichi also advises both borrowers and lenders on structured financing, joint ventures and cross-border alliances between foreign and Japanese entities. · Real Estate

Hans Menski

Hans Menski advises on cross-border oil & gas, power and infrastructure projects transactions, with particular expertise in first-of-a-kind project developments and complex, multi-source financings. Based in Tokyo, Hans acts for borrowers, sponsors and financiers on their international energy and infrastructure projects investments in a range of sectors including thermal and renewable power, refining and petrochemicals, oil & gas, mining and LNG. He also advises on the acquisition and acquisition financing of power and infrastructure assets and on ECA-covered financings. Hans previously worked in London and Paris and is a member of Clifford Chance’s highly-regarded Worldwide Projects Group. · Energy & Natural Resources

Leng-Fong Lai

Leng-Fong Lai is the firm's Co-Managing Partner and the Head of Capital Markets Group in Tokyo and specialises in all forms of capital markets and structured finance instruments including receivables and other asset-backed securities, commercial mortgage-backed financings, structured MTNs, equity-linked and convertible securities, securities repackaging and other forms of securitised derivatives, hybrid securities, project bonds and other infrastructure financings. Leng-Fong also advises banks and sponsors on project and real estate finance and investments in Japan. · Capital Markets

Masafumi Shikakura

Masafumi Shikakura is a counsel and leads Clifford Chance’s antitrust practice in Tokyo. He specialises in antitrust law and foreign investment regulations and advises domestic and international companies on Japanese anti-monopoly law as well as Japanese regulations on foreign direct investments and sanctions. He handles multi-jurisdictional merger filing analyses and foreign direct investment filing analyses and coordination with local counsel in various jurisdictions for many transactions. Masafumi has also gained extensive experience in M&A transactions, in particular cross-border acquisitions and joint ventures. He has advised clients in power and energy, technology, healthcare and various industrial sectors. · Antitrust

Matthew Ball

Matthew is a counsel in the Clifford Chance Tokyo office, specialising in international debt and equity capital markets transactions, including, MTNs, convertible bonds, equity offerings and structured finance. Matthew also focuses on ESG products, risks and regulation and advises international companies on transactions in Japan. He has worked in London, Dubai and Tokyo advising issuers and managers in accessing and participating in international capital markets. · Capital Markets: Debt & Equity

Natsuko Sugihara

Natsuko Sugihara specialises in private M&A, cross-border transactions and joint ventures, acting for private equity clients as well as Japanese and foreign corporate clients on their domestic and cross-border transactions across a wide range of sectors. · Private M&A

Peter Harris

Peter Harris has helped multiple clients navigate cross-border business disputes through litigation, arbitration, mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. He regularly acts for clients in the energy, resources, construction and infrastructure sectors but also has recent experience of resolving disputes relating to tech, financial services, shipping and commodities. Peter is an experienced oral advocate who regularly appears before international tribunals. Peter also has experience sitting as an arbitrator. · Litigation

Reiko Sakimura

Reiko Sakimura specialises in international capital markets, including international debt and equity offerings, convertible bonds and other equity-linked securities, medium term note programmes, euro-commercial paper programmes, samurai bonds, regulatory capital, and corporate hybrid securities. Reiko acts for underwriter and issuer clients in respect of a wide variety of capital market transactions for Japanese issuers accessing international markets through Regulation S and Rule 144A offerings, as well as foreign issuers accessing the Japanese markets. · Capital Markets

Yoshiaki Shimizu

Yoshiaki Shimizu specialises in real estate finance, real estate investment, development, structured finance, general banking and fund regulations. · Real Estate Finance

Yusuke Abe

Yusuke Abe specialises in project finance, ECA finance, acquisition finance and other banking transactions, asset finance, real estate finance, derivatives and regulatory matters. Yusuke has worked in London and Hong Kong and is a member of Clifford Chance’s Worldwide Projects Group. · Project Finance