Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP — Japan

About

- Asia-Pacific - Chairman, Executive Committee: Alden Millard - Administrative Partners: Alexandra Kaplan, Jonathan Karen - Co-Heads of Asia Practice: Ian Ho, Adam Furber - Head of China Practice: Christopher Wong - Asia Pacific Offices: Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo International Offices: Boston, Brussels, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, Palo Alto, São Paulo and Washington, DC ### Firm Overview Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is widely recognised as one of the preeminent law firms in the world. Named “Best Law Firm” in Asia at FinanceAsia’s 2021 Achievement Awards, the firm devotes to its clients the legal talent and skill of approximately 1,500 lawyers with a commitment to hard work, excellence and integrity. The firm has a strong track record in representing leading Asian and global companies, financial institutions and investment firms on significant and complex capital markets, banking and cross-border M&A transactions involving Greater China, Japan, South Korea, India, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and around the globe. The Asian investment funds team reflects the strength of the firm’s preeminent private funds practice globally. Through its Asia litigation practice group, the firm provides its Asia-based clients with a comprehensive offering of litigation services, including antitrust, IP, international arbitration, securities and government and internal investigation matters. The firm advises on Hong Kong local law in addition to US and English law. Many attorneys in Asia are native speakers of Mandarin Chinese, Japanese or Korean and have considerable transaction experience throughout the region. ### Main Areas of Practice - ■ Capital Markets - ■ M&A & Private Equity - ■ Banking & Credit - ■ Real Estate - ■ Investment Funds - ■ Litigation ### Capital Markets Simpson Thacher is a leader in capital markets transactions worldwide. With a uniquely balanced practice, representing both issuers and underwriters, the firm enjoys a premier standing in advising on IPOs and other equity capital markets transactions, as well as high yield debt, convertible debt and investment grade offerings. Clients rely on Simpson Thacher’s mastery of intricate deal structuring and its experience across the full spectrum of products and industries. The firm was named a "Capital Markets Practice Group of the Year" by Law360 in eight of the past nine years. ### M&A & Private Equity Simpson Thacher has been repeatedly recognized as one of the leading M&A practices in Asia with premier expertise and experience in a variety of public and private M&A transactions, including acquisitions, minority investments, mergers, take-private transactions, PIPEs, leveraged buy-outs, and joint ventures. Simpson Thacher is also the world’s leading legal advisor in the private equity sector. Since the earliest days of private equity, clients have sought Simpson Thacher’s advice across the spectrum of private equity activity and the firm continues to be the firm of choice for many of the world’s most sophisticated private equity firms. Simpson Thacher’s scale and depth give it insight into the needs of every participant in private equity transactions: private equity sponsors, senior bank lenders, subordinated and bridge lenders, management and financial investors and underwriters. The firm was named "M&A Practice Group of the Year" by Law360 in 2022 and has been named a "Private Equity Practice Group of the Year" by Law360 for twelve consecutive years. ### Banking & Credit Named “Banking and Finance Firm of the Year” in Asia at Law.com International’s 2023 Asia Legal Awards, Simpson Thacher counsels clients on their most sophisticated credit transactions and financial instruments at all levels of the corporate capital structure. The firm’s banking & credit practices focus on many areas of the bank and syndicated lending market, including: leveraged finance, acquisition finance, including bridge financing, investment grade finance, fund finance and project and energy finance. The team also excel in structuring and executing innovative and complex direct lending solutions. ### Real Estate Simpson Thacher’s real estate practice spans all areas of the real estate industry, including sophisticated real estate finance, sales and acquisitions, restructurings, real estate development, joint ventures, co-investments and partnerships. The firm’s synthesis of real estate experience with its leading corporate practices — M&A, capital markets, banking and restructuring — allows the firm to offer institutional real estate investors a single source of advice for their most complex real estate matters. ### Investment Funds Simpson Thacher has one of the world’s pre-eminent private funds practices. The practice is global in scope and covers funds with a wide variety of investment criteria, including buyout, hedge, real estate, energy/infrastructure, credit, secondary, growth, venture capital, fund-of-funds and other types of funds pursuing ‘alternative investment’ strategies. The team provides comprehensive advice to many of the world’s best-known institutional alternative asset managers, as well as smaller first-time funds and independent boutiques. The firm was named “Investment Funds Firm of the Year” by Law.com International’s Asia Legal Awards in 2022. ### Litigation Clients seek the advice of our Asia litigation practice for competition litigation, government and internal investigations, intellectual property litigation, international arbitration and securities litigation. The firm offers a substantial bench of talent, including many who are fluent in Chinese, Japanese or Korean, to resolve a wide array of legal issues. Clients rely on our ability to obtain successful, cost-effective outcomes, and appreciate our understanding of the interplay of economic, legal and cultural issues arising in litigation, arbitration and investigation matters.

Office locations

Practice areas

Lawyers in this office

David Azcue

David Azcue is a Partner in Simpson Thacher's Tokyo office, and co-heads the Firm's Private Funds Practice in Japan. He joined the Firm in 2006 and has spent 16 years in the Firm’s Tokyo office and 2 years in the Firm’s Beijing office. David’s practice focuses on advising fund sponsors in connection with all aspects of fundraising across a broad range of asset classes, co-investments, GP stakes, and secondary transactions. He also advises sponsors on structuring, financing, operations, and other related matters. He represented many of the leading sponsors and asset managers in Japan and across Asia. David has also been a speaker and moderator at various conferences, including the Fund Finance Associates (FFA) Japan and APAC Symposium in 2024, and frequently writes about private equity trends and developments in Asia. · Private Funds

David Snowden

David Snowden is a Partner in Simpson Thacher’s Tokyo office. Since joining the Firm’s Tokyo office in 2010, David has worked with both Japanese issuers and international underwriters on a wide range of complex and significant securities offerings, including global IPOs by Japanese issuers, Rule 144A/Regulation S international debt and equity offerings, public offerings in the United States as well as debt tender offers, across several industries. His recent representations include Rigaku Holdings Corporation, Kokusai Electric Corporation and Skymark Airlines in their IPOs, Asahi Group Holdings and Japan Airlines in their follow-on offerings, as well as The Norinchukin Bank and Suntory Holdings in their notes offerings. · Capital Markets

Makiko Harunari

Head of Simpson Thacher’s Asia Banking and Credit Practice, Makiko concentrates on complex cross-border financing transactions throughout the Asia-Pacific region and advises a varied roster of prominent financial sponsors, corporate borrowers and international financial institutions. Her practice includes a broad mix of acquisition finance, real estate finance, fund finance, private credit, hybrid equity, back-leverage and other innovative financing products and continues to grow restructuring capabilities. Makiko has extensive industry experience across real estate, infrastructure, data centers, healthcare and industrials. · Acquisition Finance