We are acclaimed in the Japanese market for our ability to create the innovative, cutting-edge structures required for today’s rapidly evolving domestic and multi-jurisdictional transactions – a key competitive advantage for our clients in the current climate.

Over the last 30 years, Linklaters has advised on many of Japan’s most significant transactions in the areas of mergers & acquisitions (including acquisition finance and general corporate advice); private equity, banking, projects, restructuring & insolvency, financial markets regulation, investment funds, capital markets (including derivatives & structured products, equity & debt capital markets and structured finance); and real estate (including real estate finance and securitisation of assets).

Recent significant transactions include advising:
  •  a consortium of 16 financial institutions, as original lenders on a ¥500bn margin loan to Hinode 1 GK (a wholly owned subsidiary of SoftBank Group). This is the largest margin loan ever to be secured over Japanese listed shares and is one of the largest ever in Asia.
  • NEXI and K-SURE on the c.US$3bn project financing of the Changfang and Xidao offshore wind farm project in Taiwan – the first Japan ECA financing in the Taiwan offshore wind sector.
  • Sandoz, a subsidiary of Novartis, on its c.€400m acquisition of the Japanese business of Aspen Pharmacare.
  • Macquarie Infrastructure Debt Investment Solutions in completing fundraising of US$645m for its Global Infrastructure Debt Fund.
  • Marubeni Corporation on the ¥100bn (approx. US$920m), 140MW offshore wind farms at Akita and Noshiro Ports in Akita. This is the first commercial scale offshore wind project in Japan.
  • the lead arranger, bookrunner and Bank New York Mellon Corporate Trustee Services as trustee and security trustee on the €20bn SMBC Covered Bond Programme for Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.
  • Takeda Pharmaceutical Company on its £46bn recommended offer for Shire – the largest ever outbound M&A deal by a Japanese company.
  • SoftBank Group on the US$93bn launch of the SoftBank Vision Fund – the world's largest ever private equity fund.
Our renowned experience is recognised by the market:

"With regard to derivatives-related matters, they have many experienced lawyers in the team and they are capable of handling global cases because they have a great global network"

Band 1 – Chambers Asia-Pacific 2020, Capital Markets, Asia and Euro Markets (International Firms): Japan

Best Law Firm – FinanceAsia Japan Achievement Awards (received seven of the 10 issued)

Asia Law Firm of the Year – PFI Awards 2019

Linklaters Tokyo is the business name of Gaikokuho Kyodo-Jigyo Horitsu Jimusho Linklaters, a firm organised under the Japanese Civil Code, which is affiliated to Linklaters LLP.