Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu
is one of the “Big 4” law firms in Japan. Established in 2000, the firm now has nearly 600 lawyers and seven offices outside Japan including New York, Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Jakarta and Shanghai.
Highlights
The firm is well known for its integrated full-service capabilities, especially equipped with expertise in the corporate, finance and real estate market. With years of experience, the firm has gathered flexible teams of lawyers with extensive expertise both domestically and internationally covering a wide range of legal specialty areas that collaborate to handle cases expeditiously and efficiently.
In the past year, the Banking team has continued to offer legal advice on loans, credit transactions, structured and acquisition finance, project and real estate finance. Additionally, the team advice on Japan's banking laws, draft documents, manage securitization, and advise on bankruptcy risks, also representing clients in finance disputes. Highlights include advised Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation on the USD 5.33 billion acquisition financing for the management buyout of Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings.
In the capital markets, the firm has advised major financial groups and corporations, including Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho, and Sumitomo Mitsui, on significant transactions since January 2023.
The project team was active in advising renewable energy projects, hydrogen projects, corporate power purchase agreements, carbon credit transactions, as well as green bond/finance transactions, showcasing a commitment to climate and carbon reduction strategies.
The firm promoted partners Eiji Miyagi, Takahiro Kitagawa, Kaori Sugimoto, Yu Tamura, and Yoshitaka Kato in 2024. Recent highlight includes advised Global initial public offering of common stock of Integral Corporation, which was the first-ever IPO by a private equity fund management company in Japan.
Key Clients
Key clients of the firm include Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings, Toshiba Corporation, JERA, SoftBank Corp., Bain Capital, CVC Capital Partners, Mizuho Bank, and The Tokyo Electric Generation Company.
Testimonials
Asset Finance
“They know much about our company especially in terms of internal process, timeline and points that we really care about in the documentation.”
Banking and Finance
“Accumulated know-how on Japanese electric utility policy, accumulated know-how on Japanese antitrust policy.”
“They understood our situation and ultimate goal that we would like to achieve and provided us legally accurate and highly strategic advice.”
Financial Services Regulatory
“Their serves are beyond our expectation - very practical and persuasive based on deep understanding of relevant regulations and our businesses.”
Investment funds
“Their expertise and guidance were instrumental in setting up the fund efficiently and effectively.”
Leveraged Finance
“The speed and quality for documentation is really good.”
Project Finance
“One of the top law firms in Japan. Strong in electricity and gas business regulation.”
“Their ability to work closely with clients including their response speed, and risk management when starting a new structure.”
Project Development
“The advice is detailed to the point of not being noticed by our company's legal team and has been very helpful in our decision-making process for participation in investments in projects. In addition, when we have questions with this firm, we get quicker and clearer answers than with other firms.”
Jiro Mikami
“Always give us advice with good speed and quality.”
“Jiro Mikami excels in several areas that greatly benefit our business. Firstly, his deep understanding of our business ensures that we receive advice that is both insightful and not overly conservative. This allows us to make informed decisions that are aligned with our goals while mitigating unnecessary risks. Secondly, Mikami consistently provides timely responses to our requests. This quick turnaround time enables us to address issues promptly, thereby avoiding delays in our operations and decision-making processes. Lastly, Mikami's expertise makes him an excellent choice as a speaker for seminars hosted by our organization. His ability to convey complex legal concepts in a clear and engaging manner ensures that attendees gain valuable insights and understanding during these events.”
“He is a specialist in project finance, and finance contracts in general. He is great at client management. He prioritized our business by reviewing the important finance contracts within a day, which saved our business (and our client). He is someone all the developers and fund managers should rely on.”
Kei Okubo
“Enterprise-wide advice.”
“Good degree of understanding of our business.”
Kiyoshi Honda
“Well done in Power transmission and distribution projects, development and project financing of renewable energy power generation projects (mega solar, wind, biomass) and thermal power generation projects, power retailing projects, environmental law-related projects (including ESG investment, emissions trading, etc.) Real estate securitization and securitization projects.”
Shu Sasaki
“He has deep understating of Japanese banking regulations.”
Terukazu Katsuyama
“I believe he is the best lawyer in the world since he knows our group best. He always cares about the points that seem to be complicated and gives instruction to his associates appropriately from time to time.”
Yasuhiro Kasahara
“He is to the point and highly strategic.”
