The Legal 500

Within Independent local firms, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is a first tier firm,

Anderson Mori & Tomotsune shines on the regulatory side but also packs a punch in syndicated lending and transactional work. Among the names to note, Isao Shindo is recommended as a ‘securities specialist’, Satoshi Inoue is known for structured finance matters, and ‘star partner’ Tatsu Katayama is widely considered as ‘one of the top derivative lawyers in Japan’. Recent highlights include advising the borrowers on the $80m LBO financing for the MBO of Japan Automobile Auction.

Within Independent local firms, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is a first tier firm,

Anderson Mori & Tomotsune continues to garner some of the most high-profile deals in the market, regularly advising both issuers and underwriters on the Japanese aspects of major cross-border transactions. Akiko Kimura is a ‘real capital markets specialist’, and advised Nomura Holdings on the Japanese aspects of its $3bn issuance of US dollar senior notes. Hironori Shibata is also a noted name and acted as Japanese counsel for the underwriters on the $12.2bn demutalisation, offering and listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange of shares of common stock in Daiichi Life Insurance Company.

Within Independent local firms, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is a first tier firm,

Anderson Mori & Tomotsune’s corporate practice is ‘justifiably thought of as among the top four in the country’, with M&A, private equity and equity capital markets all strong areas. Osamu Hirakawa is a ‘genuine corporate specialist’, the ‘highly commercial and responsive’ Masaakira Kitazawa is strong on the finance side, and Tsutomu Miyano is well known for his work in the telecoms field. In a major deal, the firm acted as Japanese counsel to VeriSign on the $1.3bn sale of its identity services business to Symantec. Other representative clients include Kagawa Bank, Mitsubishi Logistics and Nissin Healthcare Food Service Company.

Within Independent local firms, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is a second tier firm,

Anderson Mori & Tomotsune secured a number of high-profile financial services-related instructions over the past twelve months cementing its reputation as ‘the “go-to” firm for banking and finance work’. Hiroki Wakabayashi specialises in advising both domestic and multinational financial institutions and audit corporations on a broad range of commercial disputes, and Yoshimasa Furuta is a ‘great all-rounder’ with a strong international arbitration practice and a solid corporate client list. The firm successfully defended a financial institution in a ¥2bn claim arising from a terminated derivatives transaction.

Within Independent local firms, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is a third tier firm,

Anderson Mori & Tomotsune fields a solid all-round team that can call on the services of patent litigation specialists Yasufumi Shiroyama and Yoshikazu Iwase, as well as soft IP partners Satoshi Miyagaki and Shigeyoshi Ezaki. The firm acts for major domestic and multinational clients and has particular experience across the healthcare, consumer electronics and pharmaceutical sectors.

Within Legal market overview,

With regard to local firms, ‘The Big Four’ - Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu and Nishimura & Asahi continue to dominate the market, but there can be no room for complacency, particularly this year as firms clamour to strengthen their practices. In a major coup, ambitious local firm Atsumi & Sakai hired an eight-lawyer team from local rival TMI Associates in October 2010. In particular, the arrival of structured finance specialist Yutaka Sakai was significant enough to warrant a new addition to the firm’s masthead, which saw the firm change it’s name from Atsumi & Partners. Then in early 2011 Davis & Takahashi, the only full service Canadian law firm in Japan, hired a seven strong team from Atsumi & Sakai.

Within Independent local firms, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is a first tier firm,

Anderson Mori & Tomotsune has a leading reputation for PFI projects beginning with its involvement in the very first PFI in Japan. The firm specialises in advising on the public sector side of PFI deals, but it also has experience acting for lenders and contractors. Lawyers demonstrate a ‘market-leading breadth of knowledge’ and regularly handle projects in the telecoms, health, prisons and energy sectors. Takashi Akahane and Reiji Takahashi are the main contacts and are well-known in the market.

Within Independent local firms, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is a first tier firm,

The team at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is ‘experienced and knowledgeable’, and includes finance partner Isao Shindo, securitisation specialist Tatsu Katayama, and funds partner Minoru Kobayashi, who is recommended for his ‘good understanding of business needs’. The firm excels on the capital markets side and recently advised the joint global coordinators, and the public offering without listing (POWL) managers, on Global Logistics Properties’ $2.7bn Singapore IPO and public offering in Japan. Other notable transactions included advising Aozora Bank on the $1.85bn refinancing of the Shiba Park Building in Tokyo.

Within Independent local firms, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is a second tier firm,

At Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Isao Shindo provides a ‘valuable insight into structured finance in Japan’ and is held in high esteem for his ‘strong international experience’. The firm advised Sumitomo Life Insurance Company and its SPC, on the $859m Sumitomo Life Foundation Funds Securitisation.

Within Independent local firms, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is a first tier firm,

Anderson Mori & Tomotsune’s practice handles a healthy balance of corporate support, tax planning and contentious work. Among recent matters, it successfully represented several companies in tax litigation against the Tax Agency. Lawyers are ‘prompt, well-informed and user-friendly’, with co-heads Koji Fujita and Eiichiro Nakatani singled out as for their ‘tremendous experience’.