Baker & McKenzie (Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise) welcomes new partner Kensaku Takase, a Registered Foreign Lawyer (gaikokuho jimu bengoshi) who joined the Tokyo office as of January 5.  Mr. Takase will be working as a member of the Intellectual Property/ Information Technology/ Electronic Commerce (IP/IT/EC) group and will mainly be involved with cross-border IP matters, having vast experience in the field of intellectual property rights and information technology.

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Latham & Watkins represented eight export credit agencies from Japan, Australia, Korea, France, Germany and The Netherlands, and a syndicate of 24 commercial lenders, on a $20 billion project financing of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Australia sponsored by Inpex Corporation and Total SA.

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Global law firm White & Case LLP has represented US-based Qualcomm Incorporated in its investment of up to US$120 million in Sharp Corporation, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The deal signed on December 4, 2012.

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Paul Hastings, a leading global law firm, announced today that it is representing CLSA Capital Partners, the alternative asset management arm of CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, Asia’s leading independent brokerage and investment group, on its sale of Japanese direct marketing company of health supplement products Everlife Co., Ltd to Korean public company LG Household & Healthcare.

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The Firm recently represented the joint international managers in connection with the initial public offering of Daiwa House REIT Investment Corporation on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, which included an international offering to institutional investors pursuant to Rule 144A and Regulation S. The offering raised approximately ¥54 billion (US$675 million) which was used together with bank financing to acquire an initial portfolio of assets for the J-REIT. Morgan Stanley, Nomura Securities and UBS acted as joint international managers for the offering.

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Simmons & Simmons in association with TMI Associates has advised Japanese technological firm Kuroda Precision Industries (“Kuroda”) on its acquisition of the Jena Tec division of Avingtrans Plc.

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Building on its finance and corporate strength in Asia, Bingham McCutchen LLP has added Steve Lewis as a partner in the firm’s Japanese Practice Group and Financial Services Area in Tokyo.

Lewis joins Bingham’s Tokyo office from Herbert Smith LLP, where he founded and spent 10 years as managing partner of that firm’s Tokyo office. Lewis has guided clients in large mergers, acquisitions, investments and energy transactions across a wide variety of industry sectors in Japan. He has worked for many Japanese companies, including Sumitomo, Mitsui, Itochu, NTT DoCoMo and INPEX, and with major U.K. and EU corporations in Japan.

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Paul Hastings, a leading global law firm, announced today that it is advising MISUMI Group Inc., (“MISUMI”) on its US$200 million acquisition of all shares in the largest die components maker in the U.S., Dayton Progress Corporation (“Dayton”) and the components business (“AD Components Business”) of Canada’s The Anchor Danly Company. Both companies are owned by Connell Limited Partnership of Boston.

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Leading international law firm Clifford Chance has advised Hokuetsu Kishu Paper Company, Ltd on its purchase of Financiere Bernard Dumas SAS and its subsidiary Bernard Dumas SAS, a French-based paper company specialising in the glass micro-fibre sheet business.

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Morrison & Foerster is pleased to announce that leading Japanese real estate finance lawyer Masahiro Shiga has joined Ito Mitomi Horitsu Jimusho (“Ito & Mitomi”) as a partner. Ito & Mitomi has established a joint enterprise with Morrison & Foerster to provide legal services through its Tokyo office. Mr. Shiga joined together with associates Mori Inada and Mansu Pak; their arrival enhances what is already the premier real estate practice among international law firms in Japan.

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