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    Establishment of the Japan Network for Public Interest Activities

Leading Japanese law firm Nishimura & Asahi has advised on the establishment of the Japan Network for Public Interest Activities (“JANPIA”), and its application for Designated Utilization Organization (“DUO”) status, based on Japan’s new law to promote the use of funds from dormant bank accounts for socially beneficial purposes.

On January 11, 2019 JANPIA received DUO designation, and Nishimura & Asahi became the legal advisor of JANPIA.

The Nishimura & Asahi team was led by Yo Ota, Norimitsu Yamamoto, Keita Yasuda, Toru Konishi, Yukihiro Sugiura and Kei Igawa.

People

太田 洋

Yo OTA

  • Partner
  • Tokyo

Mr. Ota has a breadth of practical international and domestic legal experience, focusing on the areas of hostile takeovers, shareholder activism, M&A transactions (including cross-border deals), corporate governance and other corporate matters, domestic / international Tax, personal information / data protection, and works on a wide range of corporate legal affairs. He was selected as the NIKKEI "Most Successful Lawyers in 2022" in the corporate law category (1st), the NIKKEI "Most Successful Lawyers in 2021" in the corporate law (excl. M&A) category (2nd), and also the NIKKEI "Most Successful Lawyers in 2020" in the M&A category (1st) and the corporate law category (3rd). In addition, he dedicates himself to research and writing activities that bridge academia and practice on cutting-edge issues related to the Companies Act, the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, tax law, the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, etc. He has edited and authored many books and papers, such as “Schemes and Tax Issues of M&A and Corporate Restructuring, 4th Ed.”, “Corpus Juris M&A - Completely Revised Edition (first volume) (second volume)”, “Handbook on Share Options (Fifth Edition)”, “Corpus Juris Series - Personal Information Protection Legislation (Global)”, “Handbook on Class Shares”, “Nuts and Shell of the 2019 Amendment of the Companies Act and Practical Response”, “Legal Issues and Practices of Virtual Shareholders’ Meeting”, etc.

山本 憲光

By leveraging his experience as a public prosecutor and as a drafting officer for the revision of the Commercial Code and the enactment of the Companies Act at the Civil Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, he handles a wide variety of corporate proceedings and fact-finding matters in both civil and criminal fields. In addition to obtaining a client’s acquittal in a large special negligence criminal case, he also has prevailed in various other proceedings, including derivative suits, stock purchase price cases, and other matters. He also specializes and has a wealth of experience in labor cases, including collective bargaining with labor unions, public interest corporations, whistle-blowing cases, maritime goods transportation legislation, and ship finance.

小西 透

Toru was seconded to the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission and Japan Exchange Regulation, a self-regulatory body commissioned by the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Osaka Exchange, where he was engaged in investigations related to violations of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law, including false disclosures, insider trading, and market manipulation. He has extensive experience in various regulations concerning listed companies, particularly those regulated by the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law. He is committed to maximizing the interests of clients from the early stages of disputes, including negotiations with regulatory authorities concerning violations of laws and regulations and negotiations between companies with highly contentious issues. In addition to advising clients on compliance systems under the Companies Act, Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, and regulations of Tokyo Stock Exchange, he also handles a wide range of corporate matters, including M&A, joint ventures and other corporate/commercial transactions, and disputes.

泰田 啓太

Keita has over 10 years of experience working as a prosecutor at the Public Prosecutors Office. During his time there, he worked on a wide variety of high profile criminal cases. He also has first-hand experience amending legislation in various areas of law, such as commercial law and corporation law. In regard to our corporate crisis management practice, clients value his extensive experience and ability to respond appropriately to a variety of medium to large scale corporate scandals. He also supports clients with internal investigations, rebuilding compliance systems, as well as reforming corporate governance, and advises companies on preventive measures they can take in order to avoid corporate scandals. Keita also has strong expertise in building corporate governance systems, advising on corporate M&A transactions, and supporting general meetings of shareholders. Due to his former role as a prosecutor and first-hand experience amending legislation, he is able to offer clients fast, flexible, and high-quality support.