Nishimura & Asahi has expanded its overseas network in Europe with the scheduled launch of new offices in London and Brussels, boosting its outposts in the continent to four after those in Frankfurt and Düsseldorf.
“The launch of these new offices is intended to strengthen client support for M&A matters and projects relating to Europe, ensure compliance with European regulations and policies, and position us to give strategic advice aligning with regional policies,” the firm said.
The opening of the two offices, which is scheduled to take place by early next year, comes about four years after the firm made its first foray into Europe with the setup of offices in Frankfurt and Düsseldorf. Through its branches in Germany, Nishimura has been advising Japanese companies on their European operations in areas including corporate law, M&A and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) since 2020.
The London office, which will be led by partner Yoshiyuki Kizu who specialises in cross-border M&A, will focus on transactions in both the UK and Europe in areas such as cross-border M&A, corporate and financial transactions. In its initial operational period, a team of Japanese attorneys and a locally qualified lawyer will operate from the new office.
The opening of the Brussels office, which would be headed by partner Kojiro Fujii who specialises in various areas including antitrust and international trade laws, reflected recent rapid changes, seen particularly in the Belgian capital, in competition and international economic laws, as well as updated policies and regulations concerning sustainability and data protection, the firm said. The new office, through a team of Japanese attorneys and European qualified lawyers, will advise on matters relating to EU competition law, international trade law, sustainability and related public policies.
“We will work closely with our London office to strengthen our response capabilities in Europe and globally. We will be able to promptly ascertain changes and developments in EU legal policies and regulations, especially in the areas of sustainability, digital regulation, and data protection,” said Fujii.
Besides its four European branches, Nishimura also runs an office in New York that launched in 2018.
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