Japan
With offices across the U.S. and abroad and relationships that transcend cultural and geographic boundaries, Holland & Knight attorneys are a trusted legal resource to serve Japanese businesses and their subsidiaries that are operating, or looking to establish operations, in the United States.
Holland & Knight's legal team has represented Japanese companies and financial institutions in a broad range of U.S. legal matters across a full range of transactions, investments and operational requirements. Comprehensive business planning, legal know-how and litigation skill facilitate single-firm representation for:
Representative Transactions
The best evidence of our corporate services lies in the scope of clients we serve and legal matters we have handled for Japanese clients in the areas of expanding their operations through investment, acquisition or development, including:
- the largest investor in a $1 billion Las Vegas resort development
- a venture capital investment in a U.S. software company
- a trading house launching and operating a domestic warehousing and distribution business in southern California
- an international restaurant chain expanding globally
- a real estate firm's $30 million purchase of a California hotel
- a retailer launching large scale operations in California
- U.S. legal counsel for a $4 billion yen bond offering in Japan secured by real property in the U.S.
- the acquisition of the non-U.S. assets and subsidiaries of a leading U.S. tobacco company for $8 billion (at the time the largest acquisition outside Japan by a Japanese company)
- worldwide and Japan-specific license agreements, joint development agreements, joint venture agreements and other agreements in the pharmaceutical and biotech field
- multiple acquisitions in the U.S. for a major Japanese chemical company
- the development of a U.S. manufacturing facility for a large Japanese food products company
- product liability litigation for the U.S. subsidiary of a leading tire company
- obtaining a $146 million judgment on behalf of a Japanese hotel developer in litigation resulting from a construction defect claim
Additionally, we have handled general corporate matters for a range of Japanese clients, across industries and business sectors, including:
- a financial services company in lending and loan restructuring matters
- pharmaceutical companies
- a manufacturer in the sale of rail cars
- a travel company
- food product companies
- real estate investment companies
- a tobacco company with regulatory and corporate matters
- a watch manufacturing company
The Team
Holland & Knight attorneys work collaboratively from large domestic offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Miami, among other locations. Our individual experiences, credentials and professional contacts are at the core of our service to Japanese business clients. Specific team strengths include:
- a corporate partner in Los Angeles who practiced for several years in one of Tokyo’s largest firms
- corporate partners and associates who are fluent in Japanese
- a U.S. associate now training with a major Tokyo law firm
- Japanese (bengoshi) lawyers training in the Los Angeles and New York offices
- a history going back over 50 years of servicing Japanese companies in the U.S.