Hiroaki Takagi

Dual qualified in Japan and the US, Hiroaki Takagi advises Japanese and international companies on complex M&A transactions, as well as corporate finance and regulatory matters.

Mr. Takagi draws on nearly two decades of experience advising clients on both cross-border and domestic M&A transactions (both public and private), as well as on matters involving Japanese securities and other regulatory and general corporate law matters.

Complementing his extensive experience in cross-border M&A and private equity transactions, Mr. Takagi has built a strong reputation in company representation work, including regulatory matters such as trade control and data privacy, corporate governance matters and navigating procedures required by securities regulations under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act.

Mr. Takagi brings an in-depth understanding of public company law garnered from his secondment experience with the Civil Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Justice. In this role, he was responsible for helping to oversee a major reform of the Companies Act in Japan which passed into law in 2014.

Mr. Takagi's experience includes representing:

• ARA Asset Management in its US$1.3 billion joint buyout, together with Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing, of Kenedix, Inc. one of Japan’s leading real estate fund managers - winner of the ALB Japan Law Awards’ Real Estate Deal of the Year
• Minerva Growth Capital, L.P., a growth investment business for late-stage private startups in Japan, on the share acquisition of Roland Corporation, a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software
• Houlihan Lokey in its US$591 million acquisition of GCA Corporation, an M&A advisory firm listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, in a two-step merger including a tender offer and statutory squeeze-out
• Oravel Stays (OYO), a unicorn company in India, in the formation of a joint venture with Yahoo Japan*
• Nippon Life Insurance in the acquisition of MLC Limited in Australia*
• Park 24 in its acquisitions of:
  • National Car Parks in the UK*
  • Secure Parking in Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia* 

• A major Japanese pharmaceutical company in its ¥28 billion 2019 tender offer* 
• A major Japanese real estate company in its ¥10 billion company split*
• A major Japanese food company in the acquisition of four US flour-milling plants from a US-based global food corporation*
• A major Japanese trust bank in the implementation of directors/employees stock remuneration plans for more than 150 Japanese companies, including a multinational pharmaceutical company, a trading house, and an engineering/electronics company, using a trust scheme*
• Major Japanese companies, including a mega financial group, an electronics/semiconductor company, a petrochemical company, and a food company, in implementing directors’ stock remuneration plans using a trust scheme*
• A major Japanese financial services company in its business alliance with an Indian tech research company to sell its products in Japan*
• Several top-tier Japanese companies in connection with shareholder activism matters*

*Matter handled prior to joining Latham.

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