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 governance and corporate finance 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 corporate governance matters and navigating procedures required by securities regulations under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, the Companies Act, and the Corporate Governance Code of Japan. 

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:

• 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.