Jiro Toyokawa
Baker McKenzie (Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise)Baker McKenzie (Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise)‘s practice is commended by clients for its ’high-quality service‘, and offers particular expertise in complex cross-border transactions. The team is able to call on international experience by virtue of its global network, with recent work showing collaboration between the firm’s offices in Tokyo, London, Singapore, and San Francisco. The ’excellent‘ Jiro Toyokawa leads the practice, and is especially adept at handling large outbound M&A for Japanese financial institutions. Akifusa Takada is experienced in domestic transactions, while the ’outstanding‘ Kiyoshi Endo and Yutaka Kimura focus on cross-border M&A transactions, and Tetsuo Tsujimoto is a name to note for public takeovers. Other key team members include Masahiro Inaba, Safari Watanabe, and Byron Frost. Hiroshi Kondo retired in July 2022.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘The team provides high-quality service for a wide range of very complex M&A issues in USA and Canada, as well as being dedicated and hard working.’
- ‘Jiro Toyokawa and the team not only have fully fledged legal knowledge and expertise, but they also fully understand the commercial and business aspects. Their advice on the transaction was always quick and based on good understanding of our industry.’
- ‘Their global team and its wide range of experiences including both legal and tax knowledge helped us a lot.’
- ‘Kiyoshi Endo provides outstanding advice reflecting the business situation.’
- ‘The BM Tokyo team are high quality; they had a great relationship with the client which gave us confidence that the deal issues would be duly considered and resolved.’
- ‘In addition to Jiro Toyokawa’s excellent professional legal skills, he always understands the issues we have and clearly explains what is important for us and advises us what kind of risks we have, and what our options are.’
- ‘Swift response, with a selection of an appropriate team from their robust global network of professionals.’
Key clients
- AGC, Inc.
- Benesse Holdings, Inc.
- Dai-ichi Life
- Ebara Corporation
- House Foods Group Inc.
- Meiji Yasuda Life
- NH Foods Limited
- Okada Manila International Inc.
- OriCiro Genomics K.K.
- Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Co.
- Universal Entertainment Corporation
- VM2 Holdings, Co.
Work highlights
- Advised House Foods Group Inc. on the acquisition of a US-based tofu and plant-based food manufacturing company involving due diligence, negotiation of unit purchase agreement and obtaining a RW insurance in the US.
- Advised Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Company, Limited (SMFL) on its acquisition of a 35% stake in LCI Investments Limited (LCI), the world’s second-largest helicopter leasing company owned by Libra Group.
- Advised Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc. on the NZ$1bn acquisition of Partners Group Holdings Limited, a life insurance holding company in New Zealand.
Lawyers
Leading partners: Bengoshi
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners: Bengoshi
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Masahiro Inaba
Baker McKenzie (Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise)Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Jiro Toyokawa