Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP’s M&A practice in Japan assists both Japanese and US companies with inbound and outbound transactions. Recent highlights for the group include advising funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management on their $2bn acquisition of a majority stake in Panasonic Automotive Systems. Practice head Tong Yu led on that mandate. Kaye Yoshino has retired from practice.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Tong Yu and Chikara Momota stand out because they know local Japanese business practices and customs as well as international standards which US clients expect to see in the deal delivery. I truly enjoy working together with them in the most complex, cross-border M&A transactions involving Japan.'

  • ‘Tong Yu, who is highly experienced and consistently accessible, always puts clients' needs first. His ability to understand and address client concerns with precision and empathy has been invaluable.’

  • ‘PW Tokyo's ability to handle complex, multijurisdictional transactions is very impressive. The team consists mostly of English-Japanese bilinguals, and all the lawyers in the team are skilled in bridging Japanese local business custom/practice and global standards.’

  • ‘Their practice is client-focused, providing tailored solutions. Their experienced team excels in industry knowledge, innovative problem-solving, and collaborative approaches. ’

Key clients

  • MA Aluminum Corporation
  • MDC Holdings Inc
  • Canyon Partners
  • Apollo Global Management
  • KDDI Corporation
  • Lundin Mining Corporation

Work highlights

  • Advising funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management on their acquisition of a majority stake in Panasonic Holdings Corporation (PHC)’s automotive business.
  • Advised MA Aluminum Corporation on its sale of Thermalex Inc.
  • Advising KDDI Corporation on its ¥496.5bn take-private transaction of Lawson, Inc.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Tong Yu

Other key lawyers

Chikara Momota