Nishimura & Asahi fields a comprehensive private wealth practice that caters to a range of clients, from private business owners to shareholders of listed companies to international private investors. The team advises on business succession planning and inheritance matters, including trust funds, tax and estate planning, and counts SMEs as its key clients. Practice co-head Yoshinobu Fujimoto has extensive experience in international taxation and multi-jurisdictional private wealth matters. Counsel Kohei Matano advises on M&A and the division of property. The group also handles family disputes, and practice co-head Masaru Shibahara boasts a dispute practice that spans both claims and litigation in and out of court.

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Work highlights

  • Advising a Japanese citizen residing in New York, whose father (a Japanese citizen residing in Japan) has passed away and negotiating a settlement with the other heirs.
  • Assisting the court-appointed special personal representative of a decedent Japanese citizen, the widow of a US citizen who passed away leaving no children, to locate the decedent’s heirs in Japan and distribute the inheritance in the US.
  • Advising a dual US-Japanese citizen residing in France, whose same-sex spouse is a French citizen and whose adopted child is a UK citizen, who wishes to designate his spouse as the initial recipient of his estate upon his death, and his child as the secondary recipient, after his spouse’s death.

Lawyers

Leading associates: Bengoshi
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Leading partners: Bengoshi
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Yoshinobu Fujimoto, Masaru Shibahara

Other key lawyers

Katsuyuki Yamaguchi, Kohei Matano