Japan Practice

With offices across the U.S. and abroad and relationships that transcend cultural and geographic boundaries, Holland & Knight attorneys are a trusted legal resource for Japanese businesses and their subsidiaries that are operating or aiming to establish operations in the U.S.

Our team has represented Japanese companies and financial institutions in a broad range of U.S. legal matters across a full range of transactions, investments and operational requirements. Comprehensive business planning, legal know-how and litigation skills enable us to provide single-firm representation for:

• corporate formations, start-ups, acquisitions and divestitures
• joint ventures and strategic alliances
• contract negotiations
• capital markets and finance
• intellectual property protection
• licensing and other transfers of technology
• real estate leasing, acquisition and disposition
• infrastructure and project finance
• importation, distribution and sale in the U.S. of imported goods
• employment and labor counseling
• visas and immigration issues
• compliance with federal and state regulations
• litigation in federal and state courts as well as alternative dispute resolution

Representative Transactions

The best illustration of our corporate services lies in the scope of clients we serve and legal matters we have handled for Japanese clients that are expanding their operations through investment, acquisition and development, including:

• the largest investor in a $1 billion Las Vegas resort development
• a venture capital investment in a U.S. software company
• a trading house launching and operating a domestic warehousing and distribution business in southern California
• an international restaurant chain expanding globally
• a real estate firm's $30 million purchase of a California hotel
• a retailer launching large scale operations in California
• U.S. legal counsel for a $4 billion yen bond offering in Japan secured by real property in the U.S.
• the acquisition of the non-U.S. assets and subsidiaries of a leading U.S. tobacco company for $8 billion (at the time the largest acquisition outside Japan by a Japanese company)
• worldwide and Japan-specific license agreements, joint development agreements, joint venture agreements and other agreements in the pharmaceutical and biotech field
• multiple acquisitions in the U.S. for a major Japanese chemical company
• the development of a U.S. manufacturing facility for a large Japanese food products company
• product liability litigation for the U.S. subsidiary of a leading tire company
• obtaining a $146 million judgment on behalf of a Japanese hotel developer in litigation resulting from a construction defect claim
• sale of a steel tube manufacturing business

Additionally, we have handled general corporate matters for a range of Japanese clients across many industries and business sectors, including:

• a financial services company in lending and loan restructuring matters
• pharmaceutical companies
• a manufacturer in the sale of rail cars
• a travel company
• food product companies
• real estate investment companies
• a tobacco company with regulatory and corporate matters
• distributor of electronic components and printers

The Team

Holland & Knight attorneys from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Miami, work in collaboration to serve our Japanese business clients. Our team includes attorneys who are fluent in Japanese, have practiced in Tokyo and have a thorough understanding of the business culture in the country.