Germany

Atsumi & Sakai has a very significant German practice group, advising both Japanese companies expanding their business in Germany and German companies active in Japan.

We have operated a foreign law joint enterprise in Japan with Janssen Foreign Law Office (JFLO), a Tokyo-based German law practice, since 2013. JFLO has acted on cross-border M&A and other large-scale projects between Germany and Japan.

In 2014 we opened a joint affiliate office in Germany (now in Frankfurt) which provides the services of both a German law firm and a tax accountant, and advises well over 100 Japanese companies and their local subsidiaries in Germany and the rest of Europe.

Our relevant expertise includes:

German lawyers in both Tokyo and Frankfurt experienced in advising Japanese clients in Germany and German clients in Japan
A Frankfurt office consisting of German-qualified lawyers and tax advisers which is able to offer German legal and tax advice also in Japanese
A German Partner in Tokyo with over 20 years’ experience in Japan
Japanese lawyers specializing in advising German clients
Japanese lawyers (Partners) with experience working in the German offices of leading law firms
A foreign law licensed partner in Tokyo with over 20 years of experience in Japan specialized in real estate, including representation of major German real estate fund managers and German open-end funds in connection with Japanese real estate investments

Sample Material Transactions:

Supported a large Japanese corporation specializing in liquid product filling solutions with the liquidation and winding down of its operations and subsidiary in Germany
Advised a global Japanese group specializing in chemical and composite material production on various corporate compliance issues for all its EU entities, including data protection, compliance, export controls, and employment
Advised a Japanese medical device company on the restructuring of its European sales network
Advised Japanese whistleblowing service providers on their businesses in various European countries
Advised some of the largest real estate fund managers in Germany in connection with acquisition and disposition of Japanese real estate for their funds, including German open-end funds
Advised a German energy trading company in connection with its joint venture in Japan with a leading Japanese electricity supplier
Supported various Japanese companies with both legal and tax issues when establishing subsidiaries in Germany
Advised a major Japanese financial institution on its benchmark application process in Germany, including registration of its index and visa application support for employees sent to work in Germany from Japan
Provided a German business consultancy with a comprehensive guide to German HR, data protection, antitrust, and other business fields for publication
Advised a German multinational and its Japanese subsidiary on business compliance issues and providing workshops
Advised a global German automotive manufacturer on data protection issues