Masaakira Kitazawa is an of counsel at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune and specializes in banking, securities, general corporate and commercial law. He advises domestic and foreign clients on financial regulatory matters, including corporate governance and compliance as well as transactional work, acquisition and restructuring of corporate group entities, M&A, tender offers, private equity investments and securitization. Mr. Kitazawa was also involved in many public offerings, including IPOs and listings on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Among others, his projects and transactions include the following: Acting as chief legal advisor to a temporarily nationalized Japanese bank, which was subsequently privatized; providing ongoing advice to the subsequent entity in connection with all aspects of its business, including government relations, banking, commercial transactions, acquisitions and general advice to management. Acting as chief legal advisor to a major Japanese bank targeted by Japan’s first hostile (later non-hostile) tender offer initiated by a Japanese financial group. Advising a UK investment bank following its failure to abide by regulations in connection with Asian futures transactions. The work involved intense negotiations with Japanese financial authorities, the stock exchange and courts. Advising a major US financial institution on all aspects of its operations in Japan, including its consumer finance subsidiaries, acquisitions of other companies and issues related to compliance with stringent Japanese regulatory requirements. Advising a major UK based venture capital and private entity in connection with its establishment and subsequent investment activities in Japan. Securitization of real property and other assets owned by solvent and insolvent insurance companies on behalf of funds managed and administered by a major US investment bank. Advising the UK Government, issuers and/or underwriters on secondary offerings in privatization initiatives undertaken with respect to the electricity, gas and water sectors in the UK.

Koichi Saito is a partner in employee/executive incentive practice group. He is a leading lawyer in this field in Japan. He advises on all aspects of share/cash-based incentive plans. He advises on selection of types of awards, design of the incentive plan, due diligence on legal and tax issues in Japan as well as other jurisdictions, implementation of the incentive plan, and operation of the plan. He advises Japanese listed and private companies on issues relating to incentive plans generally, in M&A situations and on IPO. He advises global corporations on extending their incentive plans into Japan. He also specializes in business and human rights and other aspects of ESG law. He advises Japanese and multinational corporations, governments and international organizations on preparing policies and their implementation, including risk assessment, human rights due diligence, mitigation of human rights risks, and engagement with stakeholders. He has served as Operating Committee member of Business and Human Rights Lawyers Network Japan since 2019, and he is also a member of Advisory and Mediation Panel of Japan Center for Engagement and Remedy on Business and Human Rights (JaCER).