Masakazu Iwakura

Practice Areas

M&A, general corporate, corporate governance, compliance, start-up businesses, insurance, international transactions, international disputes, venture capital/entrepreneurial services, telecommunications/media, corporate crisis management, entertainment and Fintech.

Career

TMI Associates (Senior Partner, 2017-Present)

Professor of Law (Corporate Law and M&A Law), Hitotsubashi University, Graduate School of Law, Department of Business Law (ICS) (2006-present)

Nishimura & Asahi (Formerly known as Nishimura and Sanada) (1987-2016)

Visiting Professor of Law, Harvard Law School (2013-2014)

Visiting Professor of Law, Harvard Law School (2007-2008)

Lecturer of Law (Taxation), Kyoto University, Graduate School (Kyoto) (2005-2007)

Lecturer of Law (International Taxation), Rikkyo University (Tokyo) (1992-1993, 1996-1997, 1998-1999)

Lecturer of Law (International Transactions and Corporation Law), Hokkaido University, Graduate School (Sapporo) (1997-1998)

Lecturer of Law (International Taxation), Yokohama National University (Yokohama) (1996-1997)

Arnold & Porter, Washington, D.C. (1994–1995)

Debevoise & Plimpton, New York (1993–1994)

Independent Director, NIDEC Corporation (2010-12)

Independent Statutory Auditor, Imperial Hotel (2011-2019)

Prince Takamado Japan Canada Memorial Fund, Advisory Council (2017-Present)

Dean’s International Leadership Council, Harvard Law School (2018-Present)

Board Member, Kyoto University of Advanced Science (2018-Present)

Outside Director (board member), Tohokushinsha Film Corp. (2023-Present)

Professional Memberships

Admitted: Japan, 1987; New York, 1994.

Publications

“Casebook Mergers & Acquisitions” together with Professor J. Mark Ramseyer of Harvard Law School　(2015), “The Real Estate M&A and Private Equity Review - Edition 5 ‐ Japan Chapter” published by Law Reviews (2020), “The Mergers & Acquisitions Review - Edition 13 - Japan Chapter” published by Law Reviews (2019), ‘‘Corporate M&A – Japan Chapter - Trends and Developments” published by Chambers and Partners (2020), etc.

Work Highlights

The acquisition of Toshiba Corporation by Japan Industry Partners in 2023, JAPAN POST’s acquisition of Toll Holdings, Idemitsu Kosan’s acquisition of Showa Shell Sekiyu shares from Royal Dutch Shell, the integration of UFJ Bank Group and Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group (MUFG), the acquisitions of AIG Edison Life Insurance and AIG Star Life Insurance by Prudential Financial, the demutualization, GPO of the Dai-ichi Mutual Life Insurance Company, Employees' Buy-Out (EBO) of the UNIZO Holdings Company, Limited, and Nidec Corporation’s acquisition of TAKISAWA Corp. in 2023 (which is the first unsolicited buyout in Japan in line with METI’s Corporate Takeovers Guidelines)

Languages Spoken

Japanese / English

Education

Experience

Masakazu Iwakura is a Professor of Law at Hitotsubashi University, Graduate School of Law (Department of Business Law) and a Senior Partner at TMI Associates. He obtained an LL.B. from the University of Tokyo in 1985 and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School in 1993, and is qualified to practice in Japan and the State of New York.

Mr. Iwakura has lectured on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions law and the other laws at various law schools and universities for more than 30 years. He was a visiting professor of law at Harvard Law School in 2007 and 2013 academic years and a lecturer of law at Kyoto University Law School from 2005 to 2007; furthermore, he has been a Professor of Law (Corporate Law and M&A Law) at Hitotsubashi University, Graduate School of Law (Department of Business Law) since 2006.

Mr. Iwakura has handled a variety of large-scale and unprecedented (domestic and cross-border) M&As, inter alia, the acquisition of Toshiba Corporation by Japan Industry Partners in 2023, JAPAN POST’s acquisition of Toll Holdings, Idemitsu Kosan’s acquisition of Showa Shell Sekiyu shares from Royal Dutch Shell, the integration of UFJ Bank Group and Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group (MUFG), the acquisitions of AIG Edison Life Insurance and AIG Star Life Insurance by Prudential Financial, the demutualization and the GPO of the Dai-ichi Mutual Life Insurance Company, the establishment of Mizuho Financial Group (representing the Industrial Bank of Japan) Employees' Buy-Out (EBO) of the UNIZO Holdings Company, Limited, and Nidec Corporation’s acquisition of TAKISAWA in 2023 (which is the first unsolicited buyout in Japan in line with METI’s Corporate Takeovers Guide lines), etc.

He has authored various textbooks and articles including “Casebook Mergers & Acquisitions” together with Professor J. Mark Ramseyer of Harvard Law School in 2015, “Japan Chapter‐The Real Estate M&A and Private Equity Review” published by Law Reviews since 2017, “Japan Chapter‐International Mergers & Acquisitions Review” published by Euromoney Trading in, ‘‘Japan Chapter – The PLC The Mergers and Acquisitions multi-jurisdictional guide” published since 2016, ”The Leading Edge of M&A Legal Work” published in 2010, ”Intellectual Property Laws” published in 2010,“Practical Consultation of the New Corporate Law” published in 2016,etc．