Nobuhisa Ishizuka represents clients in a broad range of corporate and financial matters, including mergers and acquisitions and investment and corporate finance transactions.
Mr. Ishizuka has extensive experience representing manufacturing and service companies, financial institutions and private investment funds. He has advised numerous U.S. and Japanese corporations on acquisitions in the United States, Japan and Europe. He also has advised investment bankers and their legal departments in initiating and structuring cross-border transactions involving Japan.
Some of the more significant merger and acquisition engagements in which Mr. Ishizuka has been involved include the representation of:
- Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and its subsidiary Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, in connection with its US$7.8 billion acquisition of Nikko Cordial Securities Inc. and the domestic debt and equity underwriting business of Nikko Citigroup Limited;
- NTT DOCOMO Inc. in its acquisition of a 26 percent stake in Tata Teleservices Limited via a US$2.7 billion strategic investment. In connection with this transaction, NTT DOCOMO also acquired up to 20 percent of the outstanding common shares of Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited though a joint tender offer with Tata Sons Limited (the parent company of Tata Teleservices). This deal was selected as one of the 2008 “Deals of the Year” from India Business Journal. This deal also was selected as “Deal of the Year” by Asian-Counsel magazine for 2008;
- Apax Partners, L.P., in connection with Tommy Hilfiger Corporation’s acquisition of Tommy Hilfiger Japan Corporation from Itochu Corporation;
- IAC/InterActiveCorp, in its approximately US$493 million sale of its remaining 30 percent stake in Jupiter Shop Channel Co., Ltd. to Sumitomo Corporation;
- TPG Capital, L.P. as minority partner in the approximately US$726 million proposed, but terminated, leveraged buyout of Axcelis Technologies, Inc., a manufacturer of semiconductors, by Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd.;
- TPG in connection with its approximately US$300 million investments in NIS Group and its Chinese subsidiaries;
- NTT DOCOMO, Inc., a 16 percent stockholder of AT&T Wireless Services, Inc., in connection with the public auction of AT&T Wireless won by Cingular Wireless LLC for US$41 billion;
- NTT DOCOMO, Inc. as international counsel in its US$3 billion and US$1.7 billion issuer tender offers;
- Sammy Corporation and SEGA CORPORATION, as U.S. counsel, in their US$1.4 billion business combination;
- Xerox Corporation in the approximately US$1.3 billion sale of a 25 percent interest in Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. to Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.;
- KDDI Corporation, a 10 percent stockholder of Infonet Services Corporation, in connection with BT Group plc’s US$965 million acquisition of Infonet and related strategic transactions with BT Group;
- Square Co. Ltd. and ENIX CORPORATION, leading Japanese game software companies, as U.S. regulatory counsel in their US$737 million merger;
- Nomura Principal Finance Co., Ltd. as U.S. counsel in its US$350 million management buyout of Toshiba Tungaloy Co., Ltd.; and
- Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation as U.S. counsel in its US$96 million acquisition of common stock of Internet Initiative Japan Inc.
Some of the significant financing transactions in which Mr. Ishizuka has been engaged include:
- Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. in the issuance of US$1.26 billion of preferred convertible securities to Goldman, Sachs & Co.;
- Japan Bank for International Cooperation as lead syndicate member in a US$1.1 billion synthetic lease financing for Nissan North America, Inc.;
- Shinsei Bank, Limited in its approximately ¥83.3 billion acquisition financing for the property development and leisure and hospitality assets of a major Japanese industrial company;
- Rizal Risjad in a combined US$279 million senior loan refinancing and mezzanine acquisition financing via Collateralized Equity Leveraged Loan Securities (CELLS) for PT Berau Coal;
- Deutsche Bank Group in a ¥26.6 billion multiborrower, nonrecourse loan secured by nonperforming loans and real property located in Japan and related securitization; and
- Credit Suisse Group and Lehman Brothers in a US$200 million Regulation S offering of secured high-yield bonds by GITI Tire Pte. Ltd.
Mr. Ishizuka has more than eight years of combined practice experience in Japan. He was resident in the Hong Kong office of Skadden, Arps between 2005 and 2007.
Mr. Ishizuka was selected for inclusion as a leading individual in Chambers Asia and Chambers Global 2010 and as a leading lawyer in IFLR 1000: The Guide to the World’s Leading Financial Law Firms 2010 and Asia Pacific Legal 500, 2009-2010.
