Kenji Taneda

Mr. Taneda has significant experience advising on a wide variety of corporate matters in Japan and abroad, including equity and debt offerings by Japanese corporations, financial institutions and sovereign entities, as well both public and private cross-border M&A transactions.

He repeatedly has been recognized in Chambers Global, Chambers Asia-Pacific and Best Lawyers as a leading lawyer for capital markets in Japan. He was ranked as a Leading Indi­vidual: Gaiben for capital markets by The Legal 500 2021 and also was Highly Regarded for Japan M&A and capital markets in IFLR1000 2020.

Mr. Taneda’s representations in capital markets matters (including his prior experience) included advising:

• NTT Finance Corporation in its US$8 billion and €2 billion senior notes offering;
• the underwriters in the ¥167.6 billion global equity offering of Japan Airlines;
• the underwriters in the ¥22.9 billion global IPO on the Tokyo Stock Exchange of PLAID Inc.;
• the underwriters in the ¥120.7 billion global equity offering of Nippon Building Fund Inc.;
• Open House Co., Ltd. in its ¥40.5 billion global equity offering;
• freee K.K. in its ¥35 billion global IPO on the Tokyo Stock Exchange;
• Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. in its ¥359.5 billion global equity offering, which was named Equity Deal of the Year for 2019 at the 2020 ALB Japan Law Awards;
• Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. in its ¥339.8 billion global equity offering;
• Mercari Inc. in its ¥130.7 billion global IPO, which was named one of Asian-MENA Counsel magazine’s Deals of the Year for 2018;
• ARTERIA Networks Corporation in its ¥21.9 billion global IPO;
• the underwriters in the ¥48.4 billion global IPO of WORLD Co., Ltd;
• the underwriters in the ¥37.1 billion global equity offering of OUTSOURCING Inc.;
• Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company in its US$2 billion and US$1 billion overseas hybrid debt offerings;
• Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company, Limited in its US$910 million overseas hybrid debt offering;
• Toyota Industries Corporation in its US$1 billion and US$600 million senior notes offerings;
• Invesco Office J-REIT, Inc. in its ¥22.7 billion global equity offering;
• Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited on its US$500 million senior notes offering;
• the underwriters on the ¥41.6 billion global IPO of LIXIL VIVA CORPORATION;
• the underwriters on multiple overseas hybrid debt offerings by Nippon Life Insurance Company;
• the underwriters on hybrid debt offerings by Sumitomo Life Insurance Company in 2013 and 2017;
• the ¥44.0 billion, ¥56.8 billion, ¥36.3 billion and ¥34.3 billion global equity offerings by Daiwa House REIT Investment Corporation;
• LaSalle LOGIPORT REIT on its ¥105 billion global IPO;
• LaSalle LOGIPORT REIT on its ¥46.3 billion global equity offering;
• Mixi, Inc. on its ¥32.1 billion overseas offering of common stock;
• the underwriters on a ¥113 billion overseas offering of common stock by Olympus Corporation;
• SoftBank Group Corp. on a US$2.485 billion and a €625 million high-yield bond offering; and as major shareholder in Alibaba Group’s US$168 billion IPO;
• Hulic Reit, Inc. on its ¥70.2 billion global IPO and ¥18.4 billion follow-on global equity offering;
• selling shareholder in a ¥155 billion global IPO of Seibu Holdings, Inc.;
• selling shareholder in a ¥81.6 billion global IPO of Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd.;
• the underwriters, as sole U.S. counsel, on the last 16 SEC-registered bond offerings of Japan Bank for International Cooperation (guaranteed by the Japanese government) since 2013;
• the underwriters on the US$500 million SEC-registered bond offerings of Japan International Cooperation Agency (guaranteed by the Japanese government) in 2016 and 2017;
• Invincible Investment Corporation on six global equity offerings in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019;
• Mori Hills REIT Corporation on two global equity offerings in 2014 and 2016;
• NIPPON REIT Investment Corporation on its ¥24.8 billion global equity offering;
• Japan Rental Housing Investments Inc. on its ¥40.6 billion global equity offering;
• Japan Airlines on its US$8.5 billion global IPO;
• Nippon Prologis REIT, Inc. on its US$1.08 billion IPO;
• the underwriters on a US$2.25 billion global IPO of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd.; and
• INPEX Corporation on a US$6 billion global equity offering.

Mr. Taneda’s representative M&A (including his prior experience) matters included advising:

• FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation on its acquisition of Cellular Dynamics International, Inc. by a U.S. public tender offer;
• GungHo Online Entertainment Co., Ltd. on its acquisition of a majority stake in Supercell;
• M3, Inc. in U.S. law aspects of its acquisition of Mediscience Plannings, Inc.;
• SMBC Nikko Securities Inc., as financial advisor to Panasonic Information Systems Co., Ltd., in its acquisition of outstanding minority investments by Panasonic Corporation;
• Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group on its acquisition of the outstanding minority interests of UnionBanCal Corporation through a “going private” U.S. public tender offer;
• Suzuki Metal Industry Co., Ltd. on its acquisition of Haldex AB;
• Nippon Steel Corporation on various joint venture matters in the U.S. and Brazil;
• Panasonic Corporation on its acquisition of the outstanding minority interests in its subsidiaries SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. and Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.; and
• Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group on certain aspects of its Japanese securities business joint ventures with Morgan Stanley.

Mr. Taneda was a partner at the Tokyo office of a large international law firm prior to joining Skadden.