David Azcue is a Partner in the Firm’s Tokyo office, where he co-heads our Private Funds Practice in Japan. He has spent over 30 years in Japan as a student, entrepreneur, in-house legal team member of a high-tech Japanese manufacturing company, professional translator and interpreter, and for the past 15 years as a private funds attorney with the Firm, mainly in Tokyo. David has been recognized as a leading private funds lawyer by numerous authorities including Chambers Asia-Pacific and Who’s Who Legal, and brings to his practice a deep understanding of Japan and broad experience in global fundraisings for private investment funds.

Noritaka Kumamoto is a Partner in Simpson Thacher’s Tokyo office and a member of the Firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice and Litigation Practice. Noritaka regularly represents major Japanese and U.S. corporations and financial institutions on both inbound and outbound M&A transactions, and also represents various Japanese corporations on government investigations and litigations. Some of his clients include KKR, Sumitomo Life Insurance and Murata Manufacturing. 

Prior to joining the Firm, Noritaka worked in the business and legal departments of major Japanese banks in Japan and New York. He is a Japanese citizen and fluent in Japanese.

Bilingual in English and Japanese, Taki Saito is a Partner in our Tokyo office, concentrating on capital markets and M&A transactions. He regularly advises issuers and underwriters on global securities offerings by Japanese issuers—including Rule 144A/Regulation S offerings and U.S.-registered offerings, as well as listings by Japanese issuers on U.S. securities exchanges. Taki’s IPO clients include Skymark in its $244 million IPO and global offering of shares, including Regulation S/Rule 144A offering of common stock; and Socionext in its $450 million IPO and listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Regulation S/Rule 144A offering of common stock, which is also the largest Japanese IPO of 2022. On debt offerings, he has experience advising virtually all of the major underwriters in the market with respect to multiple senior and subordinated debt offerings.

Recognized for his work in M&A and private equity by Asian Legal Business and Who’s Who Legal, Jonathan Stradling regularly represents private equity sponsors and public and private companies in a broad range of transactions and corporate governance matters. He represents clients in complex transactions including mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, carve-outs, recapitalizations and other corporate transactions across a variety of industries, including technology, financial institutions, infrastructure, real estate, energy and industrials, among others.