Nishimura & Asahi has advised Japanese telecommunication company KDDI on its 496.5 billion yen ($3.3 billion) offer to take convenience store chain Lawson private. Lawson is being represented by Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, with Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu guiding current shareholder Mitsubishi Corp.

Japan’s largest law firm, Nishimura & Asahi, has hired corporate specialist Jason Jose R. Jiao as a partner in Tokyo from Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners. Jiao is the first Philippines-qualified partner in Nishimura’s Tokyo office.  

Bayfront Law, Nishimura & Asahi’s alliance firm in Singapore, has recruited Paras Lalwani as its head of international arbitration from Drew & Napier, where he was a director.

Japanese law firm Nishimura & Asahi and PRC firm Fangda Partners have represented U.S. vision systems company Cognex on its $273.5 million deal to buy optical component producer Moritex Corporation from Chinese private equity firm Trustar Capital, which was advised by Anderson Mori & Tomotsune.

Japan’s largest law firm, Nishimura & Asahi, has expanded its M&A capabilities in Thailand with the addition of Christopher Osborne, who previously led UK firm Watson Farley & Williams’ Thai corporate practice.

Law firm Nishimura & Asahi has advised Japanese chip tool-maker Kokusai Electric on its proposed $750 million initial public offering on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. U.S. law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is advising Kokusai’s majority stakeholder KKR, which will be provided a partial exit.

Japan’s largest law firm, Nishimura & Asahi, has entered into an association with Sy & Partners in the Philippines in order to closely support Japanese clients making investments in the Southeast Asian country.

Nishimura & Asahi has become the second Japanese Big Four law firm to allow foreign lawyers to become full equity partners, as the country’s legal industry fights to compete with foreign law firms on cross-border deals in the world’s third-largest economy.

Japanese law firms are now becoming a global force to be reckoned with. While most Big Four firms already have a strong presence in other Asian countries, including many locations within the ASEAN region, others are looking even further afield. Nishimura & Asahi, Japan’s largest law firm, already has offices in Germany and the U.S., while Anderson Mori & Tomotsune and Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu have outposts in London and New York, respectively.

Nishimura & Asahi and its Indonesian association firm Walalangi & Partners have represented Japan’s MUFG Bank on its proposed 7-trillion-rupiah ($467 million) acquisition of an 80.6 percent stake in automotive lender PT Mandala Multifinance Tbk.