Noritaka Kumamoto

Simpson Thacher is representing KKR in connection with its announced acquisition of Yayoi Co., Ltd. from ORIX Corporation. The transaction is expected to be completed on March 1st, 2022, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.~~Yayoi is the largest financial and accounting software provider for small- and medium-sized enterprises and sole proprietors in Japan, best known for its namesake accounting and tax filing software.~~The Simpson Thacher team for the transaction includes Noritaka Kumamoto, Jonathan Stradling and Daisuke Ueta (M&A – Tokyo); Ian Ho (M&A – Hong Kong); and Makiko Harunari and Atsushi Usui (Credit).

Dec 20

1 min

Simpson Thacher is representing KKR in connection with the acquisition of the Hyatt Regency Tokyo by funds managed by KKR and Gaw Capital Partners from Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd. The transaction is expected to be completed by Q2 2023, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.~~The Hyatt Regency Tokyo is a 746-room luxury hotel located in Shinjuku, one of Tokyo’s busiest business and retail districts, and adjacent to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government headquarters.~~The Simpson Thacher team for the transaction includes Noritaka Kumamoto, Jonathan Stradling, Daisuke Ueta and Yuji Yagi (M&A – Tokyo); Ian Ho and Jasper Ma (M&A – Hong Kong); Makiko Harunari, Anuj Shah and Atsushi Usui (Credit); and Meredith Jones and Daisy Dai (Tax).

Mar 30

1 min

Simpson Thacher is representing KKR & Co. Inc. in a strategic transaction by a subsidiary of KKR, which is acquiring all of the outstanding shares of Mitsubishi Corp.-UBS Realty (“MC-UBSR”) from Mitsubishi Corporation and UBS Asset Management in an all-cash transaction valued at JPY 230 billion (US$2 billion). The investment in MC-UBSR will be held on KKR’s balance sheet, not in any client funds.~~The transaction provides KKR’s global real estate business – which manages US$41 billion in client assets as of December 31, 2021 – with immediate scale in a large market. MC-UBSR is one of the largest real estate asset managers in Japan, with JPY1.7 trillion (US$15 billion) in assets under management. MC-UBSR manages two Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed REITs: Japan Metropolitan Fund Investment Corporation (“JMF”) and Industrial & Infrastructure Fund Investment Corporation (“IIF”). KKR will also acquire the units in JMF and IIF currently held by Mitsubishi, thereby strengthening the alignment of interest between KKR and the unitholders of JMF and IIF.~~The Simpson Thacher team includes Ian Ho, Noritaka Kumamoto, Jonathan Stradling, Daisuke Ueta and Jasper Ma (M&A); Makiko Harunari and Atsushi Usui (Credit); Meredith Jones and April McLeod (Tax); Lori Lesser and Bobbie Burrows (IP); and Jamie Hahn (Registered Funds).

Mar 17

1 min

Simpson Thacher is representing NTT Global Data Centers Americas, Inc. (“NTT GDCA”), in connection with an investment by TC Global Investments Americas LLC (“TC”) in three large-scale hyperscale data centers owned and operated by NTT GDCA in Chicago with a total planned capacity of 104MW. Closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.~~NTT GDCA is a division of the Japanese conglomerate NTT Group, which is the world’s third largest data center provider with 148 data centers in over 20 countries worldwide. TC is a member of Tokyo Century Corporation’s group, a Japanese conglomerate operating leasing, a founding business, and other high value-added financial services through co-creation with partner companies.~~The Simpson Thacher team includes Gabriel Silva, Gabriela Astolphi, Noritaka Kumamoto, Chan Ho Park, Dashia Kwok, Douglas Ogata, Fernao Castro and Larissa Gebrim (M&A); Andrew Purcell, Andrew Mandelbaum and Eva Gao (Tax); and Karen Kazmerzak, Kelly Karapetyan and Pauline Patat (Antitrust).

Sep 2

1 min

Simpson Thacher is representing KKR in its acquisition of Rakuten Group, Inc.’s (TSE: 4755) stake in Seiyu. With this purchase, KKR will increase its stake in Seiyu from 65% to 85%. Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) will retain its 15% stake.~~Seiyu is a leading, nationwide supermarket chain in Japan. KKR, Rakuten and Walmart have collaborated to support Seiyu’s growth since KKR and Rakuten completed their investments in Seiyu in 2021.~~The Simpson Thacher team includes Noritaka Kumamoto, Jonathan Stradling and Daisuke Ueta (M&A); and Makiko Harunari and Atsushi Usui (Credit).

May 18

1 min