We have unrivalled experience among our peers, advising in respect of Japanese Funds that are offered on a private placement basis or by way of public offering in Japan.
The Maples Group’s Japanese Funds Services team is recognised as the market leader, advising and providing fund services on the structuring and establishment of Japanese Funds. We provide a complete Japanese Funds solution, including legal, trustee, fiduciary and fund administration services to the industry’s heavyweights, as well as new entrants to the market.
We have dedicated Japanese Funds teams in each of the Asian, North American and European time zones, guaranteeing that we are able to provide expert and timely advice and fund services, wherever you may be located.
In addition to our local experts, all of our Japanese Funds services teams are members of a global Japanese Funds group, which enables us to identify market trends and share information and know-how across our offices, and ensures that we consistently provide the highest quality of services.
Global Registration Services
The Maples Group’s Global Registration Services team provides cross-border fund registration services and can facilitate the registration of UCITS and AIFs in Japan under Japanese private placement rules.
We are the market leader in advising on the establishment of Cayman Islands funds for Japanese investors, for both open and closed-ended fund structures.
We have specialists in Asia, Europe and North America who advise on the full range of Cayman Islands funds used by Japanese investors, including the Cayman Islands unit trust, the private equity type unit trust and the exempted limited partnership. We also advise on downstream private equity transactions.
We advise on the establishment of Irish-domiciled funds for Japanese promotors and investors. In particular, we advise Japanese promotors that want to establish UCITS or AIFs in Ireland to raise capital from European investors and / or Asian investors seeking to acquire European assets. Our Funds & Investment Management lawyers are experts on the establishment of unit trusts (the vehicle of choice for many Japanese investors) and have increasingly established ICAVs (Ireland’s specialised corporate fund vehicle) for Japanese managers.
Our tax, structured finance, corporate and regulatory teams provide additional support when required by our Japanese clients, including in respect of the establishment of Irish downstream SPVs and holding companies.
Popular with Japanese promoters, Jersey is a leading and highly-regarded jurisdiction for alternative investment funds and is home to the world’s largest investment fund launched by a well-known Japanese conglomerate. In Jersey, our experienced team of lawyers and professionals provide expert legal advice to Japanese promoters (including leading investment managers, banks and institutions), in relation to the set up, management and investment across a broad range of Jersey fund structures (including unit trust stand-alone or umbrella funds) and management entities, and in all asset classes. We also advise in relation to real estate and private equity downstream acquisitions and sales, and advise limited partners on their investments into Jersey-domiciled fund structures.
Luxembourg investment funds are well-recognised by the leading asset managers across the globe and are currently distributed in over 70 countries, including Japan.
Our Luxembourg Funds & Investment Management lawyers provide legal advice to Japanese promoters and fund initiators in relation to the establishment and management of all types of Luxembourg investment funds, meticulously tailoring our advice and services to accommodate the specific needs of each project. We also provide additional advice on tax, finance and corporate related questions, as may be required.
In particular, we advise on the establishment of Luxembourg UCITS and RAIF funds in the contractual form (Fonds Commun de Placement – FCP) which have become the preferred structures for Japanese managers targeting retail or professional clients, respectively. We are also experts on the establishment of other well-known types of regulated Luxembourg funds (Part II UCIs, SIFs and SICARs) and unregulated partnerships (SCSp and SCS). Our Luxembourg Funds & Investment Management lawyers often conduct pre-investment fund reviews on behalf of prospective investors.
