Our Japan team offers a comprehensive service solution for both Japanese and international clients, including legal, fiduciary, and fund administration services. With specialists based in Asia, Europe, and North America, our team provides access to expert advice and bespoke support within time zones that are convenient to your needs.
The Maples Group’s Japan team advises and provides fund services on the structuring, establishment, and maintenance of funds that are investing in Japan and/or targeting Japanese investors (“Japan Funds“). We offer a complete Japan Funds solution, including legal, fiduciary, and fund administration services.
We have dedicated Japan Funds teams in each of the Asian, North American, and European time zones, guaranteeing that we can provide expert and timely legal advice and fund services, wherever you may be located.
Japan is the second-largest user of Cayman funds globally, with over two-thirds of Japanese investments in overseas funds invested in Cayman funds. We provide Cayman Islands legal advice on every aspect of the lifecycle of Japan Funds. We have in-depth experience and knowledge advising both Japanese and international managers on the structuring, formation, maintenance, and financing of all kinds of Japan Funds, including:
Additionally, we have worked closely with Japanese and international managers on all types of upstream transactions, including carry interest vehicles and employee incentive vehicles, and a wide range of downstream transactions, including both Japan in-bound and out-bound deals.
We have extensive experience in advising on Japan Funds that are targeted at Japanese investors, both on a private placement and on a retail basis. We have also been at the forefront of many of the retail offerings of global asset managers’ semi-liquid funds in Japan, providing HNWs and retail investors with access to private equity, private credit, infrastructure, real estate, and other private markets.
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.
The Maples Group’s Global Registration Services team provides cross-border fund registration services and can facilitate the registration of funds in Japan under Japanese private placement rules.
Our Asia Corporate practice advises Japanese clients on a wide range of corporate matters and are focused on delivering comprehensive, cross-border legal services and solutions tailored to Japanese clients looking to navigate the dynamic markets of the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands.
We have deep expertise in a variety of legal areas such as equity and debt capital markets transactions, including pre-IPO group restructuring, IPOs, dual listings, SPAC IPOs, follow-on offerings on major stock exchanges across Asia and the US, public and private notes issuance transactions and mergers and acquisitions involving both listed and unlisted targets, including schemes of arrangement, takeovers, take privates and asset / share purchases. We not only offer expert legal guidance to our clients in structuring and executing preference share investments, joint ventures, and project investments, which frequently utilise Cayman Islands or British Virgin Islands corporate structures, but also offer a full service solution for clients through our entity formation and corporate secretarial support competencies through our Fiduciary Services team.
We assist Japanese corporates on their outbound investment through Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands vehicles, in particular where these are structured as joint ventures. With Corporate specialists based in Asia, our strategic time zone alignment with Japan means that our Asia Corporate practice is also well-equipped to bridge any legal advice required from our Dublin, Jersey and Luxembourg offices, ensuring seamless support for clients investing into Europe or to establish a presence in Europe, taking advantage of favourable tax treaties.
We actively promote and educate Japanese law firms and stakeholders about the benefits and applications of relatively new Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands regimes, such as the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands Virtual Assets Service Providers Act. By combining our knowledge and understanding of cultural nuances in Asia with our global reach, our Asia Corporate practice guide clients in navigating these innovative frameworks to sensibly identify market opportunities created by fintech and other disruptive technologies, while ensuring compliance with evolving regulations.
The Maples Group’s Structured Finance team is well-positioned at the forefront of the structured finance market, offering unparalleled legal advice and supporting trust and fiduciary services to our esteemed Japanese clientele. Established in the Cayman Islands over 50 years ago, the Maples Group’s law firm, Maples and Calder, was one of the first leading firms to establish a physical presence in Asia. Our Hong Kong office was opened in 1995, however, our connection with Japanese clients dates back to the early years of our existence.
Our developed network of offices in the region, supported by market-respected legal, financial and fiduciary advisors, uniquely positions us to cater to the bespoke needs of our Japanese clients.
Our Finance lawyers are recognised subject matter experts in complex processes and specialist areas, including fund finance, securitisations, repackaging and Collateralised Loan Obligations (CLOs).
Our legal and fiduciary teams have deep knowledge of the international finance markets and products and the cultural nuances and legal framework that impact the Asian market. With our broad span of the market, operating in the world’s leading financial centres, we are often at the forefront of new and emerging trends, which enables us to assist our clients in navigating complex cross-jurisdiction analyses and structure products to deliver timely and comprehensive solutions and innovative product offerings.
With nearly 30 years of dedicated presence in Asia, the Maples Group has become synonymous with excellence and innovation in the international financial sector.
Our commitment to excellence is unwavering, with a focus on upholding the highest standards of service, ensuring that every client receives personalised and effective advice and assistance.
Risk management and regulatory compliance are key priorities for our Japanese clients, with both regulators and investors demanding greater transparency and enhanced reporting.
With dedicated financial services regulatory lawyers based in the Cayman Islands, Dublin and Hong Kong, the Maples Group has unrivalled expertise in regulatory matters, including in Anti-money Laundering and Counter-terrorism Financing Compliance, Automatic Exchange of Information, Beneficial Ownership, Economic Substance, License Applications, Regulatory Enforcement and Regulatory Registration.
We pride ourselves on our established relationships with regulatory bodies and have had significant involvement with the development of financial services law and policy, both locally and internationally. Our ability to draw on this experience enables us to provide prompt, pertinent and clear advice that adds real value and helps our clients determine how best to maintain compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
We have firsthand experience with some the world’s largest financial institutions in establishing a presence in multiple jurisdictions, and in fostering their relationship with regulators, tax and enforcement authorities.
With a depth of experience across all regulated sectors, our regulatory financial services advisory team is positioned to address the needs and sensitivities of our Japanese clients.
The Maples Group brings in-depth knowledge of a wide range of investment vehicles and structures across an extensive global network. A robust institutional-grade infrastructure coupled with a highly responsive approach to client service ensures vehicles we act on are supported in navigating the complexities of today’s global business landscape, achieving operational efficiency and ensuring the highest standards of corporate governance are adhered to.
Hedge funds, private asset funds and unit trusts are increasingly requiring outsourced fiduciary and fund services to meet evolving regulatory and investor requirements. Our comprehensive offering includes fund accounting and financial statements, investor services, and regulatory and compliance support, including AML and AEOI solutions, In addition, we provide directorship, company secretarial and board support, trustee, permanent office, listing agent and LEI, power of attorney and proxy agent, commodity pool operator, conflict review and facilities agent services.
