Jay Ponazecki

Partner

Tokyo, 81 3 3214 6522

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Education

Barnard College of Columbia University (B.A., 1984)
;
New York University School of Law (J.D., 1987)

Practices

Mergers + Acquisitions | Japan

Life Sciences | Japan

Joint Ventures + Global Strategic Alliances | Japan

Bar Admissions

New York
Japan (Gaikokuho-Jimu-Bengoshi)

Jay Ponazecki is head of the firm's Life Sciences and Privacy Practice Groups in Asia. Ms. Ponazecki focuses on the representation of pharmaceutical, medical device, chemical, food, apparel, entertainment, electronics, and other technology companies in complex cross-border business transactions, including tender offers, privatizations, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances, licensing agreements, joint research and development collaborations, and manufacturing, supply and distribution agreements.

Ms. Ponazecki also represents hedge funds and asset management companies with particular focus on the key business and strategic issues of concern to funds and their investors, and assists such clients with their portfolio investments, regulatory compliance matters, commercial arrangements, and investor and operational issues.

She also advises clients on the adoption of global corporate compliance, trade secret, privacy and data protection policies, as well as inbound clients on how to best launch or expand their business operations in Japan and other key strategic issues associated with doing business in Japan.

Ms. Ponazecki is recommended in the 2013 edition of The Legal 500 Asia Pacific for her M&A and corporate law expertise and by PLC Which lawyer? for Life sciences: corporate & commercial.

Ms. Ponazecki is currently Co-Chair of the Membership Relations Committee and a member of the Internal and External Advisory Councils of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, preceded by serving one term as a Vice President, two terms as a member of the Board of Governors, Chair of the organization's Privacy Task Force and Co-Chair of its Tohoku Revitalization Task Force. She is also serving her sixth term as President of the Foreign Women Lawyers' Association.

Fujitsu’s sale of global microcontroller and analog semiconductor business to Spansion.

Represented Fujitsu and its wholly owned subsidiary, Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited, in the sale of its global fabless microcontroller and analog semiconductor business to Spansion for $148 million.

Hitachi’s $4.8 billion sale of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST) to Western Digital.

Represented Hitachi, Ltd. in its sale of its hard disk drive subsidiary, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST) to Western Digital for $4.8 billion in cash and stock.

ON Semiconductor's $600 million acquisition of Sanyo Semiconductor.

Represented ON Semiconductor in its $600 million acquisition of Sanyo Semiconductor, the first ever acquisition of a major Japanese semiconductor company by a US company (and one of the largest inbound investments into Japan to date). Recipient of “M&A Deal of the Year” by The M&A Advisor's International M&A Awards.

Fuji Electric's joint venture with Schneider.

Represented Fuji Electric in its joint venture with Schneider Electric to combine the parties' businesses (with more than 3,000 employees in Japan and China) for the development, manufacture, and sale of electrical distribution and industrial control equipment in Japan.

Nissin Food's proposed acquisition of Indofood.

Represented Nissin Food in its proposed acquisition, together with First Pacific Company Limited, of a controlling interest in Indofood (one of Indonesia's five largest companies).

Thomson's $110-million tender offer for Canopus.

Represented Thomson SA in its $110 million tender offer for Canopus, a Kobe-based developer of high-performance video encoding/decoding technology, which included the subsequent squeeze-out of the remaining minority shareholders in Japan and the United States.

Fujitsu's alliance with NCR to develop next-generation ATMs.

Represented Fujitsu in the formation of a global alliance with NCR Corporation to design, develop, and manufacture next-generation ATMs and cash dispensers.