Bingham’s Tokyo office advised on the integration of one of Japan’s largest LPG ventures. The firm represented Sumitomo Corporation and three major Japanese refiners — Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd., Showa Shell Sekiyu K. K. and TonenGeneral Sekiyu K. K. (Esso/Mobil) — in the integration of their liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) wholesale operations and retail business. A Bingham team for the LPG import and wholesale operations, led by Tokyo partners Yoshihito Shibata, Yoshitaka Oshima, Kenji Hirooka and Hiroshi Ishihara, worked on the four-company merger and concluded the agreement under a tight time constraint.

For the LPG retail operations, a team led by Tokyo partners Yoshihito Shibata, Yoshitaka Oshima, Ryota Sekine and Yukari Murayama, worked on the three-company merger (except for TonenGeneral Sekiyu) and also successfully concluded the agreement under a tight time constraint. The wholesale business, including overseas trading operations of the four corporate groups, will be consolidated into an integrated structure offering a reliable LPG supply in Japan while diversifying sales channels and improving logistics and operational efficiency. The planned venture will reportedly be one of the three largest in Japan.