Takeshi Takahashi focuses on energy, infrastructure, projects and asset finance. He graduated from the Department of Law of the University of Tokyo (LLB) and the University of Chicago Law School (LLM). Prior to joining White & Case in July 1997, Mr. Takahashi worked in a leading Japanese bank and in April 2001 he returned to White & Case's Tokyo office after a three year-assignment to the Firm's New York office.

He concentrates on legal affairs involving projects, project finance, equipment leasing and other cross-border structured finance transactions and has worked for a wide range of clients, including financial institutions, utility companies, oil and gas and other energy-related companies, transportation companies and high-tech companies.

Mr. Takahashi is registered in Japan as a Gaikokuho Jimu Bengoshi.

Examples of Mr. Takahashi's major transactions include: 

• Advising the sponsors—Tokyo Electric Power and its partners Mitsubishi Corporation and Nippon Yusen Kaisha—in projects to construct, finance, own and operate five LNG tankers; 
• Advising Japanese oil and gas exploration and development companies and utilities on their overseas upstream activities; 
• Advising Japanese utility companies on various LNG sale and purchase agreements; 
• Advising Japanese utility and gas companies on various LNG transportation contracts; 
• Representation of Japanese clients in relation to structuring of tax leases to finance LNG carriers; 
• Representing a German airline in connection with the US tax aspects of leasing of flight simulator equipment; 
• Advising on synthetic leasing of production facilities in the United States; 
• Advising on the securitization of a prominent office building in Manhattan; 
• Representation in connection with the acquisition of a major aircraft leasing company in the United States; and 
• Advising Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation in respect of their restructuring project involving a number of significant oil and gas related assets.

Bars and Courts
New York State Bar

Education
LLB, University of Tokyo, 1983
LLM, University of Chicago, 1987

Professional Associations and Memberships
New York Bar Association
American Bar Association
American Chamber of Commerce in Japan

Languages
Japanese
English
French

Citizenship
Japan