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The question and its answer are two sides of one coin.

 We help you tell the gold coins from the counterfeits.

Our Services

Negotiations and Opening Doors - we 

  • identify low hanging fruits as welcome presents

  • build trust by developing mutual added value

  • communicate with fluency in the relevant local languages and industry terminologies

Structuring and Drafting Cross-Border Transactions - we

Implementation of Clients’ Standards – we

  • identify a partner or investment target

  • evaluate and optimize transaction alternatives throughout the entire process;

  • develop and implement negotiation strategy (including walk-away discipline)

  • document and implement your transactions making best use of your industry know-how

  • adjust your standards to local practices, without compromising their essence

  • confirm mutually accepted values as basis for the added value of the transaction

Renewable Energy

Digitalization, AI & IoT, Privacy

Food Industry

Automotive & Parts

Finance & Real Estate

Chemical & Pharmaceutical

Automotive – Parts – Mobility – Transformation

Automotive Makers

  • leaders of German and Japanese Industry subject to accelerating change of products and markets

  • Markus Janssen and his team have assisted the restructuring of Japanese groups of European car makers since the late 1990s

Parts Makers

  • Are required to increasingly internationalize their businesses

  • Markus and his teams have assisted Parts Makers since the late 1990s

Mobility instead of status 

  • “My car” is gradually being replaced by “my ride”

  • ASJ is ready to support the legal implications of such change

Transformation: from product to function

  • The general trend of AI and IoT requires transformation of the “Maker” to the “Function Provider”

  • ASJ is assisting such transformation in automotive as well as other industries

At every stage of our cooperation, we carefully consider the characteristics of your industry, your company values and your way of doing business.

Understanding your Industry

Our approach:

Industry-focused legal advice based on a thorough understanding of your business.

Legal Advice for over 2 Gigawatt On-Field Solar Power Plants, set to follow-up with roof-top programs:

  • Pioneer since introduction of Renewable Energy Act in 2012

  • Advised on development, acquisition and finance of over 2 GW and more than 25 projects (including largest plant in Japan with 480 MW on the Gotoh Archipelago Island)

  • Supported negotiations for Fish-Windfarms

  • Co-developed Agri-Solar solutions

  • Supported double use of land

  • Actively following up on innovative roof-top solar and sustainable urbanity (including car-ports and commercial roofs)

Developed key to success of Renewable Energy: local business with local partners to be implemented with international partners in windows of administrative opportunities.

Renewable energy

Digitalization & IoT

  • Legal implications of digitalization driving industrial revolution 4.0 in all industries

  • Legal support for SMEs facing changes of production and consumption by IoT

  • ASJ supports successful IoT start-up

  • ASJ assists enterprises in maintaining and redefining their values from HR, Governance and ERP

AI, Privacy & Data Fair Trade

  • Research and lecturing on AI &Privacy as visiting professor at Beihang University, Beijing 2019 -2022

  • Develop concepts of Proactive Privacy Protection and AI Control

  • Preparing discussion at Tsinghua University on proactive AI Control with personal AI Angel

  • Assisting SMEs and individuals on Data Fair Trade based on Digital Market Acta and Data Service Act

  • compare Data Fair Trade legislation in Japan and China to EU’s DMA and DSA

Digitalization & IoT – AI - Privacy - Data Fair Trade

Codex Alimentarius meeting Japanese food safety compliance

  • ASJ office has been regularly advising food all levels of food industry (from additive maker to producer of consumer food and beverages)

  • We resolve gaps between the very strict approach of Japanese food safety administration in terms of import of food products from abroad to Japan and to the Codex Alimentarius

  • Lobbied successfully for adjustment of unrealistic import restrictions for  e.g.  E-coli bacteria and for Ferrocyanide, based on comparison to domestic compliance levels

  • Assisted confirmation of compliance of complex food chemical processes for food additives

M&A

  • Assist European food industry to understand and approach Japanese Food SMEs for cooperation and amalgamation

  • Develop Partnership Governance Models to convince especially Japanese Food SMEs of their M&A Potential with EU partners

food industry

Legal Advice for numerous acquisitions and restructuring :

  • In the last three decades, Markus Janssen and his team have assisted major German chemical companies in investing and divesting in Japan and Asia in the fields of electro chemicals, agro-chemicals, nutrition and pharmaceuticals.

  • Innovative approaches as ‘partnership governance’ (i.e. structuring majority rights in line with integration targets) and building trust by transparent negotiation have achieved results previously considered difficult or impossible.

Current advice on chemical business and compliance:

  • Markus Janssen and his team have been assisting major German chemical companies in

    • managing the onerous tasks of chemical regulation compliance (e.g. the Chemical Substances Inspection and Production Regulation Act, Showa 48/ 117)

    • day-to-day support of their businesses, including review and redraft of all business agreements with industry partners.

Chemical & Life Science

Comprehensive Tax and Legal Advice for Private Clients

  • Moving from Germany to Japan or from Japan to Germany

  • Taxation of cross-border income

  • Asset Protection

    • Protecting Family Assets for Future Generations

    • Planning business success for retirement assets (income deferral etc.)

  • Tax efficient allocation and distribution of family wealth

  • Tax advice for pre-nuptials and post-nuptials, separation and divorce

  • Cross-border succession planning

    • Valid and enforceable Living Will / Legal certainty for last will and testament (international enforceability)

    • Tax efficient arrangements (Gift, usufruct, balance of Income Tax and Inheritance Tax)

  • Asset & Will Protection in cross-border inheritance and incapacitation cases

    • Certificate of Inheritance

    • Tax declaration and distribution of the estate

Family Wealth, Succession & Tax Planning

Tax Advice for SMEs

  • Market Entry

    • Joint Venture / Permanent Establishment / Representatives and Sales Staff

    • Incorporation of subsidiaries

  • Cross-border investments

    • Manufacturing

    • Allocation of intangibles

  • Human Resources

    • Employment Contracts

    • Assistance in cross-border wage-tax / Tax efficient benefits (e.g. pension schemes, bonuses)

  • Correct allocation of income to jurisdictions involved

    • Preventing double-taxation

    • Transfer-pricing

  • Cooperation with clients‘ trusted tax advisor if requested

    • Support in non-standard declaration of cross-border transactions

    • Implementing a compliance strategy

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