IFLR is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Garden, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement


Kenichi Tanizaki

Atsumi & Sakai

2025_IFLR1000_Highly_Regarded_Lawyer_1_.png
Position: Senior partner
Rating:
  • Highly regarded
Practice Areas:
Banking
Project finance
Jurisdictions:
Languages:
Japanese
English
Biography

Kenichi Tanizaki is a Senior Partner at Atsumi & Sakai; he is qualified as an attorney (Bengoshi) in Japan and is also admitted in New York. He currently co-heads the firm’s Project Finance Team and Derivatives Team. He has experience advising major banks and financial institutions, fintech companies and venture capitalists on a wide range of banking and finance matters, including (i) API deployed by a banks, securities firms, and insurance companies, (ii) cashless settlement, (iii) money transfer services, (iv) regulatory, compliance and AML/CFT issues and (v) other innovative services (e.g., emerging technologies, digital economy, AI, data protection, data usage). Prior to joining Atsumi & Sakai, he worked at one of Japan’s major banks, where he handled a wide range of banking transactions and services.

Mr Tanizaki has presented seminars on financial regulations, fintech and financial transactions at domestic and international financial institutions, as well as at seminar companies. He holds an LL.B. degree from Kyoto University, an LL.M degree from Northwestern University School of Law and a J.D. from Omiya Law School.

Recent case highlights
  • Advised a Japanese bank on a project financing for the construction and operation of a sewage treatment plant in the Gulf Cooperation Counsel (including Qatar and the UAE).
  • Advised on what licenses are required and what activities are permitted for a global bank based in the Netherlands to conduct various financial transactions with Japanese customers in the Japanese market.
  • Conducted a review of financial regulatory laws and fund-related contracts when a Japanese bank established a fund in the EU and invested in various infrastructure and digital assets through the fund
  • Advised fintech companies on the development of factoring services for future receivables, both from regulatory and transactional law perspectives.
Practice areas
  • Banking
  • Capital markets: Derivatives
  • Financial services regulatory
  • Private equity funds
  • Project finance

 

Sector expertise
  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Financial services
  • Investment management
  • Natural resources

 

Bar admissions
  • Japan
  • New York

 

Association memberships
  • Daini Tokyo Bar Association

 

Academic qualifications
  • Kyoto University (LL.B., 1994)
  • Northwestern University School of Law (LL.M., 2003)
  • Omiya Law School (J.D., 2008)
Address:
Tokyo
Japan
Tel:+81355011140 Email:Contact this practitioner Website:https://www.aplawjapan.com/en/professionals/kenichi-tanizaki