Stephen Decosse

Background

About Stephen Decosse

I focus on public and private cross-border M&A, investments and joint ventures for strategics, private equity firms and trading houses across a range of industries including, among others, tech, food and agriculture, energy and social infrastructure. My representations include, among others, EQT’s agreement to sell Pioneer Corporation to CarUX for $1.1 billion, Marubeni Corporation’s sale of Gavilon, its global grain business, to Viterra Ltd, for $2.7 billion, TDK Corporation’s acquisition of NYSE-listed InvenSense, a leading U.S. sensor and software concern, for $1.3 billion, Marubeni’s acquisition of California-based food oil company, Gemsa Enterprises and a Japan infrastructure fund’s prospective acquisition of interests in toll roads, solar projects and hospitals. I am regularly recommended as a leading lawyer in Japan by independent guides to the legal profession including Chambers, The Legal 500, and the Japan edition of Best Lawyers in the fields of corporate and M&A. Asia Business Law Journal named me to the A-List of Japan’s Top 100 Lawyers. Client comments include the following:"Stephen DeCosse has a high level of global experience and a proven track record and is capable of handling legal cases around the world"(Legal 500 Asia-Pacific, 2025) and "Steve is a great lawyer with commercial sense and quick responsiveness. He knows clients' business and has ample experience of handling cross-border transactions"(Chambers Global and Asia-Pacific, 2024). I am also listed in the Hall of Fame for Japan: Corporate and M&A in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, which lists "lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work". I am involved in an Asia-wide pro bono project focusing on human trafficking in southeast Asian and Pacific Island countries.