Biography
Eriko Sakata is an investment funds and real estate partner in our global Mergers & Acquisitions practice based in Tokyo.
Eriko has over 20 years’ experience advising global asset managers and blue-chip corporations on the establishment and maintenance of investment funds and co-investment vehicles that invest across a range of asset classes and strategies, including real estate, renewable energy, technology, infrastructure and finance, among others. She also specializes in real estate and structured finance and is experienced across a broad range of regulatory advisory work, including the contentious regulatory space.
Prior to joining White & Case she was a partner in the Tokyo office of another leading international law firm and was previously seconded to their Luxembourg and London offices. She has worked on numerous transactions involving the formation and investment of funds in Cayman, Singapore, Luxembourg, Delaware or other offshore jurisdictions as well as in Japan.
Recognized for 15 years by Chambers Asia Pacific and ranked Band 1 for Investment Funds in Japan, clients say Eriko is, "the best lawyer in the cross-border fund business." Additionally, she is listed as a Leading Individual (Bengoshi) for Investment Funds in Japan in Legal 500 Asia Pacific where clients say she "stands out for her understanding of the domestic market, international fund managers and investors."
Eriko has been ranked by Chambers Asia as "Band 1" in Investment Funds category, ranked by Legal 500 as "Leading Individuals" in Investment Funds category, ranked in Investment Funds and Banking in IFLR1000, and awarded the Investment Fund Lawyers of the Year in Asia (entire region) by The Asian Lawyer in 2019 and the Women lawyer of the Year (Law Firm) at the ALB Japan Law Awards 2026.
She is a member of the Daini Tokyo Bar Association and serves on the Investment Management Association of Japan's expert committee on Overseas Trends and Other Matters and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's expert committee on Drafting the New Model LPA.
Experience
Eriko's experience includes advising:
- Macquarie Asset Management in its US$1~2 billion fundraising of shares and limited partner private fund interests from global leading infrastructure investors in connection with a sale-and-leaseback deal to acquire mature mobile network assets from Rakuten Mobile, Inc. This is the largest transaction in this asset class in resent years.
- DBJ, a financial institution owned by the Government of Japan, as preferred equity holder, on its collaboration with the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation and AIM Horizon Investments to establish Fund for Energy Efficiency Technologies ("FEET"), which aims to provide financing to shipowners to install energy-efficient technologies on their vessels. This transaction was most recently awarded "Deal of the Year - East Wild Card" by Marine Money Magazine 2026.
- Asian data center developer and operator on the establishment of a Fund designed to enable both Japanese and non-Japanese investors to commit and contribute capital for investment in a single, stabilized, high-quality "built-to-suit" data center located in Central Tokyo, Japan.
- SoftBank Group Corp on the US$ 93.15 billion launch of the SoftBank Vision Fund (the world's largest technology-focused investment fund) which involved the establishment and license application of investment advisory companies in Japan, the UK, and the US. This was the largest transaction in this asset class at that time.*
- Formation of a fund targeting Hydrogen sector across the globe by Advantage Partners, of which the vast majority of investors will be member companies of Japan Hydrogen Association and other Japanese or non-Japanese institutional investors.*
*Experience prior to joining White & Case.
Professional Highlights
Legal Training and Research Institute of Japan
Chambers Asia-Pacific 2026
Band 1: Investment Funds: Bengoshi – Japan
The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2026
Leading partner: Bengoshi: Investment Funds: International firms and joint ventures – Japan
IFLR1000 2026
Notable practitioner: Investment funds and Banking – Japan
ALB Japan Law Awards 2026
Women lawyer of the Year (Law Firm)
The Asia Legal Awards 2019
Investment Fund Lawyer of the Year in Asia (entire region)
