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Mergers & Acquisitions (MBA)Yasu Hatakeyama is a Visiting Professor for Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) at Hitotsubashi ICS. He joined ICS in 2024 after a distinguished 35-year career in investment banking. Since 2005, he has been speaking regularly at Hitotsubashi ICS as a guest speaker on the topic of cross-border M&A.
Most recently, Yasu spent 32 years at Lazard Freres & Co. Joining the firm in New York in 1991, he was a generalist M&A banker focusing on a variety of US and European M&A transactions. In 2000, Yasu was asked to establish the firm’s Japanese business and became the CEO of Lazard Freres K.K., the firm’s Japanese investment banking subsidiary. Yasu has developed a series of long-term relationships with blue-chip Japanese clients and advised them on a number of landmark M&A transactions. He returned to the firm’s New York HQs in 2021 and became a Vice Chairman of Investment Banking.
Yasu started his career at First Boston’s Tokyo M&A Group in 1988 before transferring to their New York M&A Group.
In addition, Yasu has advised Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (“METI”) on the development of hostile takeover defense guidelines in Japan. In addition, he was a member of the Corporate Value Study Group (METI); the Working Group for the Reform of Tender Offer Rules (Financial System Council); Council and Advisory Board Member at UWC ISAK Japan; and the Chief Strategic Officer and Executive Director of the Japan Tennis Association.
Yasu earned his B.A. in Economics from Keio University.