Peter Bungate

Peter Bungate is an Australian-qualified lawyer whose practice encompasses both corporate and disputes matters. Peter regularly works on M&A and projects-related transactions, as well as complex corporate compliance matters and global investigations. Peter uses his deep knowledge of the Japanese market – gained over more than a decade in Tokyo – to help clients achieve their objectives in, what are often, unfamiliar environments.

Peter advises on both outbound and inbound cross-border M&A transactions. He has represented large conglomerates, trading companies, quasi-governmental institutions and other stakeholders on all aspects of complex M&A transactions across a variety of industries and jurisdictions, particularly in the energy and infrastructure sectors. His representative matters include:

– Advising a vertically integrated Japanese electricity provider on the acquisition of electricity generation and transmission assets as part of the privatization of a national electricity network in the South Pacific.

– Advising a Japanese quasi-governmental institution on the NZ$1 billion consortium acquisition of a pulp, paper and packaging business in Australia and New Zealand.

– Advising a Japanese heavy industries conglomerate on all aspects of the construction of a large nuclear power generation facility in the UK.

– Advising a Japanese steel manufacturer on a US$1.36 billion joint venture to establish a new coated products business in South-East Asia and North America.

– Advising a Singapore-based private equity fund on the proposed acquisition of several large-scale solar, biomass and landfill energy projects in Japan.

Peter also represents Japanese and non-Japanese clients on a wide range of regulatory investigation and corporate governance matters in Japan and abroad. Peter is often involved in advising on overall strategy and direction as well as the day-to-day aspects of conducting multi-faceted global investigations. His representative matters include:

– Advising a Japanese automotive company on a multi-jurisdictional regulatory investigation involving government agencies in the US, Australia and Japan.

– Advising a Japanese logistics company on whistleblowing reports and employment-related issues at its Australian subsidiary.

– Advising a global pharmaceutical company on whistleblowing reports at its Japanese subsidiary.

– Advising a Japanese automotive company on several internal workplace investigations involving senior executives.

– Conducting an in-depth review of key compliance risk areas for a listed Japanese semiconductor company and its overseas subsidiaries in the US, UK and Europe.

Recent awards: The Best Lawyers in Japan 2026