Thomson, Shin Nippon Hoki Shuppan Announce Joint Venture for Japanese Legal Information Market
Legal Information Market Leaders to Develop Westlaw Japan
STAMFORD, Conn., and TOKYO, April 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Shin Nippon Hoki Shuppan K.K. (Nagoya-shi, President Shozo Hattori) and The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) have signed a joint venture agreement establishing Westlaw Japan K.K., a business that will develop a new, state-of-the-art online service created expressly for the world's second-largest legal information marketplace.
Westlaw Japan K.K. brings together the two leading providers of legal and regulatory information and services in their respective markets. Shin Nippon Hoki Shuppan is Japan's leading provider of print-based legal information, and Thomson online information services include Westlaw(R), the number-one online research service for legal practitioners in the United States and other markets worldwide.
Shin Nippon Hoki Shuppan President Shozo Hattori said the joint venture will focus on opportunities driven by the anticipated increase in adoption for online legal information services by Japanese legal professionals. "We believe significant future growth will come from online services. Together with Thomson, we have both the vision and the resources to make Westlaw Japan the online market leader," he said.
Mike Boswood, president and CEO of Thomson Legal & Regulatory International, said Westlaw Japan K.K. is borne of changes in the Japanese legal information landscape. "We believe that the impact of ongoing legal reform on research needs means the Japanese market is ready for a new, comprehensive online service specifically designed to meet emerging needs amongst lawyers and corporate legal specialists," Boswood said. "Japan also represents the world's second-largest market for legal information. We believe that an online service built upon the unique strengths of Shin Nippon and Thomson's Westlaw services would be well-received by Japanese legal professionals."
Thomson Legal & Regulatory President and CEO Brian Hall agrees. "Thomson and Shin Nippon have become leaders because we provide customers with the right information, and also the answers and the expertise to support their practice," Hall said. "I firmly believe that Westlaw Japan will represent a new standard, giving Japanese lawyers and legal professionals a powerful online tool to provide the best counsel possible for their clients."
Westlaw Japan K.K. is the first joint venture of its kind in the legal market in Japan. Shin Nippon Hoki Shuppan will provide Japanese law content, editorial staff, knowledge of the Japanese market, strong relationships with customers and an experienced sales channel. Thomson will provide the global technology platform, online infrastructure, expertise in developing and supporting online information solutions, and the strength of the Westlaw brand.
John Maloy, an executive with the Thomson Legal & Regulatory market group, has been named president of Westlaw Japan K.K., which will be headquartered in Tokyo. He said development of the Westlaw Japan online service is well under way. "It is a great honor to work with two legal publishers of such high caliber. And, in holding to the long tradition both Shin Nippon and Thomson have established, we are developing the highest-quality and most forward-looking service with a single-minded focus on the unique needs of Japanese legal practitioners," Maloy said. "Our goal is to leverage the heritage and expertise of both Shin Nippon Hoki Shuppan and Thomson to set a new standard for online legal services in Japan."
About Shin Nippon Hoki Shuppan K.K.
Shin-Nippon Hoki Shuppan K.K. ( http://www.sh-hoki.co.jp/ ) is one of the leading publishers of legal, tax, and accounting information and has been in business for almost 60 years. Shin-Nippon Hoki has been providing information to experts including lawyers, judicial scriveners, certified public accountants, tax accountants, architects, social insurance labor consultants, and administrative scriveners, and central and local government through over 560 titles of binder-style books, CD-ROMs, and Internet. ( http://www.e-hoki.com ). Annual sales: 23.5 billion yen (2004), Employees: 976.
About The Thomson Corporation
The Thomson Corporation ( http://www.thomson.com ), with 2005 revenues of $8.70 billion, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers. Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and applications to more than 20 million users in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate e-learning and assessment, scientific research and healthcare. With operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson has approximately 40,000 employees and provides services in approximately 130 countries. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC).
SOURCE The Thomson Corporation
-0- 04/10/2006
/CONTACT: John Shaughnessy of Thomson Legal & Regulatory,
+1-651-687-4749, john.shaughnessy@thomson.com , or Taro Toyoshima of Thomson
Legal & Regulatory Japan, (03) 5218 6177, taro.toyoshima@thomson.com , or
Hironori Nakamura of Shin Nippon Hoki Shuppan K.K., (052) 211-5725,
h-nakamura@sn-hoki.co.jp /
/Web site: http://www.thomson.com
http://www.sh-hoki.co.jp
http://www.e-hoki.com /
(TOC TOC.)
CO: Thomson Corporation; Shin Nippon Hoki Shuppan K.K.; Westlaw Japan K.K.
ST: Connecticut, Japan
IN: CPR STW MLM
SU: JVN LAW
JJ-JK
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7036 04/10/2006 16:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com