Financial Insights That Matter
In the past year, Atsumi & Sakai expanded its legal team by welcoming two new partners, Christopher Hodgens and Akiko Hosokawa. Each brings a wealth of experience from tenures at Baker McKenzie.
Hosokawa, with 27 years at Baker McKenzie and involvement in major projects like advising on the world’s first cross-border repo and native-issued digital bond fully executed and settled on a public blockchain, strengthened the firm’s banking and finance expertise.
Hodgens, a cross-border corporate and commercial transaction expert with more than 30 years of legal experience in hotel management agreements and M&A, helped strengthen the firm’s real estate and hospitality business.
Latham & Watkins, an American law firm, launched its Tokyo office in 1995. The branch offers legal counsel in M&A, technology and fintech, among other practice areas. It boasts a team skilled in Japanese, English and US law, tailored to complexities of the Japanese market.
The firm has been guiding Harps Global, a Southeast Asian medical glove producer, through the acquisition of Sempermed from Semperit. This deal involves IP and IT system considerations, led by Tokyo associate Benjamin Han. The process includes negotiating the migration of crucial IT systems such as SAP and EDI, ensuring a smooth transition and continued operational integrity post-acquisition.
Latham & Watkins represents Kioxia, a global memory solutions provider, in several critical legal capacities. The firm’s scope of work includes negotiating and providing counsel on patent licence agreements with key semiconductor industry leaders, as well as other IP-related contracts. The Latham & Watkins team also offers strategic advice on Kioxia’s joint venture agreements with Western Digital. This focuses on the production of advanced NAND flash memory products such as the 3D Bics flash.
Linklaters is a British law firm with offices across the world. It established its Tokyo office in 1987 to offer legal services in capital markets, private equity and financial regulations. In the past three decades, the firm has specialised in structured finance, securitisation, acquisition finance and general corporate.
Recently, in collaboration with Nishimura & Asahi, Linklaters advised Citadel, a global US hedge fund, on its acquisition of Tokyo-based Energy Grid Corporation. This deal marked Citadel’s entry into Japan’s electricity trading market.
The acquisition, for an undisclosed amount, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2024. Linklaters’ legal team is led by London-based Tracey Lochhead, alongside energy and infrastructure partner Hirofumi Taba and corporate partner Yoshiyuki Asaoka. Both are stationed in Tokyo.
Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners, founded in Osaka in 1981, is a law firm with a solid presence in Tokyo and Osaka.
The firm’s energy practice is embedded in Japan’s dynamic energy industry, assisting clients through legal transformations. This includes deregulation of electric and gas businesses. It also has experience in dealing with compliance issues, energy-related transactions, and business restructurings, serving both traditional energy suppliers and new market entrants.
Consisting of senior lawyers including partner Mika Okada, who has advised on the launch of fintech businesses that handle public funds for local governments, City-Yuwa Partners has a 10-member team including seven partners who are experienced in assisting clients in fintech matters.
Together, they offer legal support to entities including fintech companies and financial institutions on matters ranging from fund settlement services and crypto assets to online business involving token issuances, as well as crowdfunding.
The firm’s services in fintech also include assisting clients in acquiring relevant permits and licences as well as investing in fintech businesses and business alliances. Through seminars and other platforms, they have also distributed to public discussion on fintech-related regulatory challenges, including anti-money laundering in the area of crypto-assets.
City-Yuwa Partners was established in 2003 from the merger of Yuwa Partners and the law department of Tokyo City Law & Tax Partners, and later incorporated Ohba Ozaki & Shimasue, in 2005. It boasts a diverse team of lawyers, many of whom have worked as former prosecutors, high-ranking government officials and in-house counsel.
John Eastwood, senior partner at Eiger, a full-service law firm serving the Asia-Pacific and Greater China, recognises City-Yuwa Partners’ expertise. “The firm has excellent practitioners and great expertise, and I have worked with them at various points,” says Eastwood. “Yoshitada Ogiso at City-Yuwa has exceptional clients and contacts in the Japanese public and private sectors.”
So & Sato Law Office’s founding partner, So Saito, a former director of Japan’s crypto exchange bitFlyer and a current corporate auditor of Tokyo-based web-3 wallet and blockchain solution provider, specialises in cryptocurrency, blockchain and fintech laws.
With more than a decade of experience in fintech, and having advised the Japanese government on bitcoin regulations following the bankruptcy of Japan’s bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, Saito leads a team of lawyers across two offices in Tokyo.
With fintech and blockchain being one of the firm’s core areas of service, Saito and his team have advised both domestic and foreign companies on complying with regulations for initial coin offerings and security token offerings in Japan. They have also been serving as legal counsel to crypto companies and exchanges, including helping crypto asset exchanges in registering as crypto asset exchange service providers with Japan’s Financial Services Agency.
So & Sato Law Office was initially established as So Law Office in 2015 before becoming So & Sato Law Office in 2019. It is a boutique firm with a focus on advising international and domestic corporations, particularly in new business sectors involving innovative technologies. Specialty areas include capital markets, finance, M&A, corporate, fintech, blockchain and investment funds.
Ken Matsui, CEO at ugo, a robotics company in Tokyo, commends So & Sato Law Offices.
“So & Sato Law Offices was very dedicated to helping us with the challenges of building a new service and business model for our robotics startup,” says Matsui.
“They worked with us from the very beginning of the business strategy development stage to consider various ideas and risks and provided us with much advice from an experienced and professional point of view.
Also, since “speed is of the essence” for a startup, we as a startup were able to rely on their flexible and speedy response to the legal considerations that could occur on a daily basis, at the same speed as a startup.I expect that the startup ecosystem will become more vibrant as more startups get involved with great law offices like So & Sato Law Offices.”
- GI&T LAW OFFICE
- HOGAN LOVELLS
- MORRISON FOERSTER
- NAGASHIMA OHNO & TSUNEMATSU
Hogan Lovells is a global law firm known for its legal services across a broad range of practices including corporate, finance, global regulatory, intellectual property, media and technology (IPMT), litigation, arbitration and employment.
Healthcare and life sciences have been active areas of practice for Hogan Lovells’ Tokyo team, which recently advised France-based veterinarian pharmaceutical company Virbac on its acquisition of Japanese financial service group ORIX Corp’s Japanese animal health subsidiary, Sasaeah Holdings, for EUR280 million (USD295 million).
Tokyo-based corporate and finance partners Jacky Scanlan-Dyas and Wataru Kamoto were among lawyers who led the firm’s team on the transaction. The Tokyo office has also been engaging in providing cross-jurisdictional advice on healthcare and life science deals, with a recent example being the formation of a US-Japan team, including Tokyo-based associate Sayuri Mori, acting for Japanese drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo on its global collaboration with Merck & Co in the US to develop and commercialise three of its DXd antibody-drug conjugate candidates.
Since its establishment in 1990, Hogan Lovells’ Tokyo office has become a prominent legal firm in Japan, utilising more than 30 years of experience to serve clients locally and internationally. The firm is home to about 40 multilingual and multicultural lawyers, including bengoshi and international law partners with qualifications from jurisdictions including England, Wales, Ireland, New Zealand and California.
Baker McKenzie (Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise) is an international law firm in Japan. It is also one of the oldest, marking its 52nd anniversary in 2024.
Consisting of senior lawyers including partner Naoaki Eguchi, a leader of the Japan Wind Power Association’s offshore wind finance task force, Baker McKenzie Tokyo has been an active legal adviser in Japan’s project finance market.
Having advised on the first project financing in Japan in 1999, the international firm has in the past 25 years acted on numerous projects in the energy space ranging from solar and wind power generation to small hydropower plants. In addition to energy and infrastructure projects, Baker McKenzie’s Tokyo-based project finance team has also represented lenders in the USD1 billion project financing of the Universal Studios Japan theme park in Osaka.
The firm is the largest foreign law joint enterprise in the country. As the Tokyo arm of the worldwide Baker McKenzie network, the firm helps clients navigate domestic and international matters from a global perspective.
The firm has about 170 professionals including Japanese lawyers, registered foreign lawyers and foreign-qualified lawyers, certified public accountants, tax attorneys, patent attorneys, judicial scriveners, administrative scriveners and economists. In June 2024, Baker McKenzie initiated UK Japan Connect, a forum to enhance collaboration between Japan and the UK.
- ARAKI INTERNATIONAL IP & LAW
- OHNO & PARTNERS
- TAIYO NAKAJIMA & KATO
- TMI ASSOCIATES
Araki International IP & Law, founded in 2021, specialises in cross-border IP transactions and litigation within the Japanese market. Founder Akiko Araki initiated the firm to help Japanese companies enhance their global IP presence through collaborative strategies. Despite its recent entry, the firm has quickly established a strong team and gained market recognition, with plans to expand its workforce for better client support.
By September 2024, the team consisted of an attorney, two paralegals and one staff member. Araki International has handled several significant IP cases, securing high-profile licensing deals for a patent owner on the international stage. The firm has also effectively managed global SEP portfolios, engaged in multijurisdictional patent litigations, and facilitated IP-centric collaborative deals.
Ohno & Partners is an IP law firm in Japan, established in 2000 by its managing partner, Seiji Ohno. Ohno has helped build the firm’s reputation with his expertise in IP litigation, covering areas like patents, copyright, trademarks and trade secrets. Complementing his legal prowess, the firm boasts a team of 26 professionals, both attorneys-at-law and patent attorneys, who offer seasoned counsel in information technology, nanotechnology, bioinformatics and cross-industrial technologies.
Taiyo, Nakajima & Kato is an international IP law firm headquartered in Tokyo, with additional offices in Kanagawa, Japan, and Alexandria, Virginia, in the US. Since 1981, it has employed nearly 200 attorneys, engineers and translators dedicated to protecting IP rights globally.
The firm offers comprehensive IP services, including prosecution, professional searches, IP litigation, and various legal services. The firm utilises advanced technology and techniques to support clients across both established and emerging technology sectors. Its international operations focus on building long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with both domestic and overseas clients. This is to ensure consistent quality and attention to all legal services.
Nakamura & Partners, founded in 1914 by Morio Nakamatsu in Tokyo, is an international patent and law firm specialising in IP services domestically and abroad.
The firm, which began as Nakamatsu Patent & Law, has evolved over the years and is currently represented by partners Kazuhiko Yoshida, Hiroyuki Suda and Kazuo Yamasaki. They are joined by a team of about 180 professionals.
The firm offers a wide range of IP services managed by about 40 partners focusing on patents, trademarks, legal issues and administration support. Nakamura & Partners also provides extensive agency services for industrial property rights, including patent and trademark applications and appeals, and legal advice on IP, international trade and corporate law.
Ryuka IP Law Firm, now Ryuka Partners, was established in 1998 and is headquartered in Shinjuku, Tokyo, with a team of 100 employees. These include 41 Japanese patent attorneys and specialists in electrical engineering, chemistry, mechanics, biotechnology, trademarks and design.
The firm specialises in the prosecution of patents, trademarks and designs, and offers technical expertise in fields including information technology, telecoms and biotechnology, as well as legal services such as patent searches and infringement opinions.
Ryuka is supported by its self-developed Ryuka Translation Assistant software, which helps in delivering cost-efficient and accurate translations.
AI-EI Law Firm was founded in 2019 by Michihiro Mori and other former partners from Nishimura & Asahi. The firm delivers practical solutions, emphasising flexible methodologies, including litigation, ADR and other out-of-court resolutions.
The diverse team comprises bilingual lawyers capable of handling complex domestic and international business and legal matters, with major achievements in labour matters, high-stakes litigation, and business revitalisation.
Led by Mori, a former ex-judge with legal expertise in commercial and insolvency law, the firm offers a flexible fee structure for efficient and cost-effective legal services.
Vanguard Lawyers Tokyo is a Japanese law firm recognised for its expertise in employment law, dispute resolution, finance and life sciences regulatory matters, as well as corporate affairs, serving a diverse multinational client base.
The firm, established in 2017, has a track record of handling challenging and high-profile cases, showcasing its ability to manage complex legal mandates with precision.
Ropes & Gray is an international law firm specialising in capital raising, M&A, product development, restructuring, dispute resolution, regulatory navigation and IP protection. With more than 1,500 legal professionals across 14 offices on three continents, Ropes & Gray operates as a cohesive global team delivering exceptional service and legal excellence to its clients. The firm played a pivotal advisory role for global private investment companies Bain Capital Private Equity and Bain Capital Double Impact in the strategic sale of Japan Wind Development, a renewable power entity, to Infroneer Holdings, a Japan-based comprehensive infrastructure services company.
This transaction, announced in December 2023 and concluded in January 2024, was valued at JPY218.9 billion (USD1.5 billion).
Southgate was founded in 2016 through a partnership between Japanese and US-qualified lawyers Eric Marcks and the late Mangyo Kinoshita. They combined their expertise in international and Japanese legal practices to create a cross-border transactional firm. Southgate specialises in corporate M&A, venture capital, joint ventures and commercial/IP transactions.
It has a strong foundation in venture capital, guiding both inbound and outbound VC and corporate venture capital (CVC) investments, providing startup representation from formation to exit, and advising on founder exits and limited partnership (LP) investments in VC funds.
Since its launch in 2015, Greenberg Traurig’s Tokyo office has been assisting clients through a deep understanding of the legal and economic landscapes.
Headed by shareholder and Asia real estate practice chair Joel Rothstein, Greenberg Tokyo, supported by more than 700 real estate attorneys globally, is equipped with both international and Japanese law capability to advise on domestic and cross-border real estate transactions.
Rothstein, who previously launched and led Paul Hastings’ Asia real estate practice, works alongside real estate veterans including shareholder and former Orrick Japan’s real estate practice head, Yuko Ino, who is admitted in both Japan and New York.
Through a real estate team on the ground including veterans such as ex-Morrison & Foerster partner Mori Inada, the Tokyo office advises clients on all different aspects of real estate deals from the restructuring of real estate portfolios to non-recourse financing and real estate construction projects.
While Greenberg Traurig is not a full-service firm, its multilingual attorneys in Tokyo specialise in services pertinent to the Japanese market, spanning corporate and securities, real estate, hospitality and more, set within a worldwide legal framework. The firm also manages inbound and outbound investment.
Founded in 1959 by Shogo Abe as Ginza Law Office, Abe Ikubo & Katayama has evolved into a law firm taking matters in corporate advice, litigation, IP and more. The Tokyo-based firm has, as two key areas of its practice, been focusing on providing legal support for business rehabilitation and insolvency, as well as related M&A and business restructuring.
With partners including Masaru Uetake, who is experienced in insolvency procedures, having represented large creditors and sponsor candidates in insolvency cases, the firm has over the years served roles including being a court-appointed administrator for companies such as Japan Airlines, Yamazaki Construction and now-defunct Japanese bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox in company reorganisation and civil rehabilitation cases.
The firm changed its name in 1991, recruited the expertise of Emeritus Professor Morio Takeshita in 1997, and established an intellectual property division in 2000.
Today, it is also renowned for prowess in IP and corporate law, supported by a team of more than 160 professionals. Serving a wide client base including manufacturers, financial institutions and service industry enterprises both within Japan and internationally, the firm has become a go-to for 400 Japanese companies and numerous overseas entities.
- HIRATSUKA & CO
- MAX LAW OFFICE
- OKABE & YAMAGUCHI
- WATSON FARLEY & WILLIAMS
Hiratsuka & Co, established in 1976, is a boutique Tokyo law firm offering comprehensive domestic and international Japanese legal services. It caters to a global client base from countries including Japan, the UK, US and China. Hiratsuka & Co also specialises in a range of legal areas, with a particular emphasis on shipping, insurance/reinsurance, international trade, and international litigation and arbitration.
Max Law Office is a boutique Japanese firm specialising in maritime law, especially in shipping and related legal services. The firm is led by Takayuki Matsui, who has extensive experience in cross-border shipping litigation, including representing clients in the Supreme Court on shipping insolvency cases. Another key partner, Rie Akiba, is noted for her proficiency in shipping finance.
- BAKER MCKENZIE
- NAGASHIMA OHNO & TSUNEMATSU
- NISHIMURA & ASAHI
- WITHERS
Withers, an international law firm, launched its Tokyo office in 2015 with a focus on private equity and venture capital. This signalled its entry into the Japanese legal market. By early 2023, Withers had expanded its operations by establishing a Japan desk – a collaborative effort between its Tokyo and Singapore offices aimed at providing specialised legal advice on cross-border transactions, primarily to Japanese clients.
As one of few international law firms with tax offerings in Japan, including local tax advisory capabilities, Withers Tokyo, through partner and Japan-licensed tax attorney Kohei Kobayashi, and partner and accredited Singapore tax adviser Eric Roose, has advised high-net-worth individuals on Japanese and international estate taxation planning matters.
Additionally, the firm has been active in advising on international tax planning and corporate tax advisory matters including investment funds, data centres and M&A.
The high calibre of Withers Tokyo’s tax team is reflected in the members’ career backgrounds, with Kobayashi having served as a director in the financial services tax team of PwC Tokyo. Roose, on the other hand, previously headed the Asia tax groups for Morrison & Foerster and White & Case.
Withers serves clients in Japan through two affiliated entities, Withers Bengoshi Houjin and Withers Gaikokuhou Jimu Bengoshi Houjin. These entities provide legal services in investment funds, real estate and tax, using more than 20 years of experience in structuring Japanese and cross-border investment in the Asia-Pacific region.
#1a73e8;">Boost Your Financial Knowledge and Achieve Stability
Discover a growing online community dedicated to delivering financial news, tips, and strategies designed to help you manage money effectively, save smarter, and grow your investments with confidence.
#1a73e8;">Top Financial Tips for Saving and Investing
- Personal Finance Management: Master the art of budgeting, expense tracking, and building a strong financial foundation.
- Investment Opportunities: Stay updated on market trends, learn about stocks, and explore secure ways to grow your wealth.
- Expert Money-Saving Advice: Access proven techniques to reduce expenses and maximize your financial potential.