Asia Business Law Journal uncovers the most recognised lawyers in Japan’s legal industry, featuring the country’s top 100 lawyers plus 30 Legal Icons. Byung Jin Park reports
Japanese law firms are riding a wave of growth. In 2023, the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) launched a ‘value-up’ initiative, requiring companies with a price-to-book ratio (PBR) below 1 to disclose plans to improve their corporate value, warning that non-compliance could result in delisting.
As a result, Japanese companies have been compelled to carve out unprofitable or low-margin subsidiaries to improve capital efficiency. Amid this shift, well-capitalised global private equity firms have increasingly acquired these spin-off assets or taken companies private through management buyouts.
Carve-out deals are more complex than standard M&A transactions, as they require the precise separation of assets, personnel, and intellectual property entangled with the parent company. Japanese law firms are boosting their advisory track records by handling legal due diligence and separation structuring for sellers, or by conducting acquisition financing and regulatory reviews for buyers.
Cross-border M&A activity is also on the rise. Facing a shrinking domestic population and limited growth prospects, Japanese corporations are increasingly adopting cross-border acquisitions abroad as a core survival strategy. Thus, the rising demand for regulatory compliance and due diligence has become a primary driver of business for Japanese law firms.
Finally, the Bank of Japan raised its policy interested rate twice during the period from May 2025 to May 2026. In an environment of rising interest rates, holding cash incurs significant opportunity costs. Japanese companies are increasingly prioritising strategic investment, a shift that is creating new advisory opportunities for law firms.
Against this backdrop of opportunities for Japanese law firms, we present our annual A-List of the top 100 lawyers and 30 Legal Icons in Japan. The A-List is based on extensive research and nominations from in-house counsel based in Japan and elsewhere, as well as from Japan-focused partners at international law firms.
While many A-list lawyers and Legal Icons are based in Tokyo, the nation’s capital, a notable number also practice in Osaka, a major city in the Kansai region—Japan’s second-most populous area.
Defending Japanese interests abroad
With Japanese companies highly active on the global stage, their legal counsel are facing a busy reality driven by cross-border litigation.
Featured in this year’s A-List, Takanori Abe, managing partner at Abe & Partners, earned distinct praise from a client who noted that “it would not have been possible to win the case […] had Takanori and his team not been advocating for us.”
Shohta Ueno, London-based executive director and assistant general counsel at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, says “Abe is an exceptional patent litigator who has delivered outstanding results for Regeneron over the past year.”
“Regeneron is fortunate to have him as a trusted adviser, and I recommend him without reservation for this recognition.”
David Banchik, chief IP counsel at Galderma SA in Switzerland, also speaks highly of Abe’s capabilities in cross-border litigation.
“Abe was very effective working with an international team of lawyers and technical experts as part of a multijurisdictional litigation while managing all of the complexities of the litigation locally.”
Guy Lachmann, partner at Pearl Cohen Zedek Latzer Baratz in Israel, worked with Akira Ehira, partner at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, as co-counsel on representing some of Japan’s leading multinational corporations on their business endeavours in Israel.
“All throughout our mutual work, Mr Ehira consistently proved to be an extremely top tier quality expert on the matters addressed by him,” says Lachmann. “I feel very grateful for the opportunity to work with him and for him to serve as co-counsel alongside me on complex matters.”
The specialist edges
Specialised expertise remains a key driver for recognition in this year’s A-List, backed by a volume of client endorsements praising individual lawyer performance.
As the CEO of a deep-tech company operating at the intersection of AI, simulation, and human data, Takuya Tsuda from MQue in Tokyo, has worked closely with Masafumi Masuda, partner at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, on matters directly related to AI governance and data protection.
“In today’s environment, where AI and data governance are becoming central to corporate strategy, lawyers who can integrate legal knowledge with business and technological understanding are indispensable,” says Tsuda.
“He embodies this capability, and I believe his recognition would strongly align with the forward-looking nature of this ranking.”
Naohiko Ueno, analyst at Toyota Financial Service in Tokyo, also praises that Masuda’s “greatest strength lies in his ability to provide advice that goes beyond legal theory.”
“He not only ensured that legal requirements were met but also provided practical suggestions that considered which disclosure items investors would focus on.”
Highly regarded for his depth of knowledge in IP law, Kei Iida serves as a partner at Nakamura & Partners.
“Iida’s experience in patent law, both in Japan and the US, is beyond impressive, as is his technical understanding and knowledge of trial practice in Japan,” says Noel Whitley, chief IP counsel at Skyworks Solutions based in the US.
“Iida and his team handled a large litigation matter that was a must-win for our company,” he added.
Stephen Kovacic, director at Ironbutt Enterprises based in Canada, also recognises Iida’s “very clear and precise advice on Japan IP law.”
“Iida is able to provide advice to us that allows us to develop good strategies in defending or asserting IP, as well as good strategies on discussions on settlement of disputes,” says Kovacic.
Legal titans
Masakazu Iwakura, partner at TMI Associates, reinforces his position as an icon in this year’s A-List, drawing praise from a client who lauded him as a “titan of the Japanese corporate legal landscape.”
“Iwakura has assembled an incredibly talented team around him at TMI associates and works on some of the most prestigious transactions going around,” says a British corporate lawyer at an international law firm.
“He is incredibly well connected, enabling him to provide informed and insightful commercial advice to his many clients.”
Finally, Tom Platts, a partner at Stephenson Harwood, describes Eric Marcks of southgate as a “standout figure in the Japanese legal landscape.”
“His work at southgate has set a high bar for cross-border M&A in Japan and he has rare ability to bridge the cultural and legal gaps that often arise in multi-jurisdictional deals,” says Platts.
“Marcks is a pragmatic, commercially minded lawyer who understands the ‘big picture’ without losing sight of the technical details.”
Compiling the A-List
The A-List is based on extensive research conducted by Asia Business Law Journal. To identify the top lawyers in Japan, we turned to thousands of in-house counsel in Japan and around the world – as well as partners at international law firms – and asked them to tell us which lawyers should make the cut.
A-List lawyers were defined on the nomination form as “lawyers who are currently the star performers of Japan’s legal profession; the lawyers who are personally undertaking the country’s top legal work, crafting the most cutting-edge legal solutions to complex problems, and setting the highest standards in terms of quality, innovation and the ability to handle complex matters”.
Our Legal Icons were defined as “lawyers who are the luminaries of Japan’s legal profession; the titans who command the respect of clients and juniors alike; the mentors who lead Japan’s most admired law firms and/or legal teams, and who are the country’s most prolific rainmakers”.
All Japanese private practice lawyers and foreign lawyers based in the country were automatically eligible for inclusion in the nomination process. As always, there were no fees or any other requirements for entry.
