Skip to main content
  • Awards

Asian Law Firm of the Year at the Asia Legal Awards 2021

Leading Japanese law firm Nishimura & Asahi has been named Asian Law Firm of the Year at The Asia Legal Awards 2021, held virtually on May 5, 2021. This is the first time a Japanese law firm has received this honor.

Ryutaro Nakayama, Managing Partner of Nishimura & Asahi, said of the win that “it is an immense honor, especially after what has been a universally challenging year. In such hard times, fairness and the “rule of law” are more important than ever for the sustainable growth of global business. We, as lawyers, must bear the responsibility to lead our society forward, always keeping these principles in mind. It has not been an easy year but we are now stronger than ever, which makes this win all the more meaningful.”

Nishimura & Asahi was also recognized for:

Energy and Infrastructure Lawyer of the Year - Tomohiro Sato

Private Equity Deal of the Year: KKR and Rakuten’s acquisition of stakes in Seiyu from Walmart
The lead partners advising on this transaction included Asa Shinkawa, Takahiko Date, Atsushi Mizushima, Yasutaka Nishikori, Masaki Noda, Toshiyuki Nonaka, Kazumaro Kobayashi, Yotaro Takayama, Stephen D. Bohrer and James Emerson.

The Asia Legal Awards are hosted by The Asian Lawyer, in association with The American Lawyer, China Law & Practice, Legal Week and Law.com, and celebrate the legal industry’s most important transactions across Asia over the past year.



Asian Law Firm of the Year



Energy & Infrastructure Lawyer of the Year



Private Equity Deal of the Year