28 Nishimura & Asahi Lawyers Named Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyers 2025

Kozo’s anti-trust/competition practice covers every area of the practice, i.e., violation cases such as cartel and unilateral conduct, merger regulations, and compliance to prevent violations of Japanese and foreign competition laws. Kozo continues to be recognized by international law journals as one of the top practitioners in Japan in the area of competition law. He has handled large scale international cartel cases and has contributed to the realization of prominent merger regulations. In the area of international trade law, Kozo is widely recognized as a pioneer of trade law practice in Japan and has advised both the private sector and governmental agencies. He has been involved in most of the trade remedy investigations, such as those for the imposition of anti-dumping duties and subsidy countervailing duties as counsel to Japanese and foreign clients, and in some overseas trade remedy investigations to defend Japanese clients. In addition, Kozo’s practice covers international disputes, corporate crisis management, and regulatory investigations.

Kazuhiro Takei has extensive expertise representing Japanese public companies on a variety of matters, including M&A, corporate governance and digital transformation, corporate law, securities law, shareholders meeting, consumer law, and tax law. 

Yoshinobu was promoted to partner in 1999. He has experience in NP loans, real estate transactions, and equity investment cases dealing with foreign capital funds and companies. In addition to domestic M&A and business integration cases, he has recently been engaged in many M&A and JV cases by Japanese corporations in the USA, Europe, and Asian countries. He has advised Japanese corporations on lawsuits in the USA and other overseas countries, and has extensive experience in the dispute settlement and risk management fields. He has won many awards in the Corporate/M&A, Private Wealth and Healthcare fields from business law reviews, such as Chambers Global and The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific.

Since 2002, Hiroshi has been a partner in the firm’s M&A and corporate practice area. His experience ranges from M&A (business integration, acquisition and organizational restructuring between operating companies, acquisition of listed/unlisted companies by funds, going private, cross-border M&A, etc.) to general corporate law (general meetings of shareholders, corporate governance, various commercial transactions and contracts, financing, personnel and labor, response to legal revisions, disputes, crisis management, etc.). While he has extensive experience in large-scale and complex M&A transactions, he also provides efficient and effective advice depending on the status of the project in areas such as overseas M&A of Japanese companies, expansion into Japan by overseas companies, and support for startup businesses. In crisis management and dispute cases, he provide practical and effective advice to ensure clients achieve their goals based on a thorough understanding of the circumstances faced by the client. His clients are diverse, including domestic and overseas companies, financial institutions, and investment funds.

Mr. Ota has a breadth of practical international and domestic legal experience, focusing on the areas of hostile takeovers, shareholder activism, M&A transactions (including cross-border deals), corporate governance and other corporate matters, domestic / international Tax, personal information / data protection, and works on a wide range of corporate legal affairs. He was selected as the NIKKEI "Most Successful Lawyers in 2022" in the corporate law category (1st), the NIKKEI "Most Successful Lawyers in 2021" in the corporate law (excl. M&A) category (2nd), and also the NIKKEI "Most Successful Lawyers in 2020" in the M&A category (1st) and the corporate law category (3rd). In addition, he dedicates himself to research and writing activities that bridge academia and practice on cutting-edge issues related to the Companies Act, the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, tax law, the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, etc. He has edited and authored many books and papers, such as “Schemes and Tax Issues of M&A and Corporate Restructuring, 4th Ed.”, “Corpus Juris M&A - Completely Revised Edition (first volume) (second volume)”, “Handbook on Share Options (Fifth Edition)”, “Corpus Juris Series - Personal Information Protection Legislation (Global)”, “Handbook on Class Shares”, “Nuts and Shell of the 2019 Amendment of the Companies Act and Practical Response”, “Legal Issues and Practices of Virtual Shareholders’ Meeting”, etc.

While mainly focusing on financial transactions and financial regulations, he has also advised on a variety of projects such as international disputes regarding financial products and M&A transactions (especially those involving financial institutions). Projects he has represented include an acquisition of shares in Seiyu by KKR and Rakuten in 2021, the restructuring of KDDI’s financial business in 2020, and Aozora Bank’s capital restructuring to repay governmental funds in 2013. He won the “Deal of the Year” award at Japan Achievement Awards 2014/2015 hosted by FinanceAsia and the “Japan Deal of the Year” award at Japan Law Awards 2015 sponsored by Asian Legal Business (ALB) with respect to Suntory Holdings’ acquisition of Beam, Inc. in 2014. His practice area also includes international taxation. Taking advantage of his considerable experience in advising on international financial transactions, he provides clients with practical tax advice both at the stage of transaction structuring and during tax disputes, especially in relation to complicated financial instruments. He successfully represented Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance in contesting a tax assessment on a cross-border reinsurance transaction ceding earthquake-related risks. He is also very active in academia. He was a Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo, Graduate Schools of Law and Politics from 2010 to 2013 and has been a lecturer at Keio University Law School since 2014. He has authored numerous academic articles such as Corpus Juris Finance (Co-author; Shojihomu Kenkyukai, 2003), Comparative Income Taxation - Fourth Edition (Co-author; Kluwer Law International, 2019), and Analysis of Issue Prices in Public Offerings (Co-author; Yuhikaku, 2015).

Mr. Kimeda’s main areas of practice are Corporate Crisis Management and Litigation. As for Corporate Crisis Management, he has extensive experience in corporate scandal cases, including window-dressing, misrepresentation of financial statements, insider trading, antitrust (bid rigging, price cartels, and abuse of dominant position), product defects, misleading representations of products, divulging confidential information, bribery, political funding, money laundering, breach of industrial regulations, and factory accidents. In these types of cases he has specific expertise on the issues of internal investigations, third party committee investigations, defending against criminal and administrative investigations, public relations, rebuilding compliance systems, reforming corporate governance, and handling the related civil litigation. He also serves as an outside whistleblower hotline channel for a number of companies. As for litigation, he has considerable experience in tax disputes, shareholders disputes, and other types of corporate litigation. He is the author of numerous legal articles and has also been involved in the process of making laws and regulations. He has been recognized as one of the “Most successful lawyers” by the NIKKEI for the last several years as below.

2023 Corporate Crisis Management category 1st
2021 Corporate Crisis Management category 1st
2020 Corporate Crisis Management category 1st
2018 Corporate Crisis Management category 2nd
2014 Corporate Crisis Management category 2nd
2011 Corporate Crisis Management category 3rd
2024 Corporate Legal Affairs category 17th
2022 Corporate Legal Affairs category 9th
2016 Corporate Legal Affairs category 10th
2015 Corporate Legal Affairs category 8th
2013 Corporate Legal Affairs category 2nd
2012 Corporate Legal Affairs category 4th

Since becoming an attorney-at-law, I have been consistently engaged in bankruptcy and business revitalization practices. In legal arrangements, I have not only fulfilled the duties of a trustee, supervisor, etc., and been involved as a debtor's agent, but have also provided advice to creditors and sponsors that makes full use of such experience. Beyond legal liquidation, I have a reputation for taking the lead in restructuring in the early stages of the process, as well as Out of Court Informal Workouts. In recent years, I have also expanded my sphere of activity into the field of sports practice.

Akihiro’s experience covers product liability, contractual claims, mass tort claims, and tax disputes, in various industries, in particular in the pharmaceutical and automotive industries. He has also handled disputes arising from M&A transactions, disputes involving construction sites in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, and disputes arising from the termination of distribution agreements. He has achieved significant results in international arbitrations, including emergency arbitration proceedings under the rules of the ICC, SIAC, AAA-ICDR, and JCAA. He also advised clients in connection with US civil actions, including class actions, and Japanese judicial assistance for foreign court proceedings.

In one notable case, he successfully defended a Japanese trading company against six large vicarious liability lawsuits, involving claims totaling JPY 48.3 billion, filed by claimants including an affiliate of a US-headquartered investment bank and a US hedge fund. He also recovered JPY 13.3 billion for Shionogi & Co. in an action challenging a tax assessment relating to an in-kind contribution of a partnership interest in a cross-border reorganization for the development of a drug for AIDS. He is currently representing a pharmaceutical company in one of the largest product liability lawsuits in Japan.

He is a graduate of The University of Tokyo (LL.B., 1993) and Harvard Law School (LL.M., 2003), and is licensed to practice law in Japan and New York. He served as a Japanese district court judge from 1998 until 2000, and worked at Arnold & Porter (Washington, D.C.) from 2003 until 2004. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

He is the author of various books and articles in the areas of litigation and international arbitration, including Yasuhei Taniguchi et al. eds., Civil Procedure in Japan (contributor, Juris Publishing). He was awarded the "Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year" at the ALB Japan Law Awards in 2022.

He has an extensive track record representing clients in over 80 corporate rehabilitation and bankruptcy cases to date, playing an instrumental role in communicating with financial institutions on M&A, financing, and private liquidations from a multifaceted perspective. He is also known for his expertise in business succession cases involving a wide range of competing interests, such as drafting family charters, and handling litigation, leveraging his insights into industry conditions and economic circumstances surrounding his clients.

Kei Umebayashi is a partner at Nishimura & Asahi and previously worked at the Special Investigative Section of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, where he obtained extensive experience and know-how in criminal investigations.
 He is expert at gathering evidence and conducting hearings.
 He mainly handles cases in which the executives or officers of a company leaked, intentionally or accidentally, the company’s confidential information, including customer data and business secrets.
 He deals with matters conducted by Japanese authorities, including the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission (SESC) and the Fair Trade Commission.
 Additionally, he gives valuable advice concerning a variety of other matters, such as insider trading, antitrust law, leniency applications under antitrust law, and inquiries by the US Department of Justice, European Commission and other foreign authorities when a company is targeted by them due to alleged violations of antitrust laws.

Takahiko handles a wide range of domestic and international M&A transactions, general corporate matters, and labor matters. In particular, he has extensive experience in private equity fund investments, cross-border transactions (mainly in Europe and the U.S.), as well as TMT and pharmaceutical industry-related M&A transactions. Regardless of the difficulty or complexity of a case, his policy is to respond in a flexible, appropriate, and timely manner in accordance with his clients’ needs and expectations. He is also actively involved in D&I activities and pro bono work.

Yuji’s practice includes a wide range of M&A, investment, and joint venture transaction, etc. involving a Japanese company and a foreign company / investment fund; in that transaction, he represented both parties through successful completion of the transaction. With his seasoned experience of acquisition matters by foreign investment funds, he advises numerous Japanese listed and unlisted companies on activism matters. He has received accolades from his clients that (i) he is very pragmatic and proactive (ii) he always gives a good, commercial view of the bigger picture around a situation with deep understanding of his client and (iii) he has an ability to ‘put himself in his clients’ shoes. He is also active in the Firm’s Asia practice such as India, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam.

He has an extensive track record representing issuers, managers and selling shareholders in various capital markets transactions, incduling global IPOs, global follow-on offerings, convetibles bonds offerings, debt offerings, private investments in public companies (PIPEs), J-REITs offerings. He also has been active in fincance transactions by venture companies.

His main practice area is corporate crisis management and litigation. He is also highly knowledgeable and experienced on matters involving foreign investigations and regulatory authorities. He has dealt with many cases in relation to investigations by the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission, the Japanese Fair Trade Commission, the Japanese Public Prosecutor’s Office, etc., as well as foreign authorities such as the U.S. Department of Justice. He has also dealt with a variety of cases such as misconduct by executives and employees, violation of environmental regulations, violation of the regulation regarding pharmaceutical and medical equipment, etc. In addition to cases that require emergency responses, he has advised many companies to build effective whistleblowing systems and anti-bribery compliance programs, and he has assisted with due diligence procedures from a compliance perspective.

Having commenced his career advising clients on the disposal of non-performing loans and on private equity investments after the collapse of the bubble economy, he has been providing corporate clients with a wide range of legal support, including advising on domestic and cross border M&A and commercial transactions, such as joint venture agreements, license agreements, etc. He also covers other areas, such as crisis management and corporate litigation. Taking advantage of his extensive experience in advising clients on a wide range of legal issues and his previous secondment to a life insurance company, he is actively engaged in the area of insurance, especially in providing regulatory advice, advice on investments by insurance companies (including M&A), and advice on reinsurance, etc. Furthermore, he also focuses on energy and natural resources, offering his expertise on various issues related to the stable supply of energy, which is fundamental to society and the economy.

Nobuya has extensive experience supporting our clients in M&A transactions and other corporate matters, including general shareholders meetings, shareholder activism and corporate governance issues. In the M&A field, Nobuya represents our corporate clients in mergers, corporate reorganizations, privatization transactions and business divestures. He is also active in cross-border transactions, both in in-out and out-in transactions.

Tsuyoshi Ito has significant experience in tax counseling and tax controversies and has represented major corporations in numerous tax disputes and tax lawsuits. In March 2021, he won a significant corporate tax dispute that challenged a tax assessment of approximately USD 367 million in taxable income before the Tokyo High Court after a protracted seven-year battle. In August 2014, he won a tax dispute involving securitization transactions of domestic housing loans before the Tokyo High Court. In addition to excellent achievements in major tax disputes, he generally advises on domestic and cross-border taxation issues in various transactions, such as M&A, joint ventures, fund formation and equity/debt investments.

He has handled more than 200 M&A deals for listed and private companies, both in Japan and overseas, by utilizing his practical experience obtained in the United States, which has allowed him to establish a strong reputation in the fields of business revitalization, bankruptcy, and litigation. He also deals with a wide variety of projects, which range from startup acquisitions to tender offer deals. In the field of disputes, he mainly deals with large and complex proceedings, and also has experience in international arbitration and mediation. Since he counts a large number of listed companies and universities as his clients and also serves as an outside director/auditor of various listed companies, he has been heavily involved in businesses run by manufacturers and retailers, as well as those in the healthcare industry and real estate industry, and those related to IT, human resources, and the operation of universities. He has accumulated a wealth of legal knowledge and experience and advises clients on a wide range of legal topics, including corporate law, commercial law, personnel and labor law, intellectual property, and antitrust.

Sadayuki has a wealth of experience in supporting international clients in projects, transactions, and businesses in the energy sector. Sadayuki advises his clients on the best solutions for achieving their business goals based on his deep understanding of the relevant laws and regulations and practices in the full energy supply chain. He also has expertise in carbon-neutral projects and businesses, such as renewable power projects and hydrogen projects, as well as pioneering businesses involved in recent developments in the electricity market and the regulations thereon. Sadayuki serves as a member of an industrial safety rules committee and a hydrogen safety strategy committee, both of which were established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, and also is a member of an electricity capacity market committee, which is part of the Organization for Cross-regional Coordination of Transmission Operators, Japan (OCCTO).

Lars’ practice is focused on commercial and investment arbitration. He has particular expertise in contentious proceedings involving post-M&A, commercial, manufacturing, construction, and distribution matters, in areas such as life sciences, automotive, and energy. Lars also deals with cases involving governments, and has advised foreign investors and sovereign states on issues of foreign direct investment and public international law, including related negotiations and investor-state disputes. He has been involved in more than 60 international arbitrations as counsel and as arbitrator under the arbitration rules of institutions such as the ICC, DIS, SAC, NAI, ICDR, KCAB, JCAA, SIAC, and ICSID, as well as under the UNCITRAL Rules.

Chié Nakahara specializes in international litigation and arbitration. The disputes she typically handles relate to M&A, distributorship, licensing, franchising, and the termination of such continuous contracts, construction, product liability, corporate governance, intellectual property, finance and other commercial matters. She has acted in a large number of complex and high profile litigations and arbitrations. She serves as a panel of arbitrators at Korean Commercial Arbitration Board International, Singapore International Arbitration Centre, and also as a registered arbitrator at the Daiichi Tokyo Bar Arbitration Center.

Noriya advises national and international clients from various industries, with a focus on multi-national data protection law projects, such as drafting policy, data transfer agreements and out-sourcing agreements, IT compliance questions, and data breach issues. Since he has experience working with local counsel in more than 80 jurisdictions, he has in depth knowledge of the similarities and differences among data protection laws in many jurisdictions. He can provide his advice taking into account the difference of Japanese laws and other main data protection laws such as the GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL (China).

Amane has extensive experience in a number of project finance transactions and acquisitions in connection with renewable energy projects in Japan and other Asian countries. In addition to his broad knowledge of the complex regulations surrounding renewable energy, he also has a deep understanding of IPP business reinforced by his work experience in London at a major Japanese trading company. His clients include domestic and international energy project developers, investors, lenders, construction contractors, and utility companies. He advises, represents, and advocates on behalf of clients in a wide range of transactions in the renewable energy sector, including development of green-field projects, debt and equity financing, selling and acquisition of energy projects, and legal due diligence. He also has a wealth of experience in offshore wind projects from the emergence of offshore wind business in Japan in the mid-2010s, including advising clients in the public tender process under the Offshore Renewable Energy Act.

Shingo has advised on a variety of domestic/cross-border M&A transactions, the establishment of joint ventures, business alliance transactions, as well as on equity financing matters. His areas of specialization broadly cover general corporate matters, including corporate governance and shareholders’ meetings. In particular, he has extensive experience providing advice on various cross-border/regional M&A transactions, including those in the U.S., Europe, and Asian countries.

Yamato’s practice area covers various M&A transactions, including cross-border M&A deals for stock consideration; shareholder activism; corporate governance, including officers’ remuneration and management of subsidiaries; disclosure; guidance for shareholders meetings, including virtual shareholder meetings; securities litigation; preparation of legal opinions; and development of new structures for share-buybacks using trusts. Yamato also worked at the Ministry of Justice of Japan for two years and mainly engaged in the reform of the Companies Act. Yamato is also known for his expertise in the latest trends in revision of corporate legislation, including the Companies Act and the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, by maximizing his experience working at the Ministry of Justice of Japan. Yamato has continued to work diligently on writing articles and delivering lectures with respect to corporate legislation and has shared his expertise with our potential clients in a clear, straightforward manner.

Alisa Inuzuka advises clients in the life science and healthcare industries on matters including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, in vitro diagnostics, cosmetics, health foods, medical systems, and laboratory tests. In addition, she has experience in M&A, regulatory advice, reviewing and drafting various contracts, and crisis management and investigation, as well as communicating with the relevant authorities in these areas. She also supports non-healthcare companies in entering into the healthcare industry as well as the entry of non-Japanese healthcare companies into the Japanese market. She seeks to contribute to enhancing people’s health and lives by working to maximize clients’ business opportunities.

Based on her experience working on a wide range of domestic and international corporate matters including various matters in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries for more than seven years and overseas study and business experience in the UK for three years, she has been engaged in supporting Japanese companies in dealing with sustainability issues, while collaborating in various legal fields and jurisdictions including M&A, labour issues, European law and Asian law. She also has a strong ability to work with various stakeholders based on her experience working as an external collaborator for the International Labor Organization (ILO). She also advises Japanese companies in the area of Business and Human Rights.
She was also the lead in the development of the "Guideline for Responsible Business Conduct for the Textile and Clothing Industry of Japan" for human rights due diligence in the textile and apparel industry, which was formulated by the Japan Textile Federation in July 2022, as an external collaborator for the International Labor Organization (ILO).
In addition to serving as a member of various government study groups on human rights and environmental issues and as a member of the sustainability advisory board of a Japanese listed company, she has accepted numerous requests to be an instructor for in-house training, including executive training, and participated as a presenter in various seminars.
- Managing member of the Business and Human Rights Lawyers Network in Japan
- A member of the Advisory Mediation Committee of the Japan Center for Engagement and Remedies on Business and Human Rights (JaCER)
- Senior Advisor at the General Incorporated Association Chubu SDGs Promotion Center
- Business Human Rights (BHR) Committee/Human Rights Law Committee Member at the International Bar Association