Akihiro Hironaka and Vu Le Bang Recognized by ALB Asia Super 50 Disputes Lawyers 2025

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.

Bang is a partner with more than 20 years of professional legal experience. He joined the Ho Chi Minh City Office in 2010, and was the first Vietnamese lawyer to join Nishimura & Asahi; his experience spans a wide range of matters, including a diverse selection of notable, complex projects and disputes. Bang specializes in dispute resolution, inbound investments, corporate & commercial matters, M&A, banking, real estate & construction, and labor. He also has significant experience advising on international trade, unfair competition, securities, capital markets transactions, project financing transactions, infrastructure projects, and energy projects. Prior to joining the firm, Bang gained advisory experience working at law firms and  for multinational corporations. He is a regular contributor to numerous legal magazines, and has participated actively in the training of law students and legal practitioners as a part-time lecturer in Vietnam since 2009. Bang is also a regular speaker at seminars and events organized by professional legal institutions and organizations.

Bang graduated from Hanoi University of Law in 2001 and earned an LL.M. in International Law from the Transnational Law & Business University in Seoul, Korea, in 2006. He later completed an LL.M. in U.S. Law at Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University in Virginia, and an LL.M. in International Business Law and U.S. Law from Northeastern University School of Law in 2024. In 2025, he obtained a Ph.D. in International Relations from Selinus University of Sciences and Literature. He currently is pursuing Ph.D. programs in International Law and Business in the United States.

Chambers and Partners has recognized Bang as a leading lawyer in M&A and Real Estate. He is a CiArb-accredited mediator, a listed arbitrator of  the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre, and a member of the Ho Chi Minh Bar and the Vietnam Bar Federation. He is fluent in English and Vietnamese.