- Awards
Mikiko Soga Recognized as IJGlobal ESG Lawyer of the Year
Nishimura & Asahi is pleased to announce that Tokyo Partner Mikiko Soga has been awarded IJGlobal ESG Lawyer of the Year at the IJGlobal Awards 2025 for APAC, hosted by IJGlobal, part of Green Street.
Mikiko has extensive experience in power and other infrastructure projects. She served as an expert member of several committees, including those for Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Japan’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, where she advises on policy making for the electricity market.
Her pioneering work includes supporting the first BESS project in Japan to secure project financing, among others.
In addition to her advisory work, Mikiko is dedicated to community engagement and is a founding member of the firm’s pro bono practice group and chairperson of the DE&I promotion committee. Her work as a lawyer and a mentor to the next generation of lawyers is testament to her unwavering commitment to fostering a more inclusive, equitable, and progress-driven legal profession.
The IJGlobal ESG Awards are designed to give organizations within the international infrastructure and energy community the opportunity to demonstrate contributions to the Environmental, Social and Governance front in the past year.
The individual award recognizes an exceptional legal professional who has demonstrated a lasting and measurable impact in the ESG space, with a particular focus on the energy and infrastructure sectors.
The APAC awards took place on Nov. 19, at the Westin Singapore.
Mikiko has extensive expertise in project finance for various power projects and other infrastructure projects, including PPP/PFI projects. She has advised on award-winning projects, including the Tokyo International (Haneda) Airport expansion project, awarded “Asia Pacific Airports” at IJGlobal 2017, and the Osaka and New Kansai International Airports privatization project, awarded “Asia Pacific Airports” at IJGlobal 2016. Mikiko also has advised on numerous renewable energy projects in Japan since the early 2000s, and has served as an expert member of several government committees established by the Japanese Government’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Ministry of the Environment, and Agency for Natural Resources with respect to the electricity market in Japan. Mikiko was commended as an “Innovative Practitioner” at the FT Innovative Lawyers Asia-Pacific Awards 2022 for her sustainability efforts, including in relation to diversity and inclusion, pro bono, and renewable energy.