We take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude for your continued support.

In striving to be a “Top Global Firm Originating from Japan”, as part of our global platform strategy, we have established a Tokyo-based team of Japanese and foreign-qualified attorneys who can provide services in major jurisdictions around the world. We also continue to expand our global network of affiliated law firms and lawyers.

Last year, we invested heavily in human resources and hired five experienced lawyers and other professionals - four attorneys joined in 2021 and one this past January. As of February 2022, we have a total of 17 attorneys, including Japanese and foreign attorneys admitted in the U.S., U.K., India, China, and New Zealand (some of whom are Registered Foreign Lawyers in Japan).

We would like to introduce the five lateral hires.

Members (Practice areas)

・ Masayuki Horiike　Attorney at Law admitted in Japan and New York (M&A (Cross border / Domestic), Technology, Energy) 　Masayuki has more than 10 years of experience in advising multinational companies and investment funds in a range of transactions, including domestic and cross-border M&A and investments, in the Tokyo office of a major U.S. law firm. He also worked in its Silicon Valley office where he advised on U.S. M&A transactions, including acquisitions of and investments in tech start-ups. In recent years, he has handled various renewable energy transactions in Japan, representing international funds and companies on their investments and associated financing. 　Masayuki deepens our client services in M&A as well as in the technology and energy sectors.   ・ Pavitra Iyer　Attorney at Law admitted in India and Registered Foreign Lawyer in Japan (Indian Law) / Attorney at Law admitted in England & Wales (Not registered in Japan) (M&A (India and Cross border), Compliance, General Corporate) 　Pavitra is a multi-jurisdictional lawyer with over 10 years of experience with leading law firms in India and Japan. Her practice areas are M&A, corporate compliance and general corporate advisory. Pavitra’s core work involves assisting clients with making cross-border investments in India and other jurisdictions. She hopes to use her legal expertise, together with her first-hand knowledge of Indian culture and the complexities of doing business in India, to help clients successfully implement their business needs. 　Pavitra expands our ability from the Tokyo office to support clients with Indian-related M&A, joint ventures, and compliance matters.   ・ Kentaro Sakamaki　Attorney at Law (Corporate / M&A (Cross border / Domestic), Litigation, Disputes, Competition Law, Financial Regulation) 　Kentaro has over six years of experience in various practice areas including domestic and cross-border M&A, litigation and disputes, competition law, financial instruments and exchange law, and regulatory affairs that he obtained while at a firm with a long history of handling corporate legal affairs in Japan. Kentaro also has experience working remotely and in-house for the legal department of a major Japanese construction equipment manufacturer. Given his experiences, Kentaro hopes to provide high-quality legal services with a business-oriented understanding of client needs. 　Kentaro strengthens our client support in the areas of M&A, dispute resolution, competition law, and financial instruments and exchange law.   ・ Mariko Nakata　Attorney at Law / Registered Management Consultant 　Mariko handled general corporate legal affairs including M&A, various regulations, intellectual property law (trademark and copyrights), litigation, etc., at a major domestic law firm in Japan. 　Mariko strengthens our practice areas in international business, M&A, intellectual property law, and dispute resolution.   ・ Jia Liu　Attorney at Law admitted in China (Not registered in Japan) (Corporate / M&A (Cross border), Litigation / Arbitration, Cross-border Transactions, Labor Law, Intellectual Property Law) 　Jia practiced at leading Chinese law firms for five years. Her wide-ranging experience includes domestic and international litigation and arbitration, M&A, cross-border transactions, labor law matters, intellectual property law and negotiation and liaising with regulatory authorities. She is also a qualified accountant and has experience in the legal department of a Chinese international trading company. Jia, who is multilingual, can provide client support in an array of international matters in Chinese, Japanese, English and French. 　Jia’s addition shows our commitment to building-up the China practice and enhancing our ability to support clients with their business needs in China.

In the coming year, we will continue to diversify our practice areas and further strengthen our organization, so that we can provide substantial value-added support to our clients who have placed their trust in us.