The Legal 500

Joining the top tier for dispute resolution, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune ‘shows very good judgement on matters, thoroughly analyses them, and has a grip on foreign legal concepts’. It is ‘outstanding in terms of the cost performance’. The firm’s current mandates include defending Olympus against lawsuits brought by investors for allegedly fraudulent financial statements. Hiroki Wakabayashi is ‘highly competent and professional’, and has an ‘in-depth understanding of the law as well as of business practices’. He is a former Tokyo District Court Judge, and ‘this adds to his strong ability to make judgements on difficult issues in litigation’. Yoshimasa Furuta gives ‘reliable advice’ and has ‘first-rate knowledge of the law’, and Shinji Kusakabe finds ‘realistic solutions’ and has ‘deep domestic and international professional knowledge’. Kenichi Sadaka is ‘particularly good at leading difficult negotiations’.

Mori Hamada & Matsumoto bolstered its presence in the region by opening an office in Singapore in 2012. The firm has a deep team of partners including Yoshio Iteya, Harumichi Uchida, Ryota Yamagishi, Kazuhiro Kanamaru, Hideki Matsui, Soichiro Fujiwara, Mugi Sekido, Katsuyuki Shibata, and Junichi Tobimatsu. The firm acted as the legal adviser for Nippon Television Network Corporation in a case involving a copyright infringement action brought by a North Korean administrative organisation and its Japanese licensee. It also defended Nissan Shatai in a case seeking an injunction against its client, and also defended the same client in a lawsuit in which the plaintiff sought payment of ¥10m from two former representative directors of the company.

International arbitration is a notable feature of Jun Naitoh’s disputes practice at Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu. Recent experience includes advising a client in an international arbitration regarding the dissolution of a strategic alliance; representing a chemicals manufacturer in patent litigation; and assisting an infrastructure company in shareholder derivative litigation. It also acted for an apparel company in employment litigation. Hisaya Kimura, Ryoichi Mimura, Seiichiro Umeno and, Masahiro Matsuoka are recommended. Naoki Iguchi joined from Anderson Mori & Tomotsune in 2012.

Nishimura & Asahi’s well-regarded dispute resolution practice is particularly highly respected for its expertise in insolvency litigation. The firm advised a Japanese trading company in multimillion-dollar vicarious liability litigation against an affiliate of Lehman Brothers; represented Nippon Steel in a trade secret misappropriation dispute with a Korean competitor, POSCO; and advised Mizuho Securities in a case against the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Practice head Hiroyuki Tezuka is highly recommended, and Hiroshi Kimeda, Akihiro Hironaka, Eiichi Fukushima, Kozo Kawai and Hiroshi Suga are alo recommended.

Abe, Wada & Watanabe has experience in corporate, IP, employment and product liability disputes. Yoshiki Abe and Hiromi Watanabe are recommended.

Atsumi & Sakai’s civil litigation practice includes product liability and medical malpractice cases as well as employment, antitrust and general commercial litigation. The firm also advises on a range of other legal proceedings such as provisional attachment (kari sashiosae), provisional disposition (kari shobun), preservation procedures such as preservation of evidence (shouko hozen), enforcement of security interests, execution procedures such as compulsory execution (kyousei shikkou), and arbitration and mediation proceedings. Toyoki Emoto, Akiko Monden and Bonnie Dixon are recommended.

Hashidate Law Office recently acted in multi-jurisdictional, tri-lingual IP litigation that included numerous negotiations, trials and appeals. It also successfully defended a former chairman of a corporation in shareholder litigation brought against the officers and directors. Kenji Hashidate is known for handling securities fraud cases. Disputes partner Takahiro Mikami is also recommended.

Hibiya Park Law Offices advises on corporate, banking and finance and defamation disputes. Hideaki Kubori and Haruka Matsuyama are recommended.

Iwata Godo has an established dispute resolution and crisis management practice, within which Motohiko Ebihara has experience advising power companies facing environmental challenges.

At Kojima Law Offices, Naoki Idei has experience in commercial disputes and has served as an arbitrator and mediator at the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association. The firm’s experience includes disputes involving the termination of distributorship agreements, defects in medical devices, and patent infringements.

Matsuo & Kosugi’s practice spans cases involving contracts, banking, IP infringements, securities transactions, creditors’ claims and tort claims. Of counsel Yasuhei Taniguchi is a director at the International Council for Commercial Arbitration and also an adviser to the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association. Tasuku Matsuo is highly experienced.

Miyake & Yamazaki’s international litigation specialist Akira Yamada and IP litigation expert Junichi Yamazaki are recommended, as is founding partner Nobuo Miyake.

STW & Partners joins the table this year. The firm is known for its IP practice, and is recommended for its IP litigation expertise. Hajime Watanabe is the key contact.

TMI Associates advises on a broad range of contentious matters from debt collection, corporate crime and defamation cases to corporate management, IP and product liability disputes. Special adviser Hiroshi Mitani has extensive court experience having served as the chief public prosecutor for both the Nagano and Yokohama district public prosecutors’ offices. Kunio Namekata is recommended.

Herbert Smith Freehills is the ‘number-one firm in Tokyo for dispute resolution – no question about it’. Its superb practice covers commercial arbitration, litigation, investigations and contentious public international law, and is ‘fantastic for response time, teamwork and commitment’. The team advised a consortium of investors in an LCIA arbitration, with satellite litigation in the BVI, in a shareholder dispute over control of a multibillion-dollar natural resources project. It is also representing a Japanese trading company in ongoing multiple regulatory issues, investigations and overseas litigation arising from international commodity trading. Managing partner Peter Godwin has ‘outstanding expertise, insight and experience’, and ‘provides quick and right-on-the-mark advice’. Dominic Roughton has ‘a high-speed brain’, and is ‘client-oriented and hardworking’. Gavin Margetson, David Gilmore and Emma Kratochvilova are also recommended.

Arguably ‘the US firm with the strongest Tokyo office’, Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi ‘can provide a unique level of service and resources for Japanese clients’. The firm fields ‘a very broad and deep team, so experts in any particular area are available’. Max Olson is praised for his ‘very sophisticated advice and manner of action’. The firm secured a victory for Nikon in patent litigation against Anvik Corporation in the Southern District of New York; is defending Rio Tinto against claims that it is responsible for the actions of members of the Papua New Guinea defence force after the violent takeover of a copper mine; and successfully represented JAL in three court cases in Hawaii federal and district courts concerning a failed property development. Craig Celniker is ‘a born litigator and negotiator; working with him is a pleasant and enjoyable experience’, say clients. Jack Londen and Louise Stoupe are also recommended. Peter Stern relocated to San Francisco.

Baker & McKenzie (Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise) provides ‘top-notch advice with a great mix of legal, business and practical guidance’. Areas of focus are international arbitration, tax litigation and compliance and regulatory investigations. The firm is representing an Australian pharmaceuticals company in an ICC arbitration concerning a claim by a Japanese general incorporated foundation; and advising a Japanese transportation machinery company in an alleged violation of the Japanese and US international trade laws regarding economic sanctions against Iran. Haig Oghigian ‘explains complex issues in a clear and concise way’, and has ‘in-depth knowledge of the Japanese legal system in arbitration’. Yoshiaki Muto, Yaeko Hodaka, Kengo Nishigaki and Akira Inoue are also recommended.

Hogan Lovells Horitsu Jimusho Gaikokuho Kyodo Jigyo’s team is ‘very punctual, transparent and trustworthy’, and ‘the level of cost performance is excellent’. In 2011, the team welcomed commercial dispute resolution partner Patric McGonigal from Barlow Lyde & Gilbert. The team’s experience includes general commercial, insurance, projects, trade finance and international trade litigation, and, particularly, international arbitration. The firm has the ability to advise not only on cross-border disputes with a Japanese element, but also on matters of Japanese law. Lloyd Parker, Eiichiro Kubota and Philippe Riesen can advise on contentious IP matters, and Tony Marshall and Timothy Hill handle construction disputes.

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP has a strong reputation in the market and joins the table this year. Head of the Tokyo office Ryan Goldstein leads the dispute resolution practice, and his team handles litigation and class actions, and also frequently appears in ICC arbitrations. Issues at stake include complex business litigation – such as contractual disputes, IP, antitrust, defamation, and product liability – and criminal investigations. Clients include Nissan Chemical, Isuzu, Marubeni, Suzuki Motors, IBM, Asia University, Johnson & Johnson, Mitsubishi Rayon, and Sony Bank. Wayne Alexander and of counsel Marc Weinstein are experienced IP lawyers.

White & Case LLP- White & Case Law Offices (Registered Association) is ‘one of the best law firms, especially for US cases’, and clients rate the ‘exceptionally high level of service’ provided by its ‘very well trained and knowledgeable’ team. The firm has been defending a leading Japanese manufacturer and affiliated companies in putative antitrust class actions by direct and indirect purchasers of cathode ray tubes. It is also representing an Asian contractor in a $1.4bn ICC arbitration concerning a dispute with a state petroleum company arising from the refurbishment and expansion of an oil refinery and pipelines. David Case is praised for his ‘sincerity, professional support and ability to organise an appropriate team’. Yuji Ogiwara and Osamu Umejima are also highly recommended.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s dispute resolution practice famously covers employment law cases but also handles derivatives, real estate and other commercial disputes. The team has ‘a deep and practical understanding of labour dispute dynamics in Japan’, and is also rated for acting in ‘structured trade disputes through its close co-ordination with the financial transaction team’. The firm is also building up its international arbitration expertise, and is representing a foreign government agency in a dispute with a real estate agency over the sale of property held by the client. ‘An outstanding litigator’, Kazuki Okada has a ‘most effective manner’ and is ‘excellent in out-of-court settlement negotiation’. Senior counsel Akiko Yamakawa is also recommended.

Yoji Maeda heads O’Melveny & Myers Gaikokuho Kyodojigyo Horitsujimusho’s team, which defended hundreds of consumer finance companies in the kabarai litigation. Scott Nonaka leads the international disputes group, which handles international arbitration, antitrust issues and Department of Justice investigations. The firm is representing Asahi Tec Corporation in an action brought by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) in Federal District Court in Washington DC. The PBGC alleges that Asahi Tec is liable for $175m in unfunded pensions liabilities and termination penalties following the termination of the pension scheme of Asahi Tec’s former US subsidiary.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP’s litigation group joined from Paul Hastings LLP in 2011, and has settled in well. Clients rate the team’s ‘well thought out and client-oriented advice’. The firm is representing a large manufacturer of homebuilding products in product liability litigation and a tort claim, and is advising a globalised Japanese manufacturer on a compliance investigation including FCPA and anti-bribery acts in Russia, Brazil and China. Clients include Fujikin, Patagonia, and Sekisui Fuller. Head of the litigation group Yoshihiro Takatori is ‘particularly good’, and is recommended as an arbitrator. Of counsel Shinsuke Yakura is also recommended.

At Bingham McCutchen Murase, Sakai Mimura Aizawa – Foreign Law Joint Enterprise, former judges of the Tokyo District Court Atsushi Yamada and of counsel Toshiji Sato are recommended. Sato is a qualified arbitrator. Harumi Kojo is very experienced in IP litigation.

Clifford Chance Law Office’s small but very capable dispute resolution team has arbitration and anti-corruption practices, and provides ‘outstanding service’. It is representing a media distributor in an arbitration relating to television broadcasting rights and advising a Japanese vehicle equipment manufacturer in a dispute with a sub-contractor over quality issues. Counsel Michelle Mizutani is recommended and gives ‘well-prepared advice’, with one client noting that ‘although our matter was not particularly large, we felt we received the same quality of service as her largest client’. Miho Mizuguchi and Hidehiko Suzuki are also recommended.

Jones Day gives ‘excellent service, in terms of efficiency, precision and outcome’. The firm defended MSA Japan in a dispute with Ogawa Seiki relating to a defective surgical mask. Rika Sato is ‘well versed in foreign cases and good at communication with foreign clients’. Scott Jones, who has arbitration experience, and Yuichiro Mori are also recommended.