Japan

Takahiro Saito, a former Superintending Prosecutor, Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office, joined Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu as a special advisor on November 4, 2025. Mr. Saito brings more than 35 years of distinguished experience as a public prosecutor. He has held senior leadership positions, including Director of the Special Investigation Department, Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office; Director, Criminal Affairs Department, Supreme Public Prosecutors Office; Chief Prosecutor and Deputy Prosecutor-General, Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office; and Superintending Prosecutor, Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office. While serving as Chief Prosecutor of the Special Investigation Department, Mr. Saito directed major investigations, including the Livedoor (as it was then known) accounting fraud case and the Murakami Fund insider trading case. He also served on secondment to Japan’s Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission. Mr. Saito also played a key role in the development and introduction of Japan’s version of the “plea bargaining system” and contributed significantly to prosecutorial reform initiatives. In 2024, he was appointed to the Ministry of Justice’s Legislative Council. As a special advisor, Mr. Saito will leverage his considerable experience and expertise in investigating corporate crime, tax evasion, securities trading-related crime, and other matters, focusing on corporate governance, crisis management, and compliance. We are confident that the addition of Mr. Saito as a special advisor will strengthen our already well-established crisis management and corporate governance practices. View original article here.

We are pleased to announce that Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu has renewed its brand logo. The world around us continues to change at an unprecedented pace. However, regardless of these changes, we believe certain values and principles must remain constant. To mark our 25th anniversary, we have renewed our logo to reflect both our commitment to the next quarter-century and our enduring core philosophy. Our new logo embodies this message: “Steadfast commitment to our core philosophy.” It features an unwavering axis inspired by the concept of “True North (the Earth’s axis),” a constant guiding principle that always points due north. The logo’s indigo color, commonly referred to as “Japan Blue,” reflects the Japanese aesthetic principles of serenity, rationality, and dignity. This renewal represents our strong determination to remain Your Most Trusted Partner, a firm committed to identifying what matters most to clients’ business activities and providing sound advice that meets the highest professional standards, particularly in times of rapid change. Guided by our unwavering core philosophy of providing the highest-quality legal services through close collaboration among our lawyers across the full spectrum of legal issues arising from corporate activities, we will continue to support our clients in all aspects of their business needs. View original article here.  

TMI Associates (Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Senior Managing Partner: Katsuro Tanaka) welcomed Ms. Reiga Shimizu, attorney-at-law, as a Regional Partner at its Paris Office as of October 1, 2025. She moved to France in 2005, and studied at the University of Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne and the University of Paris XII. Since 2012, she gained practical experience at DS Avocats law office and was admitted to the Paris Bar Association. With a focus on French and European law, she has extensive experience in various fields relating to corporate legal affairs, such as M&A, joint venture and business alliance, group restructuring, personal data, customs and taxation, transaction agreement, dispute resolution, real estate law, labor law and other regular legal services for European subsidiaries. On various occasions, she has also provided advice on international transactions and legal compliance to both Japanese and French companies. We strongly believe that her joining TMI Associates will further strengthen our presence and service system in Europe. With her international practical experience and professional insight, we will provide our clients with more comprehensive legal services. [Career of Ms. Reiga Shimizu] March 1997 Keisen Jogakuen Senior High School March 2001 Chuo University (LL.B.) June 2008 University of Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne (LL.M) March 2010 DS Avocats law office (in Paris, France) (Trainee) June 2010 University of Paris XII (Professional second Master’s Degree of Contracts and commercial Law) March 2012 DS Avocats law office (in Paris, France) September 2019 Paris Bar Association October 2025 TMI Avocats & Associés (Regional partner (France))   About TMI Associates Since its founding in 1990, TMI Associates has strived to create a law firm that is distinct from any other in Japan and that recasts the image of both attorneys and patent/trademark attorneys. During the past 35 years, the firm has experienced rapid organic growth, both numerically and geographically, while maintaining its progressive culture. From starting with 43 personnel, including ten attorneys and one patent attorney at its founding, as of March 3, 2025, TMI now has 632 attorneys and 101 patent/trademark attorneys among its 1,232 total personnel, and is one of the five largest law firms in Japan. TMI has numerous overseas branches and local desks in Shanghai, Beijing, Yangon, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Jakarta*, Kuala Lumpur*, Manila, Silicon Valley, São Paulo, Mexico City, London, Paris, Brussels, Nairobi and Sydney. TMI is also well positioned to provide a wide range of global legal services through its Chinese service group, French practice group, India desk, and Korean desk located in its Tokyo office, as well as its joint venture relationships in Japan with Simmons & Simmons LLP (UK), Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP (US), and ARQIS Foreign Law Office (Germany). TMI provides a comprehensive range of legal services regarding international corporate transactions and international investment and trade business transactions. The firm has an unrelenting focus on supporting the global business development needs of its clients – both Japanese and international companies – by providing legal services ranging from the acquisition and protection of patent and intellectual property rights to licensing, mergers and acquisitions, financing matters and even dispute resolution. *Affiliated Office HP: https://www.tmi.gr.jp/ Contact Information Jumpei Osada, attorney-at-law (Daiichi Tokyo Bar Association) in charge of PR, TMI Associates TEL: 03-6438-5356 (PR department) FAX: 03-6438-5522 E-mail: [email protected]

Anderson Mori & Tomotsune (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; “AMT”) is pleased to announce that, as of October 28, 2025, we have opened our “Malaysia Desk” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, enabling us to respond more directly to clients’ needs. As ASEAN Chair in 2025, Malaysia is seeing increased activity in investment promotion and policy initiatives, with steady growth in semiconductor and data center investments. In addition to the capital, Kuala Lumpur, investment promotion is accelerating in Penang, a major semiconductor cluster, and Johor Bahru, where special economic zone initiatives are advancing.   In line with this trend, our Malaysia Desk operates in a business collaboration with a leading local law firm, RDS Partnership, enabling us to address investment needs across Malaysia. With offices in Penang and Johor Bahru, RDS Partnership can provide seamless support for matters outside Kuala Lumpur as well. By situating our Desk within RDS Partnership, we enhance our on‑the‑ground capabilities and can quickly provide high‑quality legal services to Japanese companies already operating in Malaysia and those considering market entry.   Our Malaysia Desk supports clients on a wide range of matters in Malaysia, including M&As, joint ventures, financing transactions, tax and customs, licensing and regulatory approvals, engagement with authorities, and dispute resolution. We also advise—based on up‑to‑date local conditions—on post‑entry legal issues, such as compliance and labor, with services available in Japanese.   Akitaka Anzai, Partner and Head of our Bangkok Office, who has prior experience stationed in Malaysia, will concurrently lead the Malaysia Desk. Working with our Japan and overseas offices, including Singapore, we will deliver practical, locally grounded legal services.   ■Malaysia Desk ― Overview Registered Name:       Anderson Mori & Tomotsune Malaysia Desk Representative:           Akitaka Anzai Address:                      c/o RDS Partnership Level 16, Menara 1 Dutamas No. 1, Jalan Dutamas 1, Solaris Dutamas 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel.:                              60-3-6209-0461   ■Comment from Akitaka Anzai, Representative, Malaysia Desk As the investment environment continues to be strengthened and expanded, Malaysia is an important base for business development in ASEAN countries. Through collaboration with our local partner RDS, we will provide practical, swift, one‑stop support for matters beyond Kuala Lumpur.   Akitaka Anzai Mar 2003                   Waseda University (LL.B.) Oct 2004                     The Legal Training and Research Institute of the Supreme Court of Japan May 2010                    Graduate Study, University of Pennsylvania Law School (LL.M.) Oct 2010 - Sep 2011   Zaid Ibrahim & Co, Kuala Lumpur Nov 2012 - Nov 2013 Weerawong, Chinnavat & Peangpanor Ltd., Bangkok