Anderson Mori & Tomotsune > Osaka, Japan > Firm Profile

Anderson Mori & Tomotsune > The Legal 500 Rankings

Japan > Antitrust and competition: Independent local firms Tier 1

The 'extremely dedicated' competition and antitrust team at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune frequently advises on international cartel investigations, merger control transactions, and the antitrust aspects of acquisitions. Shigeyoshi Ezaki leads the team and is well-versed in antimonopoly law. Yusuke Nakano is adept at advising clients on antitrust cases involving multiple jurisdictions. The 'top notch' Vassili Moussis is particularly skilled in handling EU and international competition cases. Hideto Ishida has broad expertise in advising on matters relating to cooperation agreements, and Atsushi Yamada, who is praised by clients for his 'superb knowledge and mastery' of Japanese antitrust law, regularly advises on merger filings and contesting decisions made by competition authorities.

Japan > Banking and finance: Independent local firms Tier 1

The banking and finance team at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is commended by clients for being ‘reliable‘ and ‘responsive‘, and is described as a ‘go-to‘ practice. The department consists of 50 partners, who are able to provide clients with assistance in matters such as LBO financings, acquisition financings, secured transactions, corporate and syndicated loans, and DIP financing work, as well as support at all stages of the financing life cycle. Key names within the team include Mari Itoh for financial regulatory advice, Satoshi Inoue for leveraged finance, and Daisuke Tate for matters relating to securities. Hiroaki Takahashi is a key contact for structured finance work and Takashi Akahane focuses on project finance and private finance initiatives.

Japan > Capital markets: Independent local firms Tier 1

The market leading practice at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is well-known for its skills handling in both inbound and outbound capital markets transactions, and cross-border of debt and equity related matters. The team also regularly advises on J-REITs, Samurai bonds, and Uridashi offerings, with practice head Hironori Shibata contributing his deep expertise in public offerings and restructurings. Hiroaki Takahashi is particularly adept at handling a broad range of securitisation matters. Kagayaki Funakoshi is recommended for capital and business alliance matters, while the ‘courteous‘ and ‘pleasant‘ Kazuhiro Yoshii is another key name in the team.

Japan > Corporate and M&A: Independent local firms Tier 1

The corporate M&A practice at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune has a diverse client base, which includes private equity funds, international financial institutions, pharmaceuticals companies and manufacturers. Alongside handling domestic corporate work for Japanese clients, the practice regularly advises on cross-border investments, corporate restructurings, joint ventures, and mergers and acquisitions. The team is jointly led by Hiroki Kodate and Keiko Kaneko, who are both highly experienced in assisting domestic and international clients in heavily regulated sectors. Support is provided by Ko Wakabayashi and Keita Tokura on corporate governance matters, general corporate work, and international transactions, as well as M&A dispute resolution.

Japan > Dispute resolution: Independent local firms Tier 1

Anderson Mori & Tomotsune ‘specialises in representing international clients’, and is often engaged in construction disputes, labour disputes, internal investigations, as well as white-collar crime cases. Kenichi Sadaka and Hiroki Wakabayashi jointly lead the team, with the former utilising his experience as a former judge, while the latter brings expertise in cross-border litigation. Aoi Inoue leads the international arbitration team and is the key contact for clients under various institutional rules. Since publication, David MacArthur departed to Yulchon in March 2024.

Japan > Fintech - Independent local firms Tier 1

A ‘go-to firm in Japan for fintech matters’, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune’s practice combines expertise in areas such as financial regulation, information technology and capital markets to advise fintech companies, financial institutions and venture capital clients on areas such as payments, open banking, crypto assets and digital securities.  Practice head Ken Kawai is a leading authority on digital asset regulation, and Shunsuke Aoki is notably active in mandates involving security tokens offerings. Takeshi Nagase’s practice extends to assisting crypto-asset exchanges with registration, while Keisuke Hatano has a focus on payment and settlement-related regulations. Takato Fukui frequently handles mandates with a crypto-asset dimension.

Japan > Intellectual property: Independent local firms Tier 1

Headquartered in Tokyo, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune boasts a full-service IP practice, comprising practitioners with a deep knowledge of IP licensing and transactions. Alongside strong industry experience in electronics and telecommunications, the team is also noted for its expertise in trade mark, entertainment disputes and copyright. Industry veteran Yasufumi Shiroyama co-leads the practice alongside a prodigious team of IP experts which include Yoshikazu Iwase, well known for his litigation experience in patent infringement trials and revocation suits, and Akihito Nakamachi, a bilingual and bicultural attorney who has served as partner in both the United States and Japan. Wataru Shimizu focuses on technology transfer agreements, compliance and IP management, whereas Miki Goto leverages his academic background in science and engineering to advise on complex litigation, patent disputes and data privacy issues. Other co-leads include Masayuki Yamanouchi, who specializes in patent infringement issues in the pharmaceutical sector and Nobuto Shirane, who handles IT system development disputes and software licensing.

Japan > Investment funds: Independent local firms Tier 1

Anderson Mori & Tomotsune‘s team engages in the full spectrum of work involving investment funds in Japan, with 'real depth backing up a broad and very experienced partner bench'. Harume Nakano leads the team alongside Kunihiko Morishita, which is praised as a ‘market-leading department in Japan‘ and described by one client as 'always the first choice’. ‘Responsive‘ practitioner Koichi Miyamoto is a key name to note in the team, especially in relation to financial regulatory issues, as is Akihito Miyake, who is ‘extremely clever and can draw upon his broad knowledge base to find commercial solutions to difficult complex problems’. 

Japan > Labour and employment: Independent local firms Tier 1

Kazutoshi Kakuyama, Hideki Thurgood Kanoh, Yukiko Imazu, Junichi Ueda and Kensuke Otsuki jointly lead Anderson Mori & Tomotsune‘s dedicated labour and employment team, which ‘provides the best advice for companies in light of laws and judicial precedents‘. The group is notably active across transactional and contentious work, and is particularly highlighted for its expertise in wrongful dismissal claims and the related compensation issues. Ueda is recommended for transactional work, assisting both domestic and global clients, while Nobuhito Sawasaki is a key name to note for contentious matters.

Japan > Projects and energy: Independent local firms Tier 1

Takashi Akahane heads the finance group at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune; with a strong background in project finance, Akahane is well-positioned to lead the team in its advice on energy and resources projects. Reiji Takahashi also has particular expertise in project finance and in the PFI field, advising on projects across the renewable energy, power and water sectors. Norifumi Takeuchi has experience in renewable energy projects, independent power plant projects, and resource development, with a particular focus on Japanese clients looking to finance projects overseas. English-qualified lawyer Teruma Naito leads the cross-border foreign law project finance team, advising on international project financing transactions. Makoto Terazaki advises national and local governments, private companies and banks on domestic and overseas infrastructure-related PPP/PFI projects and Kunihiro Yokoi advises sponsors, lenders and contractors in the renewable energy field.

Japan > Real estate and construction: Independent local firms Tier 1

The team at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is known for its ‘superb knowledge’ of  a range of real estate transactions. The group consists of a number of non-Japanese-qualified lawyers which strengthens its cross-border capabilities, with the group regularly advises foreign investors on their inbound real estate investments. Tetsuya Itoh advises on real estate development transactions and the formation of real estate funds across the residential, hotel and logistics sectors. Hikaru Naganuma has deep M&A expertise, advising on the acquisition of real estate holding companies as well as acting as counsel to J-REITs. The team has an established position in the J-REIT market, with Minoru Kobayashi has extensive experience in J-REIT-related matters, particularly in relation to global offerings of J-REITS, which is also structured finance expert Ken Kobayashi's area of expertise.

Japan > Restructuring and insolvency: Independent local firms Tier 1

The team at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is jointly led by Hideyuki Sakai, Hiroyasu Ueda, Fujiaki Mimura, and Zentaro Nihei. The group is regularly involved in large-scale restructuring and insolvency cases in Japan, acting for major banks, hedge funds and insurance companies. Taro Awataguchi represents both creditors and sponsors in out-of-court restructurings, as well as in corporate reorganisations and civil rehabilitation cases. Mimura handles the full range of restructuring and insolvency matters, including bankruptcy and voluntary liquidations. The team assists an extensive and lucrative client base, with Satoshi Ogino representing debtors. Nihei also adds to the team’s cross-border capabilities, advising overseas funds, along with Ueda, who handles cross-border restructuring matters, and Masaki Fujita, who represents debtors, lenders and investors in cross-border matters.

Japan > Risk management and investigations: Independent local firms Tier 1

The team at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is distinguished by its ‘high level of expertise and excellent communication skills’ and possesses a wide-ranging proficiency encompassing fraud, bribery, and information leak mandates. The group's collective experience spans internal investigations, quality control issues, corporate criminal defence work, and government investigations. All three co-heads, Kazuhilo Kikawa, Yoshihiro Kai, and Hidetaka Miyake, have an ‘exceptional background’ derived from their former roles as prosecutors specialising in regulatory and criminal defence, corporate internal investigations, and compliance. Adding to the team’s depth, of counsel Kazuo Sakakibara has significant expertise in bribery regulations, internal investigations, and government inquiries, while Hiroki Wakabayashi leverages his background as a judge.

Japan > Private wealth: Independent local firms Tier 2

Kei Sasaki, Yutaka Shimoo and Taku Matsumoto jointly lead the private wealth team at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune to advise on all aspects of wealth management. With Sasaki’s expertise in trusts and finance and Matsumoto’s experience in corporate and M&A matters, the team is well-positioned to advise clients on business and asset acquisition, management and investment, and the succession of businesses and assets. Shimoo’s experience in tax, including his experience at the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau, allows the team to advise on inheritance tax matters. The group acts for a range of clients, from financial institutions to high-net-worth individuals, and has recently expanded its client base with a number of additions, such as Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank.

Japan > Tax: Independent local firms Tier 2

The tax department at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is co-headed by Koji Fujita and Eiichiro Nakatani, who are both experienced in international taxation matters, and in particular, tax issues relating to cross-border transactions. The team frequently offers clients assistance in a variety of tax matters including tax litigation, international tax, individual tax issues, audits, and both inbound and outbound transactions. Other key names include Yutaka Shimoo, who was promoted to partner in January 2023, and Akira Tanaka.

Japan > TMT: Independent local firms Tier 2

In addition to leveraging its strong international network, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune recently established its own data privacy and digital practice group which is dedicated to advising on all matters concerning data privacy, data protection, and cybersecurity. The team has vast experience in advising its varied client base of domestic and international TMT companies on regulatory matters, M&A, and crisis management. Miki Goto, who is known for his 'special' expertise and 'profound' knowledge of data protection and IP, advises numerous large electronic companies. Takashi Nakazaki is recommended for his expertise in advising on software development, platform services, and digital forensics related mandates. Kensuke Inoue and Hitoshi Ishihara are key names of note within the team.