What are the most significant cases, projects and/or transactions that you and/or your legal team have recently been involved in?

Project: risk analysis and specifications review for the launch of Mercari Hallo. “Mercari Hallo” is now one of the most widely used on-demand work matching platforms in Japan. It is a business subject to regulation under the Employment Security Act, and we approached this with a carefully constructed, comprehensive risk assessment process. Mercari Legal managed this project with a balance of thoroughness and speed. Even after the launch, the Legal team continues to support the business with the goal of contributing to the development and expansion of Mercari Hallo.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

There is never a decision or business without risks. To ensure Mercari’s resilience, it is always necessary to consider whether a decision is reversible and what the impact would be if a risk materialises. Therefore, I strive to ensure that discussions during the internal risk assessment process are substantive.

Based on your experiences in the past year, are there any trends in the legal or business world that you are keeping an eye on that you think other in-house lawyers should be mindful of?

Regarding the use of generative AI, I am not only keeping an eye on global trends but am also striving for Mercari Legal to be a pioneer within the company.

What factors influence your team’s decision to use external legal services versus handling matters in-house, and what criteria are used to evaluate their performance?

When using external legal services, we focus on maintaining a balance between service quality and speed, just as we do within our internal Legal team.