Environment
Japan
01 September 2025
The team at Ushijima & Partners is well versed in handling domestic and cross-border employment litigation, negotiations, and investigations. Team leader Rikisuke Yamanaka has extensive experience advising both Japanese and foreign clients on employment matters related to foreign employers operating in Japan. The ‘proficient’ Hiroshi Watanabe advises multinational companies on matters related to harassment, discrimination, and labour management, while Kenji Sarukura is experienced in human resources issues, in addition to representing Japanese and international companies in dispute proceedings.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘Rikisuke Yamanaka is our go-to attorney for all Japanese employment matters. He is proficient in managing the local Japanese concerns of an international business like ours, always very professional and responsive.’
- 'The team is very international business/English friendly, sensitive to our business needs and always very responsive.'
- 'Rikisuke Yamanaka was extremely helpful in assisting us with an employment matter. He provided clear and timely communication and was very flexible in his availability to discuss the case with us.'
- 'A terrific employment law team.'
- 'The lawyers are very professional and work efficiently. They are always able to propose solutions from the customer's perspective.’
'We always had a good experience with the team. All questions have been answered quickly and with a high value!’
Practice head
Rikisuke Yamanaka
Other key lawyers
Hiroshi Watanabe; Kenji Sarukura