The team at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is renowned for its expertise in dispute resolution, handling cases across Japanese civil courts, administrative proceedings, and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. Co-led by Kei Akagawa, Kenichi Sadaka, and Aoi Inoue, the team also offers comprehensive crisis management support. Akagawa specialises in disputes related to consumer matters, while Sadaka focuses on commercial arbitration and ADR proceedings. Inoue represents clients in various business disputes, including those involving joint ventures, distributorships, and licensing. Another key member is the ‘responsive and efficient’ Hiroki Wakabayashi, who is significantly experienced in both domestic and cross-border transactions and commercial disputes.

Mori Hamada & Matsumoto Tokyo Office regularly represents clients in cross-border dispute matters, including both litigation and international arbitration. Clients benefit from their ‘high-level language skills, deep understanding and extensive experience’, and the firm’s strong expertise in related practice areas, such as corporate, employment, and tax. The team is jointly led by Mugi Sekido, Kana Manabe, and Yoshinori Tatsuno, who are well-versed in international litigation and arbitration across Japan and Southeast Asia. Daniel Allen is praised for representing both Japanese companies and sovereign states in the specialised field of investor-state dispute settlement, while Koichiro Iida is trusted by clients in general dispute matters.

The team at Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu represents both domestic and cross-border businesses in litigation before Japanese courts, as well as in arbitration and mediation proceedings. Led by Koki Yanagisawa, the team has extensive experience in commercial transactions, intellectual property, antitrust, labour and employment, and tax-related dispute matters. Yanagisawa focuses on resolving disputes concerning commercial, antitrust, and employment matters. Norimitsu Arai brings extensive experience in corporate, securities, and employment-related matters, while Yoshimi Ohara represents clients in international arbitration matters regarding various global organisations and commissions. Kaori Sugimoto was promoted to the partnership in January 2024.

Nishimura & Asahi‘s team is well-versed in both cross-border and domestic litigation and arbitration, handling a wide range of corporate matters. The team works closely with the firm’s corporate, finance, intellectual property, and tax practices to provide comprehensive services for its clients. The team is led by Hiroyuki Tezuka, who is an expert in international arbitration. Akihiro Hironaka focuses on disputes in the automotive and pharmaceutical industries, while Lars Markert advises clients on matters involving German and European law. Other key members include Yutaro Kawabata, who focuses on disputes arising from the termination of contracts, and Chié Nakahara, who is experienced in international arbitrations involving a variety of matters and industries.

Abe, Ikubo & Katayama is well-versed in handling disputes, particularly intellectual property infringement litigation, across a broad range of technical fields, such as chemistry and life sciences. Team leader Eiji Katayama specialises in both domestic and cross-border intellectual property and bankruptcy-related disputes. Yasuhiko Ikubo advises on corporate activities and management, while Junichi Kitahara focuses on domestic and international commercial disputes. Other key members are Hirokazu Honda, who provides assistance on intellectual property licenses, joint research, and development; and Kazuyuki Taguchi, who focuses on matters related to financial practices.

City-Yuwa Partners‘ team brings its ‘top-notch service’ to represent clients in both disputes and transactions, with a focus on areas such as banking and large-scale financial litigation. The team is led by Shigeaki Ito, who is well-versed in real estate and construction-related disputes. Hideo Ozaki represents clients in the pharma and chemicals industries in patent litigation cases, while Masaaki Sawano specialises in bankruptcy-related disputes. Other key members include Tomohiro Tanamura, who is experienced in dispute resolution, including court litigation and ADR, and Yoko Maeda, whose practice centres around international commercial litigation. In January 2024, Yohei Shibuya was promoted to partner.

Led by Ryosuke Ito, the team at TMI Associates is highly experienced in property litigation, frequently collaborating with other practice areas to provide support for their clients. Makoto Okada is known for handling both contentious and non-contentious IP matters, especially patent disputes and infringement litigation, while Keishiro Tashiro focuses on commercial litigation and pre-litigation counselling. Other names to note include Harumichi Uchida, who focuses on international litigation and dispute resolution, and Hiroshi Nemoto is well-versed in patent litigation and other patent-related trials.

Ushijima & Partners‘ team is well-versed in international litigation and arbitration, handling a wide range of matters, including those related to corporate, real estate, labour, and tax. The team is jointly led by Shin Ushijima, who has experience resolving disputes both within Japan and internationally, particularly concerning M&A transactions, system development projects, and anti-monopoly matters, and Osamu Inoue, who is focused on real estate and construction disputes. Hiroshi Watanabe concentrates on corporate lawsuits, including derivative actions, while Rikisuke Yamanaka has deep knowledge of disputes related to M&A, as well as personnel issues.

Atsumi & Sakai‘s team handles dispute matters across all areas of business, finance, and corporate law. The Tokyo team, led by Toshiaki Takahashi, Hisashi Miyatsuka, Toyoki Emoto, Teruhisa Toyama, and Fumiaki Matsuoka, covers a wide range of issues such as corporate disputes, damage claims, securities litigation, and cybersecurity-related matters. Kohei Murakawa leads the London team, while Rikiya Okuhara heads the New York team.

The team at Miura & Partners is well-versed in cross-border litigation and international arbitration. The team is co-led by Norika Yuasa, Ryoko Yamaguchi, Tomotake Matsuda, and Yoshie Midorikawa, who cover commercial, competition, financial, and consumer-related disputes and arbitration.

The dispute resolution practice at Vanguard Lawyers Tokyo represents clients in a variety of commercial litigation and arbitration, including labour and employment-related matters. The practice is led by Kazuki Okada, who is well-versed in Japanese trade union matters and disputes between international companies. Other notable names in the practice include Akiko Yamakawa, who brings experience in handling corporate crises, and Akira Nakazawa, who provides valuable advice to clients on various commercial disputes.

Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners‘s team brings extensive experience in cross-border litigation involving international commercial disputes, product liability actions, tort claims, and antimonopoly law-related matters. Team leader Teppei Mogi is in charge of business law and international dispute resolution. Takamitsu Shigetomi specialises in intellectual property licensing and litigation of all types, while Hirohiko Ikeda focuses on M&A and hostile takeover matters.

ZeLo, a Foreign Law Joint Enterprise‘s ‘proactive’ team frequently handles general corporate and fintech-related disputes. Led by Shota Ojima, the team participates in negotiations with administrative authorities regarding legislative and regulatory proposals. Ojima advises on disputes between companies and between companies and their shareholders, while Masaki Fujie and Hiroto Shimauchi help clients with corporate law-related disputes.