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.

Leveraging support from the firm’s bankruptcy, employment, tax, and corporate teams, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto assists cryptocurrency, renewable energy, and automotive clients with cross-border litigation, international arbitration, and tax disputes. Mugi Sekido and Kana Manabe jointly lead the practice, while Daniel Allen handles international commercial and construction arbitration proceedings. Koichiro Iida is also noted.

Led by Koki Yanagisawa, who is adept at advising clients on labour and employment litigation, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu has is consistently praised for its ‘high quality‘ and ‘highly specialised‘ expertise in dispute resolution. Hisaya Kimura excels in commercial arbitration, while Oki Mori handles litigation relating to consumer law, tax, and real estate. Norimitsu Arai and Yoshimi Ohara are also noted, with the latter bringing insight in arbitrations under ICSID, SIAC, ICC, and JCAA rules. Since publication, the team welcomed Yoshihiro Takatori who joined from Kasumigaseki International Law Office in September 2024.

Nishimura & Asahi‘s Japanese dispute resolution practice works in conjunction with the firm’s Singapore, Vietnam, and Bangkok offices to provide clients with cross-border disputes pertaining to tax, product liability, trade secrets, and construction. Head of the practice Hiroyuki Tezuka specialises in international arbitration, and is the Vice President of the Japan Association of Arbitrators. For disputes in the pharmaceutical and automotive sectors, Akihiro Hironaka is a key contact, while Lars Markert is adept at assisting clients with disputes involving German and European law. Yutaro Kawabata is proficient in disputes arising from the termination of contracts, and Chié Nakahara is a key figure for high-stakes and high-value international litigation.

Led by Shigeaki Ito, the dispute resolution practice at City-Yuwa Partners is lauded by clients as ‘hard-working‘ and ‘highly sophisticated‘. Alongside the team’s expertise in real estate and construction disputes, the practice offers assistance in banking and financial litigation, class action litigation, as well as alternative dispute resolution for financial clients. The ‘exceptional’ Yoko Maeda is well-versed in international arbitration. Other key team members include Masaaki Sawano, Cholmin Kim, and Yuji Kondo.

TMI Associates is well-regarded for its expertise in intellectual property litigation, and frequently advises clients on patent disputes. The team is also often engaged in JCAA and ICC arbitration, with sector expertise spanning pharmaceuticals, construction, real estate, and technology. Ryosuke Ito leads the practice, working alongside IP specialists Hiroshi Nemoto and Makoto Okada. Commercial litigation experts Tomoki Yanagisawa and Masanobu Hara are also noted.

The dispute resolution practice group at Ushijima & Partners is jointly led by Shin Ushijima and Osamu Inoue, the latter of whom is recommended for his experience in real estate and construction disputes. The team is also able to assist clients in securities litigation, international arbitrations, derivative suits, disputes surrounding software development, and hostile takeover cases. Hiroshi Watanabe regularly handles corporate control cases, while Rikisuke Yamanaka is proficient in labour disputes and cross-border transactions. Alongside disputes in system and software development, Hiroyasu Kageshima is experienced in copyright law and privacy matters.

IP litigation is a key focus for Abe, Ikubo & Katayama, which is dually headed by Eiji Katayama and Hiroshi Kobayashi. The team has recently been engaged in domestic patent infringement suits – for which Nodoka Nakamura is a key contact. Junichi Kitahara is skilled in commercial disputes, while Makoto Hattori caters to trade secret litigation. Tomohiro Yoneyama regularly assists clients with counterfeit issues, and Shoichiro Kajinami is especially strong in clean energy mandates.

Jointly headed by Toshiaki Takahashi, Hisashi Miyatsuka, Toyoki Emoto, Kohei Murakawa, Teruhisa Tomoya, Fumiaki Matsuoka, and Rikiya Okuhara, Atsumi & Sakai regularly assists clients with litigation and arbitration cases. The practice's broad caseload also encompasses pharmaceutical, manufacturing, investing, and green energy activity, with notable experience in cross-border disputes and high-value litigation before Japanese courts.

The dispute resolution department at Miura & Partners is proficient in cross-border litigation, as well as international arbitration. The team is singled for its ‘wide range of talent‘, and is jointly led by Tokyo-based Ryota Miura, Satoshi Ikemura, Ryoichi Kagizaki, Norika Yuasa, Tsuyoshi Omura, Tomotake Matsuda, Yoshie Midorikawa, Masayuki Atsumi, Seiji Matsuda, Jun Imamura, and Yasuaki Taguchi who is based in Hiroshima.

The dispute resolution team at Vanguard Lawyers Tokyo offers clients assistance in JCAA arbitrations, product liability cases, defamation cases, as well as investigations. The practice is led by Kazuki Okada, who is experienced in domestic litigation and disputes between international companies. Other key names within the practice include Akira Nakazawa and Akiko Yamakawa who often handle life science regulatory disputes.

Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners’s team is well-equipped to represent clients in arbitration cases before a range of institutions including the JCAA, ICDR, and SIAC. The practice is also geared to handle patent infringement and invalidation, product liability cases, tort claims, and commercial disputes. Teppei Mogi heads the practice and brings particular expertise in international arbitrations.

ZeLo, a Foreign Law Joint Enterprise‘s dispute resolution team is headed by founding partner Masataka Ogasawara, who established the firm in 2017. The team handles disputes relating to software development projects, asset management cases, and other IT litigation, with further experience in blockchain technology and AI-based contract review services.