Hiroki Wakabayashi is a partner at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, primarily representing both Japanese and non-Japanese financial institutions, audit corporations and business corporations in transaction disputes, professional responsibility disputes, labor relation disputes and other types of disputes, based on his experience as a lawyer as well as a judge. In addition to these corporate related disputes, he also practices in the areas of inheritance and domestic relations.

Hideki Thurgood Kanoh has been practicing in the area of labor and employment and currently devotes his practice exclusively to this area from the viewpoint of employers and companies (instead of employees and workers), such as follows: I. Collective Labor-Matters (Collective Bargaining Sessions with Labor Unions, Concerted Activities (Strike, Picketing, and so on) of Labor Unions) II. Individual Employment Matters (Dismissal and Voluntary Resignation, Disciplinary Actions, Internal Transfer, External Secondment, Confusion between Workers Dispatch and Service-Providing Contract, Job Search, Employment of Aged People and Disabled People, Establishment of Wage Payment Systems and Retirement Benefit Systems, Implementation of Pay-per-Performance Systems, Sexual Harassment, Bullying, Mental Health, Occupational Safety and Health, Preparation of and Amendment to Work Rules of Employment, Preparation of Employment Contracts, Fixed-Term Employment Contracts, Executive Service Agreements, Prevention of Infringement of Corporate Data by Employees, Companies’ Protection and Transfer of Employees’ Data, Companies’ Rights Subsisting in Employees’ Invention or Works of Authorship, Whistle-blowing, Employment of Non-Japanese Workers and their Residing Permit, etc.) III. Labor Insurance, Social Insurance and Pension Plans (Workers Accident Compensation Insurance, Unemployment Insurance, Health Insurance, Welfare Pension Insurance, Defined Contribution Pension Plan, Defined Benefit Pension Plan, Welfare Pension Fund, Tax-Qualified Retirement Pension, etc.) IV. Labor and Employment Related Dispute Resolution and Litigation (Labor-Related and Employment-Related Litigation, Mediation on Individual Employment Dispute, Employment Tribunal Dispute Resolution, Remedy for Unfair Labor Practices, etc.) Thurgood acts on behalf of both Japanese and non-Japanese multinational companies, advising them on all aspects of labor and employment. Although he advises companies on ways to avert formal labor and employment disputes, he is also an experienced labor and employment litigator, having successfully defended many cases. He has written and lectured extensively on labor and employment matters in addition to matters unrelated to labor and employment law.

Tsuyoshi Nagahama is Of Counsel at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune with approximately 40 years of experience as a lawyer helping global and other multinational companies with their business operations in Japan and helping Japanese companies doing business overseas. He has been involved principally in the fields of financial and corporate law. Prior to commencing his career as a lawyer, Mr. Nagahama worked for the Japanese Government's Ministry of Transportation from 1961-1962.

Tatsu Katayama is a partner whose areas of expertise are international banking, finance and securities matters on behalf of foreign clients. Mr. Katayama has been individually named as a leading lawyer in Japan in banking and finance and capital markets matters as well as real estate transactions in legal periodicals such as Chambers International and Euromoney. He often works together with overseas legal counsel on these matters and is well accustomed to meeting the needs of overseas clients as well as foreign-subsidiary domestic clients. Mr. Katayama served as the international director of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations. He has expertise in cross border legal practices, anti-money laundering and other international aspects of bar issues.

Yasufumi Shiroyama is a partner who heads all aspects of the firm's intellectual property group practice, including: ・Drafting and arguing complaints, motions, answers and other pleadings for patent, trademark, copyright and know-how infringement litigation in district and appellate courts in Japan, on behalf of both Japanese and foreign companies; ・Drafting and arguing complaints, motions, answers and other pleadings for litigation arising in relation to technology transfer agreements, compensation for employee's invention, and allegedly defective products, etc. in district and appellate courts in Japan, on behalf of both Japanese and foreign companies; ・Drafting and negotiating various technology transfer agreements on behalf of both Japanese and foreign companies; ・Managing written discovery in cooperation with U.S. counsel for a Japanese client in patent license related litigation in U.S. federal court; ・Managing appellate litigation matters seeking nullification of decisions of the Japanese Patent Office; ・Drafting and arguing complaints, motions, answers and other pleadings in invalidation trial and opposition procedures before the Japanese Patent Office; and ・Advising on regulatory matters for pharmaceutical products, medical devices, chemical products, and personal data etc.

Kenichi Masuda has represented many local and foreign clients in a broad spectrum of businesses and industries. He has extensive experience in advising foreign clients and is familiar with cross-border issues. In particular, he regularly advises clients on mergers and acquisitions of listed and unlisted businesses (including, but not limited to, share acquisitions and divestments and business acquisitions and divestments for foreign clients where the target is a Japanese company or business), joint ventures and other cross-border investments, and corporate restructurings. His scope of experience also includes assisting and representing venture companies in various aspects including start-up, equity finance and initial public offerings, as well as establishing venture capital or other private equity funds, advising venture or other private equity funds on investments in Japanese businesses including high-tech businesses as well as distressed companies. He regularly provides legal services on employment and labor union relations (including representation of client companies at the court and other dispute resolution forum), real property transactions, intellectual property issues, general corporate matters (including corporate governance and compliance issues for listed companies) and commercial matters. Mr. Masuda served as a Committee Member for two committees organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for the purpose of stimulating venture business and investments into the venture business in Japan: the Committee for Improving the Business Environment for Private Equity Finance in Japan in 2000, which developed proposals for revisions to the Japanese corporate law, and the Committee for Examining Desirable Disclosure Systems of the Venture Business in Japan in 2001, which developed proposals for revisions to the Japanese Securities Exchange Law. Mr. Masuda also taught M&A as an adjunct lecturer at the Graduate School for Law and Politics of The University of Tokyo (2011-2013, 2014-2016).

Masaakira Kitazawa is an of counsel at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune and specializes in banking, securities, general corporate and commercial law. He advises domestic and foreign clients on financial regulatory matters, including corporate governance and compliance as well as transactional work, acquisition and restructuring of corporate group entities, M&A, tender offers, private equity investments and securitization. Mr. Kitazawa was also involved in many public offerings, including IPOs and listings on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Among others, his projects and transactions include the following: Acting as chief legal advisor to a temporarily nationalized Japanese bank, which was subsequently privatized; providing ongoing advice to the subsequent entity in connection with all aspects of its business, including government relations, banking, commercial transactions, acquisitions and general advice to management. Acting as chief legal advisor to a major Japanese bank targeted by Japan’s first hostile (later non-hostile) tender offer initiated by a Japanese financial group. Advising a UK investment bank following its failure to abide by regulations in connection with Asian futures transactions. The work involved intense negotiations with Japanese financial authorities, the stock exchange and courts. Advising a major US financial institution on all aspects of its operations in Japan, including its consumer finance subsidiaries, acquisitions of other companies and issues related to compliance with stringent Japanese regulatory requirements. Advising a major UK based venture capital and private entity in connection with its establishment and subsequent investment activities in Japan. Securitization of real property and other assets owned by solvent and insolvent insurance companies on behalf of funds managed and administered by a major US investment bank. Advising the UK Government, issuers and/or underwriters on secondary offerings in privatization initiatives undertaken with respect to the electricity, gas and water sectors in the UK.

Hideto Ishida is an of counsel at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, and counsels a variety of domestic and foreign multinational companies in Japanese anti-trust and competition matters, including those relating to cartels, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, distribution agreements, license agreements and other cooperation agreements. He also represents many companies involved in investigations before the Japan Fair Trade Commission and other foreign competition authorities for price cartels, bid rigging and similar serious alleged violations such as vitamin, graphite electrode, GIS, marine hose, air fare, LCD, Auto parts, Maritime, Libor/Tibor FX international and certain Bond international cartels. He served for seven years as the first attorney appointed as a special investigator with the Japanese Fair Trade Commission and thus has a keen sense of the actual and practical application of antitrust and distribution regulations to companies doing business in Japan.

Shigeyoshi Ezaki is a partner at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune and has a general corporate practice, which includes advising and assisting Japanese and foreign clients with respect to antimonopoly law, corporate law, trade regulations and intellectual property law. In addition to his professional experience at the firm, Mr. Ezaki worked for the New York firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges as a foreign attorney (1998 to 1999).

Takashi Akahane is a partner, whose practice includes Project Finance, Private Finance Initiatives and various financial transactions. Mr. Akahane also advises various Japanese ministries, municipalities, and multinationals regarding PPP (public private partnership) and social and economic infrastructure projects.

Hiroki Kodate is a partner at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune and engaged principally in the fields of M&A and general corporate matters, and regularly advises both Japanese and non-Japanese clients in this regard. In addition to his professional experience at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Mr. Kodate worked for the Civil Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, where he was in charge of the legislative project to modernize Japanese corporate laws (2002-2005). He also worked for Slaughter and May in London as a foreign secondee (2000-2001).

Yusuke Nakano is a partner at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, with broad experience in the areas of antitrust, business dispute resolution, mergers and acquisitions, and intellectual property. In the antitrust area, he has particularly broad experience in cartel investigation and merger control, including international ones. Further, Mr. Nakano has assisted many Japanese companies and individuals involved in antitrust cases in foreign jurisdictions, in close cooperation with co-counsel in those jurisdictions. He has also represented various companies in administrative, civil and criminal litigation, mass and complex litigation, innovative mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and licensing arrangements. In addition to his professional experience at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Mr. Nakano worked for the New York law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, as a foreign intern (2001 to 2002).

Kunihiko Morishita works primarily in the fields of domestic and international banking, securities and asset management. He has been named as a leading lawyer by several publications including the International Financial Law Review and Chambers’ “The World’s Leading Lawyers”, and is a member of the Financial Law Board, an influential advisory body regarding financial law matters sponsored by the Bank of Japan. Mr. Morishita has extensive experience in representing financial institutions, including investment management companies, before the Financial Services Agency and other Japanese regulatory authorities. He regularly advises a number of multinational financial institutions, located within and outside of Japan, in relation to regulatory issues in the fields of securities, trusts and asset management.

Shinji Kusakabe specializes in advising on legal issues in manufacturing, such as commercial transactions and product liabilities. Mr. Kusakabe has a wealth of practical experience in litigation and arbitration, both international and domestic. Mr. Kusakabe's particular specialties lie in providing targeted advice to clients on corporate matters, taking into consideration potential future disputes, and in resolving current disputes in light of actual business practices and circumstances. Cases which Mr. Kusakabe has recently handled include lawsuits related to termination of commercial relationships, illegal transactions conducted by employees, product liability, bid-rigging conspiracies and inventions by employees. Mr. Kusakabe is also actively engaged in international arbitration, including matters arbitrated outside Japan. In addition to his professional experience at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Mr. Kusakabe's prior experience includes working as a Foreign Associate at Kelley Drye & Warren's New York office (September 1999 to August 2000) and a full-time secondment to Swiss Bank Corporation's (now UBS AG) Tokyo Legal & Compliance department (February to July 1998). Mr. Kusakabe also served as: President of the Daini Tokyo Bar Association (from April 2024); Vice President of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (from April 2024); Expert Member of the Nuclear Damage Compensation Dispute Review Board (from June 2022 to June 2023); Member of the Code of Civil Procedure (for Introduction of IT) Subcommittee of the Legislative Council of the Ministry of Justice (from June 2020 to February 2022); Governor of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (from April 2020 to March 2021; Executive Governor from June 2020 to March 2021) Chair of the Committee on Civil Procedure of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (from June 2019 to May 2021); Examiner for the National Bar Examination and the National Preliminary Bar Examination (in Charge of the Code of Civil Procedure) (from November 2018 to November 2021); Vice President of the Daini Tokyo Bar Association (from April 2017 to March 2018); and Practicing-Attorney-Professor for Civil Advocacy at the Legal Training and Research Institute of the Supreme Court of Japan (from April 2010 to March 2013) (for details of this position, please visit http://www.courts.go.jp/english/institute_01/institute/index.html#Intro ).

Mr. Miyano's practice, through over 35 years of his professional carrier, covers really a wide range of areas, including general corporate, commercial transactions, M&A, labor issues and international finance (including securities issuance). He also handles litigations and other dispute solutions and crisis management for corporate clients. So, he is the real "general corporate" lawyer himself. Amongst his wide coverage of practice areas, he has been acting as a regular counsel for several medical device and pharmaceutical companies in Japan and also involved in many transactions relating to them (such as M&A, establishment of joint venture, etc.). He also represents many clients in the telecommunication business sector. He is also knowledgeable regarding restructuring of defaulted bonds (including sovereign bonds), the conducting of related bondholders' meetings.

Hirohito Akagami is engaged principally in the fields of financial, corporate and commercial law, with an emphasis on M&A and securities work. Typically, these transactions involve Akagami representing the purchasers for a number of tender offers, which he has been doing for more than 20 years. He also advises clients in a number of domestic and cross-border syndicated loans, securities and other financial transactions, as well as on corporate governance-related matters and regulatory issues.

Kazuhiro Yoshii has been engaged in an extensive range of corporate legal practice at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune. He has been involved in the issuance of securities in both the international and domestic capital markets, and mergers and acquisitions. His experience also includes general corporate matters such as real property transactions and international commercial transactions. He also acts as vice chairman of the self-regulation committee of The Investment Trusts Association, Japan.

Akiko Kimura is an of counsel principally handling international finance matters, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate affairs. She has been involved in a wide range of public offerings and private placements of shares, bonds and other securities by Japanese companies overseas, and by supranational organizations, foreign governments and foreign private entities in Japan. She has also acted as legal advisor in connection with the privatization of foreign and Japanese governmental institutions, as well as initial public offerings by foreign and Japanese companies. She has been involved in the demutualization of a Japanese life insurance company and in the acquisition by a Japanese company of a foreign company through exchange of shares, each of which was the first of transaction of its kind in Japan. She also handles a wide variety of corporate transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, joint ventures and licensing arrangements.

Isao Shindo is a partner at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, who has been involved principally in the fields of banking, securities transactions, asset management, insurance, trust and structured finance, as well as M&A projects involving financial institutions and insurance companies. Mr. Shindo has long experience representing a large number of Japanese and foreign financial firms with respect to various aspects of their businesses in Japan, including regulatory issues. Mr. Shindo is a pioneer in the area of advising financial institutions regarding global multi-currency loan facilities. Mr. Shindo has also acted as Japan counsel in relation to the merger of major global financial companies.

Hironori Shibata is a partner at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune and is engaged principally in the fields of general corporate matters, international finance and cross-border M&A transactions, with an emphasis on international capital market, public offering and other transactions involving restructuring of financial business.

Osamu Adachi advises both overseas and Japanese clients on a variety of international and domestic legal matters, such as securities offerings, investment trusts and investment corporations, securitizations, derivatives, financial transactions, banking and securities regulatory issues, mergers and acquisitions, real estates, hotel managements and international commercial transactions.

Kenichi Sadaka is a litigation partner at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, engaged mainly in international & domestic litigation, commercial arbitration and other dispute resolution procedures. Mr. Sadaka has represented many Japanese and foreign companies in Japan in matters concerning intellectual property issues (patents, copyrights, moral rights, publicity rights, medical import licenses, trademark, trade secrets, and unfair competition, etc.), real estate transactions, construction, labor (collective bargaining with labor unions, visa related issues, sexual harassment, dismissals, labor accidents, etc.), antimonopoly issues, disputes among management, disputes related to financial products, product liability, debt collections, inheritance, mortgage enforcement, defamation, professional malpractice, termination of distributorship agreements, international trade (LC and BL related matters), insurance, administrative remedies, and other matters. Mr. Sadaka also has experience in several overseas litigations, and has provided assistance in discovery procedures in Japan and in relation to companies in Japan. In addition to these civil dispute activities, Mr. Sadaka has conducted internal investigations for several companies in relation to intra-company crimes and, based upon such scrutiny, exposed criminal accusations for embezzlement, fraud, and similar actions. Mr. Sadaka also provides day-to-day legal service for general corporate legal affairs.

Tetsuya Itoh is a partner at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune with more than 10 years of experience involved principally in the fields of financial, commercial and corporate transactions with coverage of regulatory affairs. Mr. Itoh has represented lenders, arrangers, agents, trustees, equity investors, originators and other related parties in a number of asset transactions including REITs, real estate funds and construction finance, and additionally has experience in corporate acquisitions including those made in the course of insolvency proceedings.

Hiroshige Nakagawa is a partner handling a wide range of corporate matters with a focus on cross-border transactions, competition issues, and litigation/arbitration cases, involving Japanese entities. He also handles China-related matters, especially in M&A transaction and dispute matters. In addition, he regularly advises foreign and domestic clients on international trade matters, including anti-dumping investigation.