Mori Hamada & Matsumoto

Mori Hamada & Matsumoto

Mori Hamada & Matsumoto is a major Japanese law firm formed by the merger of two legacy firms, offering corporate and litigation services to domestic and international clients. The firm operates across practice areas including corporate transactions, finance, arbitration, intellectual property, and regulatory compliance, serving clients from multinational corporations to financial institutions. Its client work often involves cross-border matters connected to Tokyo's role in Asian commerce, and it maintains offices in major financial centers to support multinational litigation, M&A, and capital markets transactions.

History

Mori Hamada & Matsumoto traces roots to pre-merger firms with histories linked to Tokyo legal practice, predecessor firms that advised on matters involving Ministry of Finance (Japan), Bank of Japan, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui & Co., and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. The 2002 merger combined teams experienced in transactions touching Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, Toyota Motor Corporation, SoftBank Group, Hitachi, and Sony Group Corporation. Over the following decades the firm expanded amid trends exemplified by the expansion of Asian Development Bank financing, World Trade Organization disputes, and increased foreign direct investment from United States and European Union clients. The firm’s growth paralleled regulatory developments involving Financial Services Agency (Japan), reforms related to the Act on General Rules for Incorporated Associations and Companies, and corporate governance changes influenced by the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In recent years the firm strengthened cross-border practices serving matters with links to People's Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Singapore, United Kingdom, and United States jurisdictions.

Corporate Structure and Offices

Mori Hamada & Matsumoto operates as a Japanese partnership with offices in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Singapore, and Shanghai. The Tokyo headquarters coordinates engagements involving clients such as Nomura Holdings, MUFG Bank, Mizuho Financial Group, and Daiwa Securities Group. International offices support disputes and transactions involving International Chamber of Commerce, International Court of Arbitration, Hong Kong, Shanghai Stock Exchange, and ASEAN-region matters. The firm’s structure includes corporate, finance, dispute resolution, intellectual property, and regulatory teams, staffed by attorneys who previously practiced at firms that engaged with projects financed by Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, and bilateral initiatives involving Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japan). The firm’s office network facilitates coordination with external counsel in matters touching European Central Bank-linked financings, United Nations-related sanctions, and multijurisdictional insolvency matters under regimes influenced by the Insolvency Law reforms in various jurisdictions.

Practice Areas and Notable Work

Mori Hamada & Matsumoto’s practice areas include corporate/M&A, banking and finance, securities and capital markets, restructuring and insolvency, litigation and arbitration, intellectual property, employment, antitrust, real estate, and tax. The firm has advised on high-profile M&A deals involving SoftBank Group, Sony Group Corporation, and cross-border transactions with General Electric, Berkshire Hathaway, and Deutsche Bank. In capital markets the firm has worked on initial public offerings listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and cross-listings involving New York Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange. Its finance practice has handled syndicated loans for Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and project financings tied to energy projects involving Tokyo Electric Power Company and renewable investments associated with International Renewable Energy Agency. In dispute resolution the firm has represented clients in arbitrations under International Chamber of Commerce rules, investor-state disputes invoking principles related to International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, and litigation in Japanese courts involving multinational defendants such as Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics, and Amazon (company). The intellectual property team has handled patent litigation relating to Toyota Motor Corporation hybrid technology and copyright matters for media clients like NHK, Asahi Shimbun Company, and Yomiuri Shimbun. The firm has also advised on antitrust inquiries involving Japan Fair Trade Commission matters and cross-border compliance programs linked to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement actions and European Commission competition probes.

Key People and Partners

Senior partners and practice heads have included former judges, prosecutors, and in-house counsels with backgrounds at institutions such as the Supreme Court of Japan, Court of Appeal (Tokyo), Ministry of Justice (Japan), and major corporations including Sony Group Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation. Partners frequently engage with international counterparts from firms in United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, China, Singapore, and Australia. The firm’s leadership has taken roles in professional associations including the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, International Bar Association, and advisory positions to entities like the Financial Services Agency (Japan) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on legal reform and market practices.

Awards and Rankings

Mori Hamada & Matsumoto is regularly ranked by legal directories and market commentators including Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, and IFLR1000 for its work in corporate, finance, and litigation. The firm has received recognitions in practice areas alongside peers such as Nishimura & Asahi, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, TMI Associates, and Anderson Mori & Tomotsune. Rankings cite work for clients like Mitsubishi Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation, and SoftBank Group in contexts involving cross-border M&A, project finance, and dispute resolution. The firm’s lawyers are featured in lists by Legal Week, Asian Legal Business, and national awards conferred by entities connected to the Prime Minister of Japan-level economic initiatives.

Category:Law firms of Japan