Nishimura & Asahi

Nishimura & Asahi
Name	Nishimura & Asahi
Founded	2007 (merger)
Headquarters	Tokyo
Key people	Junichi Nishimura; Asahi partner names
Practice areas	Corporate, M&A, Litigation, Intellectual Property, Finance, Arbitration
Num offices	International network
Num attorneys	Hundreds

Nishimura & Asahi is a major Japanese law firm formed by a high-profile merger that created one of the largest legal practices in Japan with a wide international footprint and multidisciplinary teams advising on cross-border transactions, disputes, and regulatory matters. The firm combines expertise in corporate transactions, litigation, intellectual property, finance, and international arbitration, serving clients ranging from multinational corporations to financial institutions, governments, and multinational consortia. Its lawyers frequently appear in matters involving complex mergers and acquisitions, securities, antitrust, insolvency, and technology licensing, and the firm maintains offices and alliances to support cross-border work across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

History

The firm was established through the 2007 combination of prominent Japanese practices influenced by legal practitioners who previously worked at or interacted with institutions such as the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, Tokyo Bar Association, Ministry of Justice (Japan), and leading corporate counsel groups at firms like Mitsubishi Corporation and Mizuho Financial Group. Its formation reflected broader trends visible in the expansion of firms such as Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, TMI Associates, and Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu toward globalization and integration of transactional and contentious capabilities. Over time the firm recruited partners with backgrounds at international firms including Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Linklaters, and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, and it developed practices aligned with multinational clients like Toyota Motor Corporation, SoftBank Group, Sony, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. The firm's growth paralleled legal market events such as the expansion of inbound foreign direct investment, the rise of cross-border M&A, and regulatory developments tied to institutions like Financial Services Agency (Japan) and Japan Fair Trade Commission.

Practice Areas

The firm advises on matters across commercial and regulatory sectors including corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, securities and capital markets, banking and finance, structured finance, insolvency and restructuring, competition and antitrust, intellectual property and technology, telecommunications, energy and infrastructure, life sciences and pharmaceuticals, tax, employment and labor, real estate, environmental and compliance, and international arbitration. Teams frequently interface with counterparties and institutions like Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, European Investment Bank, Asian Development Bank, World Bank, International Chamber of Commerce, and arbitral tribunals seated under rules such as the ICSID Convention and UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules. The intellectual property group handles patent litigation and licensing matters related to clients including Panasonic Corporation, Canon Inc., Nintendo, and biotechnology entities working with regulators such as the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency.

Notable Cases and Matters

The firm has acted on high-profile cross-border transactions and disputes involving companies such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Hitachi, Nippon Steel, KDDI, Rakuten, Nissan, and Japan Airlines. It has represented creditors and debtors in major restructuring matters tied to corporate collapses and insolvencies similar in profile to cases involving Toshiba and Sharp Corporation restructurings, and has advised on cross-border M&A between Japanese and foreign parties akin to transactions involving Blackstone, KKR, Carlyle Group, and Bain Capital. In competition and antitrust work the firm has handled merger filings and investigations before the Japan Fair Trade Commission and coordinated with regulators such as the European Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division. Its arbitration practice has represented states, sovereign-owned entities, and multinational corporations in proceedings under ICC Court of Arbitration and LCIA rules, and its securities practice has been involved in IPOs and bond offerings on exchanges like the Tokyo Stock Exchange and cross-listings related to New York Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange.

Offices and Organization

Headquartered in Tokyo, the firm maintains regional offices and representative presences aligned with major commercial centers, working through alliances and networks to service matters across Asia, Europe, and North America and engaging with institutions such as Japan External Trade Organization and JETRO. Its organizational structure groups lawyers into sector-focused teams and practice groups which coordinate with international law firms including Clifford Chance, Allen & Overy, Hogan Lovells, and Norton Rose Fulbright on cross-border mandates. The firm has cultivated internal training and secondment programs with universities and institutions such as University of Tokyo, Keio University, Waseda University, and international graduate programs at Harvard Law School and Columbia Law School to develop transactional, litigation, and arbitration expertise.

Rankings and Recognition

The firm has been ranked by international legal directories and publications including Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, IFLR1000, and Benchmark Litigation, receiving band and tier recognitions for practices such as M&A, finance, antitrust, IP, and arbitration. Its partners are frequently listed among leading lawyers in guides produced by Who's Who Legal and nominated for awards from organizations such as Asian Legal Business and Japan Business Law Journal, and its deal work has been highlighted in league tables from Refinitiv and Bloomberg.

Pro bono and Corporate Social Responsibility

The firm engages in pro bono initiatives and corporate social responsibility programs supporting causes and institutions such as Red Cross Society of Japan, disaster relief efforts in regions affected by events like the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, legal aid clinics connected with the Japan Legal Support Center (Houterasu), educational partnerships with universities including Ritsumeikan University, and environmental stewardship projects in collaboration with NGOs and international bodies like United Nations Development Programme and United Nations Environment Programme.

Category:Law firms