Search PillsburyLaw.com
  • All
  • Lawyers
  • Capabilities
  • Insights

Service

Japan

Contacts

Shinya Akiyama
Partner, New York
T: +1.212.858.1204
Fusae Nara
Senior Counsel, New York
T: +1.212.858.1187
See All Professionals

Pillsbury's Japan practice is built on experience, established trust and a deep understanding of Japan’s business philosophy, culture, risk management and decision-making systems. Pillsbury’s Japan practice lawyers advise leading Japanese businesses doing business throughout the world.

Pillsbury’s Japan practice lawyers provide focused and effective legal counsel to Japanese businesses largely concentrated on doing business outside of Japan. We serve major Japanese banks, trading firms and manufacturers in industries as diverse as consumer products, industrial machinery, energy and project finance, pharmaceuticals and technology. Led by a Japan practice lawyer, our service teams include lawyers who are multilingual, many of whom have worked in Japan or have worked for Japanese companies. We take an integrated approach to client service, drawing on the experience of leading practitioners from across the firm, which enables Pillsbury to effectively resolve the legal issues Japanese companies face regarding their business activities. Working collaboratively with lawyers in our offices in the United States and elsewhere around the world, our Tokyo office team provides advice, support and assistance to Japanese companies on a wide variety of matters, including financings, corporate, real estate, IP, employment, litigation, crisis management and other issues. Further, lawyers in our Tokyo office assist international companies establishing operations in the Japan marketplace.

Pillsbury provides comprehensive legal services to our clients, addressing antitrust, employment, employee benefits, environment, government contracts, intellectual property, real estate, regulation, and tax issues and disputes. Our lawyers handle matters through a clear understanding of our clients’ strategic goals and a flexible and forward-thinking approach. We assist clients with:

View More

Corporate and Securities Matters

Pillsbury represents international corporations, including Japanese companies, in connection with M&A, venture capital, strategic alliances, securities trading and other corporate transactions matters. We have more than 200 corporate-focused lawyers handling matters in various legal areas, including financing, stock investment, corporate governance and compliance.

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

Our firm represents Japanese clients in business litigation in the U.S. and other regions. We have litigated matters for Japanese clients, including major banks, trading firms, and manufacturers in various industries such as electronics, heavy industry, sports equipment, chemicals, food, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, semiconductors and office tools.

Energy and Infrastructure Projects

Pillsbury’s Projects lawyers have deep experience providing pragmatic advice to Japanese and international companies on complex, cross-border matters. We advise on energy and infrastructure projects across a range of sectors including transport, power, water, LNG, chemical and petrochemicals, and in a range of upstream and downstream energy work, including acquisitions and disposals, joint operating agreements, farmout agreements, PSCs and concession agreements, and gas and LNG sale and purchase agreements, as well as EPC and construction work.

Intellectual Property

We help clients develop comprehensive IP strategies, protecting, managing, asserting, defending and leveraging their patents, trademarks, service marks, copyrights, trade secrets and other IP assets. We assist with IP audits and negotiate licensing and technology transfer agreements. In addition, our highly regarded IP practice lawyers in the United States have represented clients before the U.S. Supreme Court and federal courts in all jurisdictions, including regional federal appellate courts and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and they have extensive experience before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the U.S. Customs Service, the ITC, alternative dispute resolution tribunals and ICAAN. Pillsbury has a department in our Tokyo office devoted to working on IP issues and a Japanese patent professional who represents clients before the Japan Patent Office and litigates IP disputes.

Representative Experience

  • Advised Japanese information and health technology giant Hoya Corporation in its 27-billion-yen investment in a consortium led by Boston’s Bain Capital to purchase Toshiba’s flash memory chip business for $17.8 billion.
  • Represented Sumitomo Chemical Corporation on the development and expansion of a multibillion-dollar integrated refining and petrochemicals Rabigh II Complex (MEA Petrochemical 2015 Deal of the Year, Project Finance International magazine).
  • Represented Japanese industrial company in a multibillion-dollar ICC arbitration stemming from claimed failure of certain critical components our client supplied for Southern California Edison’s San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

View More

  • Corporate and Securities Matters
    • Representing several Japanese commercial banks in developing and roll-out of nationwide digital banking platforms, including regulatory and related issues.
    • Provided guidance, in conjunction Tokyo-based law firm, City-Yuwa, to the Japanese Financial Services Agency (FSA) regarding how to appropriately regulate the trading of stablecoins, a digital currency attached to a stable reserve asset, in Japan under the country’s amended Payment Services Act.
    • Represented Sumitomo Corp./Imagica Robot Holdings/Cool Japan in its acquisition of SDI Japan Media in California.
    • Represented Orix Aviation in its US$3.2 billion purchase of stake in Avolon Holdings Limited.
    • Represented JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Corp. in its US$800 million sale of two life sciences subsidiaries.
    • Represented NTT Data Inc. in its US$3 billion acquisition of Dell Inc.’s IT services unit, Perot Systems Corp.
    • Represented Sumitomo Chemical in its acquisition of Monsanto’s worldwide sulfuron business.
    • Represented Japanese materials company in connection with its acquisition of a majority interest in a concrete ready-mix business in California.
    • Represented Japanese health care company in the acquisition of the seventh-largest U.S. home health care service provider, based in California, using a reverse triangular merger in acquiring all ownership interest in the limited partnership.
    • Handled Synnex Infotec’s refinancing of funds used to acquire Marubeni Infotec Corp.
    • Represented Japanese petrochemical manufacturers in the formation of a three-party joint venture company in Texas with a U.S. competitor for the manufacture and marketing of rubber additive products.
  • Energy and Infrastructure Projects
    • Advised SoftBank Group and its subsidiary SB Energy on a significant investment in Nemaska Lithium Inc., a Canadian mining company.
    • Represented JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corporation in connection with its investment alongside joint venture partner, NRG Energy Inc., in a US$1 billion carbon, capture and sequestration (CCS) Project.
    • Advised U.S.-based global provider of semiconductor systems on the refurbishment of a microchip manufacturing facility in Hiroshima, Japan, involving drafting and negotiating complex design and build agreements with seven separate Japanese contractors.
    • Advised Mizuho Securities in its role as sole structuring agent and sole bookrunner for GECAS’s $709 million Labrador Aviation Finance asset-backed security. The transaction was the first ABS deal with equity placed in South Korea. Other aviation industry clients include Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance Company, Sumisho Aero Engine Lease, and Sumitomo Corporation.
    • Advised Toyota Tsusho Corp. on its investment in a 725 MW natural gas-fired power plant in the U.S.
    •  Represented consortium of Japanese trading companies and heavy equipment manufacturers in the engineering, procurement and construction of power plants located in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
    • Advised Japanese oil and gas company on an enhanced oil recovery project in the Middle East.
    • Advised large Japanese nuclear energy company in connection with its worldwide joint venture alliance with a prominent French nuclear company.
  • Intellectual Property
    • Acted for a global Japanese sports brand in enforcing a patent and defending the patent in IPR.
    • Represented major optics products manufacturer on patent litigation brought by a nonpracticing entity.
    • Acted for a Japanese chemical manufacturer in connection with a claim for theft of trade secrets, successfully settling the case.
    • Represented Japanese company and other defendants in a patent and trade secret litigation relating to semiconductor manufacturing equipment components.
    • Achieved summary judgment ruling for a Japanese industrial light fixture company in noninfringement and related claim construction in a patent case.
    • Advised Japanese technology company on FRAND issues.
  • Litigation and Dispute Resolution
    •  Represented major Japan-based manufacturing company in a cross-licensing dispute before the ICC Court of Arbitration in Switzerland concerning nuclear technology licensing agreements with claims exceeding $500 million.
    • Represented Japanese electronics company in an antitrust lawsuit involving liquid crystal display panels.
    • Represented Japanese consortium in connection with its restructuring of its investments in Brazil and an international investigation as a result of the Operação Lava Jato (Operation Car Wash) allegations involving Petrobras in Brazil.
    • Represented major Japanese electronics manufacturer in twin nationwide class actions claiming more than $200 million in damages for allegedly false representation of the battery life of notebook computers.
    • Represented Japanese automotive parts manufacturer in connection with a claim for reimbursement of recall-related costs. We successfully settled the matter through mediation.
    • Represented Mitsui and subsidiary MOEX in relation to the Macondo Gulf of Mexico oil spill incident, limiting its exposure in one of the largest multidistrict litigation proceedings in history.

Practice Area Highlights

  • Pillsbury’s Tokyo office was recognized in both the Chambers Global and Chambers Asia-Pacific rankings for 2025.
  • Legal industry consulting firm BTI has ranked Pillsbury in as one of the “most feared” law firms in litigation for five consecutive years.
  • The Legal 500 Asia Pacific ranked Pillsbury for both Projects & Energy and Banking & Finance.

View More

  • Chambers Asia-Pacific’s 2024 rankings recognized three practices along with four firm lawyers as leading practitioners in the region.
  • Pillsbury was named to International Financial Law Review (IFLR) Tier 3 for Project Development - Foreign (2024).
  • #16 Japan M&A (Completed) by deal value by Refinitiv (2020)
  • Project Finance International recognized Pillsbury’s representation of Sumitomo Chemical in connection with the Petro Rabigh 2 project as its Middle East and Africa Petrochemical Deal of the Year.
  • Pillsbury was named a “go-to firm” in Intellectual Property Litigation based on an in-house counsel survey of Fortune 500 companies by Corporate Counsel.
  • Airfinance Journal awarded our work for Japanese client Mizuho Securities on an asset-backed security transaction with a Deal of the Year Award in May 2017.
  • Japan-based NTT Data Corp.’s $3 billion acquisition of Dell Systems’ IT services division was honored as the Global Corporate Deal of the Year ($1 billion to $10 billion category) at the M&A Atlas Awards in November 2017.
  • The 2014 International M&A Advisor Awards recognized Pillsbury for “Corporate/Strategic Acquisition of the Year” in the “Over $100 million to $1 billion” category.
  • Voted by Japanese companies as one of the top seven U.S. firms for overseas legal issues in a 2014 survey conducted by Japanese newspaper Nikkei.

Resources

Book

The Basics of American Business Law

Brochure

Japan Practice

Related Insights

View More
View All