Tokyo Office

Sidley Austin Foreign Law Joint Enterprise (“Sidley Austin”) serves as the base for Sidley’s practice in Japan. The office’s staff is comprised of 10 bengoshi (Japanese law qualified lawyers), including four who are also U.S.-qualified, as well as a China-qualified lawyer (foreign law registered lawyer).

Capabilities of Bengoshi in Japan

By tradition, bengoshi in Japan typically handle many practice areas. It is common for bengoshi to have particular strength in certain areas of law, while also possessing familiarity with an array of other practice areas. This wide breadth of knowledge enables Sidley Austin to handle a variety of matters and cases, including those that would require several lawyers (such as due diligence). Most bengoshi are also trained to be litigators before becoming bengoshi. Sidley Austin’s practice harnesses this added skill by being particularly active in the area of dispute resolution/litigation.

An expansive reach and perspective

The office assists clients in overcoming obstacles that are associated with existing Japanese laws and helps them navigate the complex Japanese regulatory regimes.

Many other bengoshi in the office also have unique backgrounds as former government officials, a former judge, and former bankers, all with international experience. With this in-depth knowledge of and familiarity with an array of relevant industries, the office offers clients a highly diversified range of services that distinguish it from other law firms in Japan. The office’s China-qualified lawyer (foreign law registered lawyer), who is also fluent in Japanese, possesses a broad network in China, thus enabling the office to offer guidance to clients who are considering business with companies in Asia.

Sidley Austin provides legal services to variety of domestic and international clients, including financial institutions, securities companies, insurance companies, funds, information/communication companies, pharmaceutical companies and airlines, in English, Chinese and Japanese. Sidley Austin is dedicated to offering a comprehensive “one-stop service” where clients can access global resources through a single law firm for necessary legal advice involving multiple jurisdictions.

The office handles a wide range of practice areas, including the following:

• Antitrust/Competition
• Capital Markets/Securities
• Compliance/Corporate Governance
• Energy
• Finance/Insurance
• Funds
• Global Strategic Advice/Government Strategies
• Intellectual Property
• International Trade
• M&A/Corporate
• Labor
• Life Sciences
• Litigation
• Regulatory

The office is located in the Marunouchi Building, which is situated in the center of Tokyo.