Professional notice
An arbitration leader in Japan that’s drawing increasing attention on the international stage
| People in Who’s Who Legal | 4 |
|---|---|
| People in Future Leaders | 1 |
| Pending cases as counsel | 12 |
| Value of pending counsel work | US$1.82 billion |
| Treaty cases as counsel | 0 |
| Current arbitrator appointments | 2 (2 as chair or sole) |
| Lawyers sitting as arbitrator | 1 |
Japan’s biggest law firm, Nishimura & Asahi, is also the only Japanese firm in the GAR 100. It was established in 1966 and has been involved in a number of arbitrations over the years, spanning M&A, joint ventures and construction. With Japan only recently beginning to make progress as an arbitral seat, the firm’s activities in this field haven’t been as visible as those of its counterparts in, for example, South Korea.
But the work is there. It’s been active in disputes across Asia, taking on cases at major institutions like the ICC, SIAC and CIETAC, as well as the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (JCAA), the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (KCAB), and other recognised bodies in Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.
In 2010, it caught attention for winning a pro-New York Convention ruling in the Tokyo courts for insurance company AIU during set-aside proceedings; the case was shortlisted for a GAR award.
The practice is led by Tokyo partner Hiroyuki Tezuka, who is a familiar face around the region. He sits on the SIAC Court and the KCAB International Arbitration Committee, as well as the ICC Court.
The team also includes partner Chie Nakahara; English-qualified foreign attorney Natalie Yap, who joined in 2017 from Watson Farley & Williams in Singapore; and partner Lars Markert, who arrived from the Stuttgart office of Gleiss Lutz in 2018, having previously spent two years on secondment at Nishimura. He has experience in commercial and investment arbitration and also sits as arbitrator.
Another name to know is Singapore partner Shintaro Uno, who has been helping the firm branch out into Singaporean and Indonesian arbitrations, particularly construction-related cases. Uno also sits as an arbitrator.
The firm raised its international profile further in 2018 when it hired two new foreign attorneys, including Anne-Marie Doernenburg, a German national who previously practised at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and who now sits as Asia chair for the Institute for Transnational Arbitration.
Doernenburg supports Markert in his efforts to secure more investment arbitration work for the firm. Markert obtained an instruction from a Japanese ministry to compile information on the 50 leading investment treaty arbitrators – a contract for which the firm beat several specialised international law firms.
Network
The firm has offices in four Japanese cities and 11 overseas offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Yangon, Bangkok, Singapore, Taipei, Frankfurt, Dubai and New York, as well as affiliate offices in Hong Kong and Jakarta.
In 2020, Nishimura became the first Japanese law firm to launch a formal law alliance in Singapore, after it teamed up with local firm Bayfront Law.
Who uses it?
Major clients include Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba, AIG, Novartis, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus, Mitsubishi Electric and Honda Motors.
Track record
A Japanese automotive company used the firm to good effect in a US$300 million dispute with a former Asian distributor. The firm obtained an anti-suit injunction in 2017 from a JCAA tribunal, then went on to prevail in the arbitration in the following year. The client was granted the declaratory relief it asked for along with costs.
Markert helped a Japanese pharmaceutical company settle an ICC case with a Danish pharmaceutical company on favourable terms.
In 2018, the firm successfully defended a Japanese automotive client in a US$70 million JCAA case brought by a former distributor in the Middle East. Herbert Smith Freehills in Tokyo was on the other side.
Together with a UK firm, Nishimura & Asahi helped a large Japanese corporation secure the dismissal of a US$175 million claim relating to the termination of a distribution agreement.
A team led by Uno secured a win for a Japanese client in a BANI arbitration, following which the respondent, a local developer, filed set-aside proceedings in an Indonesian court.
Recent events
Nishimura & Asahi had a win for a Japanese automotive parts manufacturer in a London-seated ICC dispute against a Russian counterparty. The tribunal awarded the client the full amount claimed for breach of contract and is now pursuing enforcement in Russia. The firm was sole counsel, with Norton Rose Fulbright and another Japanese firm on the other side.
The firm also obtained a favourable settlement for a Japanese client in a US$7.3 billion dispute over a joint venture between companies engaged in power plant construction projects.
About Nishimura & Asahi
We are Japan’s largest full-service international law firm, with more than 700 lawyers around the world. The diversity and depth of expertise offered by our world-class lawyers is difficult to match. By thoroughly understanding our clients’ business, we have been providing them with true value, since 1966.
Leading Japanese law firm for international arbitration
With over 35 years of experience, Nishimura & Asahi is the leading Japanese law firm for international arbitration. The team and many of our partners have won accolades and recognition for handling large and complex international arbitrations.
For the fifth year running, Global Arbitration Review has included our international arbitration practice in The GAR 100. Our firm remains Japan’s only-ever GAR entrant.
Commercial arbitration
We regularly advise on a variety of arbitrations across numerous industries such as insurance, finance, automotive, pharmaceutical, TMT, energy (including renewables) and infrastructure/construction in connection with M&A, joint ventures, and the termination of distribution agreements.
Investment treaty arbitration
We also have strong expertise in investment treaty arbitration. Our team of lawyers not only has practical experience, but also comprises members having assisted the Japanese Government in the negotiation of international free trade and investment agreements.
Strong expertise in international arbitration rules
Our arbitration team possesses a wealth of experience in international arbitrations, including ad hoc and emergency arbitrator procedures, under the rules of the ICC, SIAC, HKIAC, JCAA, KCAB, CIETAC, AAA‐ICDR, Swiss Rules, DIS, as well as recognized bodies in Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. We regularly advise European companies on business activities in Japan and throughout Asia, as well as advising Asian clients on European law issues.
Truly global reach
As experts in international business law, Nishimura & Asahi has created a global network that spans Asia, Europe, the Americas and beyond, and we possess one of the largest and most diverse international business law practices in Southeast Asia.
We have 18 offices across the world, including Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai, Dubai, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta*1, New York, Singapore, Taipei, Yangon and Hong Kong*2, and Japanese offices in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka. Through our global network, we offer a full suite of cross-border legal services.
*1 Associate Office
*2 Affiliate Office