Takashi Akahane heads the finance group at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune; with a strong background in project finance, Akahane is well-positioned to lead the team in its advice on energy and resources projects. Reiji Takahashi also has particular expertise in project finance and in the PFI field, advising on projects across the renewable energy, power and water sectors. Norifumi Takeuchi has experience in renewable energy projects, independent power plant projects, and resource development, with a particular focus on Japanese clients looking to finance projects overseas. English-qualified lawyer Teruma Naito leads the cross-border foreign law project finance team, advising on international project financing transactions. Makoto Terazaki advises national and local governments, private companies and banks on domestic and overseas infrastructure-related PPP/PFI projects and Kunihiro Yokoi advises sponsors, lenders and contractors in the renewable energy field.

The projects and energy team at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto is jointly led by Masanori Sato, Takahiro Kobayashi, Takeshi Mukawa, Naoki Ishikawa, and Shigeki Okatani. The group’s expertise spans a range of areas within the energy sector, encompassing biomass projects, photovoltaic projects and power plant construction projects, and has seen an increasing number of instructions in corporate PPA matters. It also handles energy-related construction and project financing transactions. With the addition of Yuko Nihonmatsu and Mihoko Shima to the team in 2022, the group continued to strengthen its position in the PFI/PPP space. Among the sizeable team, Kei Shirakawa advises both project finance lenders and borrowers on energy and infrastructure projects and renewable energy transactions; Okatani has an established position in the offshore wind market in Japan; Yusuke Murakami represents the Japanese government in various offshore wind projects;  and Hironobu Noma has experience in a range of PFI projects and project finance transactions.

The ‘outstanding’ projects and energy team at Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, co-led by Shunpei Tanaka, advises both domestic and foreign clients on all aspects of renewable energy projects. It advises sponsors, investors and contractors, as well as power utility and trading companies, on energy and infrastructure projects.  It also has an internal carbon neutrality team and is actively involved in decarbonisation matters. Practice co-head Jiro Mikami excels in energy and resources financing projects, supported by Rintaro Hirano and Kiyoshi Honda. Terukazu Katsuyama strengthens the team's PPP/PFI expertise. Yoshihisa Watanabe has notable experience in renewable energy spans solar, wind farm and biomass projects.

Nishimura & Asahi draws on its strong international offering to advise on energy and infrastructure projects in Japan, Asia and beyond. Led by Tomohiro Sato, the team advises across the energy and natural resources sector, handling project financing, development and procurement. It is also active in the offshore wind sector, advising foreign and domestic lenders and sponsors on major offshore wind projects. Within the team, Teruyuki Yamamoto is an expert in PPP and PFI projects; Kohei Ishida handles solar and wind power projects; Hiroyasu Konno focuses on oil and LNG transactions; and Sadayuki Matsudaira focuses on the energy sector, including electricity, gas and heat-supply businesses. Maya Ito counts Japanese megabanks, international banks and trading houses among her clients. Adrian Joyce’s expertise spans the LNG, offshore wind and shipping sectors and Nathan Schmidt advises on solar PV projects, as well as both onshore and offshore wind projects. Alexander Woody advises on international energy and natural resources project investments, development and financing. Nagahide Sato retired in March 2023.

Atsumi & Sakai‘s projects practice is led by Miho Niunoya, Michiaki Hosoi, Akira Shimazaki and Kimiharu Masaki. The diverse practice advises both renewable and traditional forms of energy from wind power to LNG and petrochemicals, and has handled an increasing number of battery storage projects. Further names to note include Yutaka Sakai who excels in solar, biomass and geothermal projects; Mayumi Hongo who has particular experience handling EPC contracts; Tomoko Watanabe who advises ECAs and banks; and Takeshi Takahashi who counts financial institutions and Japanese utilities as clients.

Renewable energy is a key focus for TMI Associates’ team which is led by Yoshiyasu Yamaguchi. It advises on wind, biomass and geothermal power plants projects, and handles development projects, including urban redevelopment, advising financial advisors, real estate developers and construction companies. Takenobu Imaeda advises financial institutions and business operators in a range of renewable energy power generation projects. Mizuki Koshimoto has notable experience in inbound renewable energy transactions, secondary transactions of renewable energy projects. Katsutoshi Kimura and Hiroshi Ideyama advise on project finance mandates.

Offshore wind projects have been a particular recent growth area for the energy and projects team at City-Yuwa Partners  which the team advises developers and financial institutions on the financing, development, construction and operation of wind power plants. The team also advises power companies on regulatory and compliance matters. Practice head Masamichi Sakamoto has extensive experience in the energy sector, acting for foreign investors and developers. Sakamoto is supported by Yukinori Sasaki, who advises Japanese renewable energy developers and power generation companies on developing solar and wind power plants.

Boutique firm Kaynex Law Offices has extensive experience in renewable energy projects. The team, led by Kota Kikuchi, advises both domestic and international investors and financial institutions in the acquisition, development and financing of solar projects. The team is well-situated to advise on projects in other jurisdictions and also to provide regulatory advice to developers and EPC contractors. Makoto Fujii was promoted to counsel in January 2023.

Besides handling a steady flow of energy and PFI/PPP projects, Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners saw a recent increase in renewable energy projects. The team also draws on the firm’s wider dispute resolution expertise, supporting clients through the full lifecycle of energy-related projects. Practice head Tomohiro Murakami has extensive experience advising on wind and solar power projects and counts lenders, sponsors and investors among his clients.