The team at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is distinguished by its ‘high level of expertise and excellent communication skills’ and possesses a wide-ranging proficiency encompassing fraud, bribery, and information leak mandates. The group's collective experience spans internal investigations, quality control issues, corporate criminal defence work, and government investigations. All three co-heads, Kazuhilo Kikawa, Yoshihiro Kai, and Hidetaka Miyake, have an ‘exceptional background’ derived from their former roles as prosecutors specialising in regulatory and criminal defence, corporate internal investigations, and compliance. Adding to the team’s depth, of counsel Kazuo Sakakibara has significant expertise in bribery regulations, internal investigations, and government inquiries, while Hiroki Wakabayashi leverages his background as a judge.

The team at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, which has ‘the expertise of a lawyer and the practical abilities of a businessman’, possesses substantial proficiency in crisis management work and investigations, handling both domestic and international bribery, corruption, unfair competition and insider trading matters. Department co-head Yasuhiko Fujitsu specialises in capital market-related issues, including irregularities, insider trading, and market manipulation mandates, while working closely with cross-border crisis and risk management specialist and co-head Hideaki Umetsu. Fellow co-head Hiroshi Yamauchi focuses on internal investigations and criminal matters. Senior associates Takaaki Kanayama and Kazuhito Imaizumi further bolster the team, with extensive experience in criminal cases, internal investigations, regulatory affairs, and dispute resolution.

The team at Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu is ‘hardworking and committed to excellent service,’ acting for clients in high-profile regulatory investigations and white-collar crime cases, specialising in compliance cases with a cross-border element. The sizeable team fields former judges, prosecutors, accountants, government officials, and PR specialists, and is well-equipped for a broad range of situations. Takayoshi Tao heads up the practice, with expertise in financial and securities regulations, accounting fraud and third-party investigations. Core team members include Daisuke Fukamizu, who focuses on white-collar crime, regulatory compliance, antitrust and corporate crisis management issues; Yoshihiko Matake , who has experience assisting multi-national clients with white-collar crime defence, export control and anti-corruption matters; and senior counsel Hideaki Kobayashi, who excels in corporate crisis cases. Ayumi Fukuhara and Tomohiro Hen, who handles regulatory and compliance investigations, enhance the team’s cross-border expertise, which is further supported by the promotion of John Lane to partner.

The team at Nishimura & Asahi fields a diverse array of legal professionals, including former prosecutors, high-tech crime specialists, government officials, private attorneys, and international legal experts, and delivers comprehensive advice that spans the full spectrum of domestic and cross-border crisis management. The department excels in handling corporate crisis scenarios involving fraud and white-collar crime elements, and instances of misconduct. Leading the practice is Hiroshi Kimeda, whose extensive experience spans corporate scandals involving window-dressing, financial statement misrepresentation, antitrust violations, bribery, and regulatory breaches. Other members of the team include Kei Umebayashi, who is highly skilled in criminal investigations; Kaku Hirao, who handles misconduct issues, regulatory infractions, and emergency response matters; and Tomoyuki Numata, who specialises in issues related to international cartels, unilateral anticompetitive practices, and merger filings.

The team at Atsumi & Sakai has a wealth of experience when advising on risk management issues spanning diverse industries and businesses. Comprising former prosecutors, public accountants, criminal defence lawyers, and foreign lawyers well-versed in cross-border issues, the team offers assistance across a wide spectrum of areas including whistleblowing issues, data security work, foreign investigations, and risk management audits, among others. Leading the practice are Makoto Takahara, who is an expert in corporate governance, risk management, and general compliance; Makoto Nakano, who heads up the whistleblowing response team; and Masahito Fukuda, who leads the white-collar crime team. Kohei Murakawa specialises in domestic and international dispute resolution, while Yusuke Miura provides counsel to both Japanese and international clients on various antitrust and competition matters.

The team at City-Yuwa Partners offers a comprehensive service in the field of risk management and investigations, providing counsel on compliance issues, crisis management, whistleblowing, and criminal cases. Leading the practice is Michio Masaki, who has a wealth of experience from his background as a prosecutor in the Special Investigation Department of the Tokyo District. Assisting the team, Miya Miyama specialises in conducting international and external investigations related to corporate scandals, while Kentaro Sadahiro, a legal consultant with expertise in investigations and negotiations, offers support, with a specific focus on medical malpractice and industrial accidents.

The team at Miura & Partners has extensive experience in conducting internal investigations, both within domestic boundaries and across various jurisdictions, encompassing the US, China, and numerous Southeast Asian nations. Practice head Masayuki Atsumi has valuable experience in a range of investigations related to antitrust law, anti-bribery matters, and other white-collar crimes; he shares the helm with Ryoko Yamaguchi, who is a specialist in investigations concerning financial instruments and exchange law. The department’s other co-heads include Takashi Kiuchi, who focuses on accounting fraud and financial regulation work; and Yuhei Sakao, who has expertise in global investigations related to the FCPA, whistleblowing issues and corporate malfeasance matters.