Iwata Godo

The firm: Iwata Godo is one of Japan’s premier and oldest law firms. It was established in 1902 as one of the first business law firms by Chuzo Iwata, an attorney-at-law who subsequently served as Minister of Justice and president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations. It is a full-service firm, with offices in Tokyo and Hokkaido and with more than 100 attorneys, and its practice areas are highly regarded. Its reputation and wealth of experience has built the firm a portfolio of clients comprising many of Japan's leading financial institutions and companies, including many Nikkei 225 companies, across all industry sectors, as well as foreign multinational corporations and small and medium-sized entreprises trading with or in Japan (through FDI or M&A). Clients include large manufacturing and consumer products companies, pharmaceutical companies, electric power companies, mega-banks, companies in banking, finance, insurance, and other service industries, as well as start-ups and major players involved in high technology and a variety of other fields.

Areas of practice: Iwata Godo is a full-service law firm that has been providing seamless services to its clients since 1902.

• Corporate
• M&A
• Banking & Finance
• Insurance
• Capital Markets
• IPO/Startup support
• Litigation and Dispute Resolution
• Crisis Management
• Antitrust
• Intellectual Property
• Information Technology
• Data Protection and Privacy
• Bankruptcy and Corporate Reorganization/Rehabilitation
• Employment and Benefits
• Sustainability and ESG
• Real Estate
• Tax
• Healthcare and Life Sciences
• Consumer Goods and Retail
• Non-Profit Organizations and Public Corporations
• Pro Bono

For more information, please visit the firm’s website.

International practice: Iwata Godo advises foreign clients and their Japanese subsidiaries on Japanese law, as well as advising Japanese clients on foreign laws and international law in collaboration with foreign law firms. Our firm includes Japan, US, China, and France-qualified lawyers who assist Japanese and foreign clients with their cross-border transactions and disputes. Transactional teams suit the size and complexity of the deal, using specialist support or working as part of cross-jurisdictional teams incorporating international “best friends” and associated foreign firms with which the firm has established strong relations in many jurisdictions. By way of example, it is one of the Japan member firms of the TerraLex network and it has established a strong relationship with Singapore firm Drew & Napier and the Drew Network Asia firms in ASEAN countries and PRC firm Jin Mao.

Domestically, the firm advises foreign clients on all types of M&A transactions, including acquisitions, mergers, demergers, divestitures and joint ventures. It has extensive experience in areas such as post-merger integration, ownership and management transitions, financing transactions and real estate acquisitions. The firm renders company incorporation services and general corporate housekeeping services to overseas clients and their local subsidiaries as well as a broad range of day-to-day routine advisory services covering employment, contracts, etc. often under cost-effective retainer agreements. The firm provides comprehensive expert advice on governance and best practices and a broad array of regulatory matters under eg the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act (FDI), the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law (known as “J-SOX”, the Japan version of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act) or the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act.

The firm regularly publishes law books and manuals and contributes articles to various magazines and law journals, including “Shoji Homu” (Business Legal Services), one of the most authoritative Japanese business law magazines and the Japan chapter of several international legal guides (published by Legal 500, Thomson Reuters/Practical Law, Mondaq, Chambers, LexisNexis, International Comparative Legal Guide, etc.).