Team size: Approximately 190 worldwide

What are the most significant cases or transactions that you have been involved in over the past year?
Contribution to the management and business development of the Company, as well as the enhancement of corporate value and protecting our company from risks surrounding our business, are always at the forefront of our priorities in the Mitsui & Co. legal unit. We also actively tackle management issues such as the execution of portfolio transformation, economic security response and the strengthening of corporate governance.
In the business area, under the global group legal system, we work together with our business units and other corporate divisions to promote a wide variety of investments, financing projects, and various product sales. In recent years, the projects we are undertaking (including large-scale overseas projects, M&A deals, acquisitions of listed companies and TOB deals) have become increasingly complex requiring a more nuanced analysis without sacrificing the speed or efficiency of our response.
Furthermore, the legal unit is expected to expand its role in dealing with new and developing cutting-edge areas of the global market, such as ESG and AI-based businesses. In addition, there are increasing expectations from the company for the legal unit to take a leadership role in dealing with complex disputes, while also managing relationships with various stakeholders.

What innovations have you made to the way your legal team works in the past year?
As of April 1st of this year, I have been appointed to the position of executive managing officer and general counsel (GC) of the company, and I am therefore responsible for advising the CEO from a legal perspective as a member of the executive committee.
Additionally, in order to (i) provide flexible legal services, (ii) respond to increasingly complex management issues, and (iii) develop global legal professionals through the understanding of each unit member’s unique background and talents, the legal division, under the supervision of the GC, has been restructured into two newly created and distinct divisions, the strategic and administrative legal division and the business legal division. More specifically, the strategic and administrative legal division is responsible for overall planning of the global group legal system, company-wide legal education, governance and corporate legal affairs, spreading awareness of our principles of integrity and ensuring compliance. The business legal division is handling projects and dispute proceedings of high importance in each business unit, as well as handling corporate legal issues, such as economic security response, personal data protection etc., in cooperation with the relevant corporate divisions.
Based on your experience, what is the key to collaborating successfully with business partners?
The key to such collaboration is the maintenance of transparent, multi-layered, and frequent communication with business partners including external firms at all levels, not only when engaging them for specific projects but also on a routine and general basis. This will ensure that the partners have a good understanding of the Company’s business and our expectations. Such communication will also contribute to building good relationships and a sense of mutual trust and good faith with our partners, allowing us to benefit from a healthy information flow and timely feedback when needed.