The group at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto fields ‘many excellent lawyers who have a lot of specialities and cover a wide range of employment issues’. These include the group co-heads; litigators Chisako Takaya and Taichi Arai, and Yoshikazu Abe, who is prised for his ‘wealth of experience and knowledge of labour matters’. Elsewhere, Shiho Ono is known for representing corporations in labour related dispute resolution and is described by one client as ’an outstanding Japanese employment lawyer, providing excellent practical advice’. The group also has a strong international presence, including a presence across East Asia, which it leverages on cross-border work. Fumiko Hama was promoted to the partnership in 2023.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'This firm has many excellent lawyers. They have a lot of specialities and cover a wide range of employment issues.'
'Yoshikazu Abe has a wealth of experience and knowledge of labour matters and he always gives us appropriate advice.'
'Response from the team is timely.'
'Shiho Ono is an outstanding Japanese employment lawyer. She provides excellent practical advice and is my first point of call when my clients require Japan employment law assistance. Her advice is crystal clear, concise and practical. I highly recommend Shiho.'
'They are always very quick to respond to all of our questions and issues that we face. If the questions/cases are simple, they provide us with the detailed legal practice to follow. If the cases are complicated and sensitive, they carefully choose words to negotiate with other parties that we have a problem with for amicable resolution.'
'Yoshikazu Abe is the partner I work with on labour dispute issues. He is super helpful and he is very quick at replying to my inquiries. He provides insightful and practical legal advice to me. I really appreciate him.'
'Usually, two to three attorneys assist us with each case, and I have nothing but gratitude for the advice and the speed of the advice.'
'Chisako Takaya has an exceptional knowledge especially in labour law and employment related matters. She tries to solve the issues whilst understanding cultural differences. Their qualities are extraordinary. I value their work so much. I cannot appreciate enough that they are with us.'

Key clients

Japan Post Co., Ltd.
ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Shiseido Corporation
Bayer Holding Ltd.
ispace, inc.
XL Catlin Japan Ltd.

Work highlights

Representing Japan Post in various types of class-action litigation, which were filed between 2020-2021 with Sapporo, Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kochi, Fukuoka and Nagasaki District Courts.
Assisted Shiseido Corporation with all aspects of HR and labour relations.
Successfully representing Bayer Holding in a labour dispute.