White & Case established its Tokyo office in 1987, one of the first Western law firms to open an office in Japan. Today our Tokyo office is the largest foreign law firm in Japan and has the largest number of attorneys registered to practice as foreign attorneys of any law firm in Japan.

In 1995, White & Case was the first foreign law firm in Japan to respond to clients’ needs for easy access to both Japanese and international legal services by establishing a joint enterprise with Japan-licensed attorneys. This arrangement offers foreign and Japanese law advice to Japanese and international clients concerning virtually all forms of business transactions, including Japanese litigation and governmental filing services.

Most of our Tokyo-based lawyers are fluent in written and spoken Japanese and English, as well as a multitude of other European languages, and are committed to living and practicing in Japan throughout their careers. Our long-term commitment and experience help us provide clients with clear and constructive advice on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and a broad array of financings – such as project finance, capital markets transactions and securities offerings. We also support our clients’ needs in the areas of real estate, intellectual property, international trade, tax, leasing, regulatory matters under Japanese, U.S. and European Union law, and engineering and construction law. We also help to negotiate, litigate, and arbitrate business claims and disputes.

As part of an integrated team of legal professionals that spans 25 countries, we bring global breadth and local depth to bear on our clients’ most exciting opportunities and difficult challenges.