Journey of a Female Japanese Lawyer

Below, she describes her journey to becoming a well-established lawyer in Japan, what motivates her and her favourite aspects of working in law.

Can you share your journey to becoming a lawyer and what motivated you to specialise in law?

I joined CY in 2009. Before I joined CY, I was a partner at one of the largest law firms in Japan. I became an attorney in 1972 and have been practising law continuously for over 40 years ever since. I am also a member of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA), International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) and LAWASIA.

What initially motivated me to specialise in law was my opportunity to work for the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) as an interpreter during the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 when I was a college student. During the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, I had a chance to interact with numerous athletes and visitors coming to Japan from over 94 countries around the world. Interactions with foreigners motivated me to become an attorney specialising in cross-border legal practice which would provide me with opportunities to work with various people around the world.

Until the late 1980s, only Japanese suppliers and contractors were able to participate in the bids for public works projects in Japan.

Throughout my professional career, I have always been interested in doing projects which were cutting edge and which very few women attorneys had a chance to work on at that time. I have been tackling legal issues which are at the forefront of the times. Shortly after I became an attorney in 1972, I began to provide legal support to Japanese companies involved in overseas engineering and construction projects. There were not many Japanese companies which participated in overseas engineering and construction projects at that time. The first project assigned to me was a soil investigation project in Central Africa. The first major construction project which I was involved in was the Suez Canal Expansion and Deepening Project in Egypt in which I assisted a major Japanese construction company in preparing contracts, in handling voluminous claims arising in the course of pursuing the project and in negotiations with the Suez Canal Authority from 1974. I also assisted Japanese government agency from 1985 in the negotiation in connection with the Second Panama Canal Plan which received strong support from Japanese business circle.

Until the late 1980s, only Japanese suppliers and contractors were able to participate in the bids for public works projects in Japan. However, in 1988, Japan agreed to allow non-Japanese contractors and suppliers to participate in the bids as a consequence of Japan’s long-lasting trade dispute with the US throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

I am confident that I have made some contributions to protect the IP rights of Peter Rabbit in Japan.

I had been a counsel to the Japanese government-funded company from 1984 to assist them in building Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan through the various phases including design of the airport, construction of artificial island and airport facilities, and after completion. After Japan agreed to permit non-Japanese contractors and suppliers to participate in the bids for public works projects in Japan in 1988, I also began to provide legal support to the Japanese government-funded company on the transactions with non-Japanese contractors and suppliers involved in the building of Kansai International Airport.

In the late 1970s, I returned to school to earn an LL.M. at the University of London, The London School of Economics and Political Science. At that time, there were very few Japanese attorneys who represented non-Japanese companies to protect their IP rights in Japan. Immediately after my return to Japan from London, I became a Japanese counsel to the then-IP holder of Peter Rabbit which is one of the characters widely loved by the Japanese people. I have been assisting them in merchandising and in expanding the fanbase of Peter Rabbit. I am confident that I have made some contributions to protect the IP rights of Peter Rabbit in Japan.

In the 1980s, when only a handful of Japanese attorneys represented non-Japanese companies in any product liability disputes occurring in Japan, I successfully defended a prominent US soup company in a lawsuit at Tokyo District Court.

I have also been working as a counsel to a Japanese government agency, providing them with legal support on its ODA (Official Development Assistance) projects in the developing countries since the 1970s when Japan’s ODA was still in its early stage. In the course of providing legal support to the agency, I had opportunities to visit a number of developing countries around the world.

Another notable project which I was involved in and which was rare, was the Boeing 787 Dreamliner battery incident in 2013. It was rare because it involved negotiations with not only companies from different countries, but also negotiations with governments of different countries. I assisted a Japanese battery manufacturer in its negotiations with Boeing, other suppliers, the US government and the Japanese government and in preparing the manufacturer for the public hearing held in Washington D.C. in 2013 (which I also attended with the manufacturer).

In the 1980s, when only a handful of Japanese attorneys represented non-Japanese companies in any product liability disputes occurring in Japan, I successfully defended a prominent US soup company in a lawsuit at Tokyo District Court.

I have also been advising Japanese companies conducting or expanding business overseas on the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the UK Bribery Act to ensure that the companies are in compliance with the two laws and assisting these companies in taking preventive measures to prevent these companies from violating the two laws.

I measure my success by asking myself whether I have become a deep generalist for my clients because ‘deep generalist’ is a goal which I would like to achieve.

What is your favourite aspect of being a Partner?

I have been working as a partner for nearly 40 years. In my long professional career as a partner, my favourite aspects are the fact that I can work as lead counsel for various projects and cases and that I can train and educate the promising junior partners and associates by working with them. As a partner, I can show the promising junior partners and associates the direction where the firm should be heading in today’s complex society and rapidly-changing world.

How do you measure your success?

I measure my success by asking myself whether I have become a deep generalist for my clients because deep generalist is a goal which I would like to achieve. I also measure my success by looking up to my role models who are Sadako Ogata, who was United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for 10 years and thereafter served as President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, US Supreme Court Justice.

Yoshiko Koizumi

City-Yuwa Partners
Marunouchi Mitsui Building
2-2-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 100-0005, Japan
Tel: +81-3-6212-5500
E-mail: yoshiko.koizumi@city-yuwa.com

About the Firm

My firm, City-Yuwa Partners (“CY”), was founded in February 2003 by several partners from Yuwa Partners (which was well-known in finance and M&A practices) and Law Department of Tokyo City Law & Tax Partners (which was reputable in the areas of insolvency and litigation). Mr Hideo Ozaki, who is one of the top patent litigators in Japan, joined CY in September 2005. A number of partners and associates from other big Japanese law firms, former judges, public prosecutors and high-ranking government officials, and attorneys qualified to practice outside of Japan subsequently joined CY. CY has now grown into one of the largest full-service law firms in Japan with over 150 attorneys with diverse backgrounds who can provide a wide range of legal services, including domestic and cross-border corporate practices, energy, real estate, construction, finance, litigation and alternative dispute resolutions, compliance, criminal practice including white-collar crime, intellectual property, bankruptcy, and estate planning. All of the practice groups at CY are in top-tier in their respective practice areas. CY has its office in Tokyo, Japan and has no plan to open any new offices abroad due to the fact that CY is a member firm of International Bar Association (IBA) and other global networks of leading independent law firms around the world and also has close contacts with other leading law firms worldwide.