[Press Release] Atsumi & Sakai Marks a Decade in Europe
ATSUMI & SAKAI MARKS A DECADE IN EUROPE
Tokyo-based law firm Atsumi & Sakaii celebrates the 10th anniversary of its London office and Frankfurt affiliate office, reinforcing its commitment to clients across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The firm was the first Japanese law firm to open a standalone office in London and recently expanded further with a new office in Brussels, enhancing its ability to support clients navigating complex EU regulations.
The London office built on the firm’s highly regarded banking and finance practices and now covers all aspects of Japanese law, including M&A, dispute resolution, compliance, data protection, labour and ESG. “The last decade has seen the workloads and client base of our London and Frankfurt offices increase year-by-year and we expect this to continue. We are very grateful to the clients and law firms that have put their faith in us and our service over the years.” says Naoki Kanehisa, Managing Partner of the London office.
The Frankfurt affiliate office has become a key legal hub for Japanese companies in Germany and the rest of the EU, providing a full-service offering for German and Japanese law that extends beyond transactional work to ongoing advisory support.ii “We are the one of the few law firms in the EU offering full-service legal support in Japanese,” says Frank Becker, Managing Partner of the Frankfurt affiliate office. “With growing regulatory complexity, businesses need clear, practical advice on the ground. We help clients navigate legal risks while enabling them to focus on their core business.”
The new Brussels office strengthens the firm’s EU regulatory and competition law expertise, ensuring clients stay ahead of legal and policy developments that could impact their business.
With a team of highly experienced Japanese, and Germaniii and other foreign lawyers, Atsumi & Sakai continues to bridge Japan and Europe, offering tailored legal solutions in a fast-changing environment. Working with its Tokyo and New York offices, the firm’s multi-jurisdictional presence allows it to support clients with seamless, locally informed, and globally strategic legal guidance.
i Tokyo-based Atsumi & Sakai is one of Japan’s “Big 6” law firms; in addition to its Tokyo head office, the firm has offices in London, New York, Brussels and Ho Ch Minh, and affiliate offices in Frankfurt and Fukuoka (Japan) with a total of some 270 lawyers (as of April 23, 2025; includes lawyers of Atsumi & Sakai LPC, offices operated by the Foreign Law Joint Venture, and the Frankfurt affiliate office) across all those offices. The firm was the first leading Japanese law firm to establish a foreign law joint venture in Japan so enabling the firm to admit foreign lawyers as partners; the firm now has 31 foreign lawyers, including 18 foreign partners and in addition to its core Japanese law practice can advise on the laws of the US States of New York and California, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, India, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, England and Wales*, the Australian States of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, and United States and Australian federal law. Building from its established reputation for finance and capital markets work, the firm now provides a full service to Japanese and international clients across all business sectors, and to foreign law firms, with particular strengths in cross-border M&A; project finance; inward invest into Japan; banking, capital markets and other finance; labor law and IT.
* Atsumi & Sakai is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for England and Wales.
ii Services related to Japanese law are provided through alliances with the Tokyo Head Office and other offices.
iii The German Republic Lawyers affiliated with Atsumi & Sakai are not registered as a Foreign Lawyer in Japan.
■Contact:
Atsumi & Sakai Tokyo Office