By Shingo Hattori — Founder & Managing Partner, Hattori LawTel: +81 3 6447 5586 Japan’s hospitality business sector is open to foreign investment. There are no nationality-based ownership restrictions on hotels or restaurants. However, operating a lodging facility requires a government license. Under the Hotel Business Act, any facility offering accommodation to fee-paying guests must obtain a hotel or inn license from the local health/amenity department. Standards cover safety, hygiene and staffing ratios. Short-term rentals (so-called “minpaku” in Japanese, Airbnb-type lodgings) fall under the 2018 Private Lodging Business Act; hosts must register their property and may only rent it for a limited number of days per year (commonly 180). Foodservice businesses […]
By Shingo Hattori — Founder & Managing Partner, Hattori LawTel: +81 3 6447 5586 Japanese land-use law is rigorous. The City Planning Act divides every area into one of 13 “Land Use Zones” (residential, commercial, industrial, etc.) that strictly control permitted uses and building dimensions. Developers must confirm that any proposed use (e.g., hotel, office, retail) is allowed in the zone, and that floor-area and coverage ratios comply with both national rules and local ordinances. Non-conforming buildings can be ordered modified or even demolished by local authorities. Environmental due diligence is critical: under the Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act, purchasers inherit full liability for any preexisting pollution on the site. Older buildings […]
By Shingo Hattori — Founder & Managing Partner, Hattori LawTel: +81 3 6447 5586 Focus on: Japanese law and best practice put growing emphasis on robust compliance systems and crisis readiness. The Principle 2.5 of the Japanese Corporate Governance Code stipulates as follows. “Companies should establish an appropriate framework for whistleblowing such that employees can report illegal or inappropriate behavior, disclosures, or any other serious concerns without fear of suffering from disadvantageous treatment. Also, the framework should allow for objective assessment and appropriate response to the reported issues, and the board should be responsible for both establishing this framework, and ensuring and monitoring its enforcement.” The Supplementary Principle of the […]
It was my pleasure to be a panelist for the discussion titled “Redefining Hospitality through AI, IoT & Digital Twins” in the Hotel Revenue Summit Japan of the Hospitality Japan Conference at The Capitol Hotel Tokyu, which is located very close to Japanese Prime Minister’s Office, Tokyo, Japan. A moderator was Imam Habib san with great expertise in VC. Panelists were Yusuke Sunagawa san in AI, Touki Hata san in hotel operation system, and me in legal space. We explored what will happen next in the hotel revenue management field in AI era. I really enjoyed it. I know how regulations or laws work while it’s very worthwhile to know […]
By Shingo Hattori — Founder & Managing Partner, Hattori LawTel: +81 3 6447 5586 · Cross-border acquisitions of Japanese manufacturers provide tactical approach to technology, supply-chain resilience, and excellent-quality production capability for Foreign Buyers. Yet transactions here require discipline: Japan’s corporate practices, disclosure norms, and sectoral licensing create transaction risks that differ from many common-law markets. Below I set out a practical, practitioner-focused roadmap (NDA→ due diligence → valuation → LOI /MOU → SPA /JV→ closing & integration) and highlighted Japan-specific nuances you must anticipate. 1. Pre-engagement: clarify objectives and regulatory posture You should begin with a clear transaction mandate, defining commercial purposes (full control, strategic minority, or JV), target […]
We are pleased to announce that our firm has been listed in the Asian Legal Business (ALB) Asia Who’s Who 2025.This recognition highlights our continued commitment to excellence and the trust our clients.We sincerely thank our clients and partners for their ongoing support. Hattori Law Attorny Profile: Shingo HattoriFounder & Managing Partner, Hattori Law · +81 3 6447 5586 · [Download VCard]
By Shingo Hattori — Founder & Managing Partner, Hattori LawTel: +81 3 6447 5586 We are honored to announce that Hattori Law has been selected as a finalist for the Asian Legal Business (ALB) Japan Law Awards 2025. This recognition reflects our continued commitment to excellence in legal service and the trust our clients place in us. Being shortlisted among the top legal professionals and firms in Japan is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our entire team. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to our clients and colleagues for their continued support. We also extend our congratulations to all the other distinguished finalists. Thank you […]
By Shingo Hattori — Founder & Managing Partner, Hattori LawTel: +81 3 6447 5586 It depends on the industry of your business, but most of the cross-border businesses move forward following the steps below. 1. Business partner check It’s quite important to do a credit check for cross-border transactions. If your business partner defaulted or didn’t pay, it would cost to collect the debt more than the it happened for domestic transaction. It’s good to take care of payment conditions. You can make the draft easier to collect debts if you draft it appropriately. Cross-border transaction has challenges to collect debts because the judgment by the court in one country will […]
By Shingo Hattori — Founder & Managing Partner, Hattori LawTel: +81 3 6447 5586 Even if you are not sensitive to the latest financial trends, you have heard terms of SDGs or ESG so many times recently. In Japan, the Corporate Governance Code of Tokyo Stock Exchange was revised in 2021 to oblige the listed companies in the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime to disclose TCFD (Task-Force Climate-related Financial Disclosure) or its equivalent standards. TCFD is primarily for dealing with climate change. This also means that the growing number of people have been concerned with the environmental change. In 2023, Financial Service Agency of Japan amended the Comprehensive Supervisory Guideline for Financial Instruments […]
English Language Legal Representation in Japan: Tokyo Law Firm with Japanese and American Lawyers.
If your company want to expand business to Japan, you have various options to build up your business here.
By Shingo Hattori — Founder & Managing Partner, Hattori LawTel: +81 3 6447 5586 Expert Legal Services for International Businesses, you may have experience negotiating with Japanese corporations if your investment project is in Japan. What did you think of it? Even though you might have thought it was finished, the Japanese company ultimately refused to sign the contract. Are you hesitant to collaborate with Japanese businesses? I think it’s excellent to collaborate with Japanese businesses because, if you start your firm with them, you can have a long-term commercial relationship. How to establish a commercial relationship with Japanese corporations is the issue, though. When negotiating with Japanese companies, there are […]
There are many cases that foreign companies expand their business to Japanese market. While it’s indispensable to pay attention to the regulations and compliance for your Japan business. Let me give you an example. If your American company has expanded business in Japan, it finds violation of regulations for the Japan business. You might consider appropriate measures to deal with it, considering company size, stakeholder positions, and so forth. You might consider making it in public after investigation. In that process, there are three steps. It’s necessary to clarify “what happened” in Japan. While it’s not easy since it happened in Japan where it’s far from United States. You might have […]