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Britain aims to penetrate Japan’s legal market

Law Society of England and Wales President Richard Atkinson has joined a British delegation to Japan for market access discussions.

Led by Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds, the trip (5-7 March) was part of a British industrial strategy, aiming to enhance market access for legal services in Japan.

The importance of including legal services in trade negotiations with countries such as India was also discussed.

Atkinson met with British law firms in Tokyo and the British Chamber of Commerce to discuss the Japanese legal services market and current priorities.

Open market

He emphasized the importance of promoting English law and the value of an open legal services market to attract more investment into Japan.

“Demand for foreign legal services in Japan is expanding in line with an increase in international business transactions.

This is driven in part by Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's economic policies designed to attract foreign investment,” Atkinson said.  

“This has led to an increase in cross-border M&A activity in Japan which has significantly increased the demand for international legal expertise. 

One of the key priorities for the England and Wales Law Society is improving Japan’s registration system for foreign lawyers.

This would allow more English solicitors to practise in Japan, supporting the increasing demand for international legal expertise.