Parents in the law in Japan

Written By Jayne Nakata
 
 

We wanted to inspire as many women as possible who are working parents in Japan and particularly those working in the law, so we have created a compilation of the episodes where our guests talk about their careers and also mention parenting. In some episodes, there may be references to how parental leave was handled or how childcare works with the busy schedule of being a lawyer. Lawyers featured in these episodes are parents or support people who are parents.

We hope that you will also feel inspired by these women who are making waves in Japan.

Featured
Creating your own path and embracing authenticity in the law and in governance with Ako Shimada
Parent
Creating your own path and embracing authenticity in the law and in governance with Ako Shimada
Parent

Ako Shimada is the Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Ushio America Inc. Ako also serves as General Counsel for Ushio Europe BV and is an independent director for Fujitech. She shares her story of embracing her Japanese heritage and transforming her career. The discussion covers her journey from growing up in Japan to pursuing law in the U.S., her experiences in litigation and in-house roles, and her strategic approach to seeking board positions. You will hear a story of someone who is brave in speaking up about what they would like to do. Listen as each piece falls into place!

Read More →
Parent
Continuous Learning and Adaptability: Keys to Success in the law in Japan with Yuko Kaneko
Parent
Continuous Learning and Adaptability: Keys to Success in the law in Japan with Yuko Kaneko
Parent

Yuko Kaneko is Director and Corporate Counsel of the Business Legal Department at Renesas Electronic Corporation. Yuko discusses her career journey, starting as an attorney at Nishimura Asahi before transitioning to in-house roles. A career can span many years and so we discuss career longevity, the importance of continuous learning, and balancing professional and personal life. If you are looking for a role model of how to do a legal career in Japan then please listen to Yuko’s story.

Read More →
Parent
Navigating Maritime Law: A Journey around the world to Japan with Gillian Musgrave
Parent
Navigating Maritime Law: A Journey around the world to Japan with Gillian Musgrave
Parent

Gillian Musgrave is a seasoned lawyer with a rich background in maritime law and marine insurance. Gillian shares her journey from qualifying as a solicitor in England and Wales to working internationally in London, Italy, New York, Singapore, and now as an in-house consultant in Tokyo. We go on a voyage of discovery into the depths of a truly fascinating and not so well known area of the law. Grab your sea legs, let’s get into it!

Read More →
Parent
Leading with Empathy: Toshimi Itakura's vision for a thriving legal team
Parent
Leading with Empathy: Toshimi Itakura's vision for a thriving legal team
Parent

If you are at a crossroads and wondering if you should give up on that dream that hasn’t come true yet, then this is the episode for you. Toshimi Itakura is the General Manager of the Legal Department at Sojitz Corporation. Toshimi shares her inspiring career journey over more than 20 years and her professional experiences in the United States and London. Toshimi discusses her approach to career growth, emphasizing the importance of focusing on achievements rather than specific job titles and shares valuable tips on time management, leadership, and mentoring. You are going to love hearing from this ground breaker in the Tokyo legal world!

Read More →
Parent
Becoming the Heroine of Your Journey: From Assistant's assistant to Legal Powerhouse - Seizing Opportunities and Overcoming Challenges with Hiroko Miyazaki
Parent
Becoming the Heroine of Your Journey: From Assistant's assistant to Legal Powerhouse - Seizing Opportunities and Overcoming Challenges with Hiroko Miyazaki
Parent

Hiroko Miyazaki is a legal luminary who has made her mark across various prestigious roles in Japan's corporate legal landscape. From her modest beginnings as a part-time law firm assistant to her ascent to Managing Director at 3M Japan, Hiroko's journey is a testament to the power of resilience and growth mindset. She opens up about her strategies for overcoming failure, the value of prioritizing tasks, and the importance of emotional intelligence in leadership. Pour yourself a glass of sake - Hiroko’s favourite - and join us for a conversation that promises to enlighten and inspire anyone aiming to master their leadership presence.

Read More →
Parent
A blue ocean journey as in-house counsel and legal pioneer in Japan with Akiko Kawaguchi
Parent
A blue ocean journey as in-house counsel and legal pioneer in Japan with Akiko Kawaguchi
Parent

Dive into the inspiring journey of Akiko Kawaguchi, a true pioneer in the Japanese legal world. Akiko shares her groundbreaking path of becoming the first Japanese qualified lawyer at Mitsubishi Corporation. In this episode, Akiko reflects on the historical events that shaped her pursuit of justice and logic, her courageous leap into the blue ocean of in-house counsel, and her belief in the transformative power of young minds. Tune in to discover how Akiko's passion for curiosity, continuous learning and embracing new challenges is shaping the future of law.

Read More →
Parent
Embracing change in law: Olga V. Mack's insights on technology, personal branding & thought leadership
Parent
Embracing change in law: Olga V. Mack's insights on technology, personal branding & thought leadership
Parent

I am thrilled to welcome Olga V. Mack, a renowned contributor to thought leadership on law and tech to the Lawyer on Air podcast. Olga takes us on a captivating journey, sharing her experiences from integrating art, science, and law to her impactful presence on LinkedIn and the evolution of her own podcast, "Notes to My Legal Self." Join us as we delve into her alternative to mentorship, AI innovation, and the power of individual excellence in the legal landscape. If like Olga, you do not like to wait in line, learn how you can be at the forefront of the exciting changes happening in the legal industry today.

Read More →
Parent
Making Partner in a Big Four Japanese Law Firm with Madoka Shimada
Parent
Making Partner in a Big Four Japanese Law Firm with Madoka Shimada
Parent

Madoka Shimada is Partner at Nishimura and Asahi, one of the “Big Four” law firms in Japan. You might have heard some things about what it’s like to work there but Madoka shares some of the innovations and how she has carved out a unique career for herself with her interesting combination of qualifications.

Read More →
Parent
Exploring Legal Ops in Japan: An inspiring career path in law and tech with Vivien Clancy
Parent
Exploring Legal Ops in Japan: An inspiring career path in law and tech with Vivien Clancy
Parent

Vivien Clancy has a wealth of experience in the legal operations space which she brings to her current position in the Tokyo office of Herbert Smith Freehills. Vivien’s adventures and zest for life have all contributed to her fascinating career experiences. It goes to show that all experiences lead you to that next iteration of your career. If you are considering a legal operations role and wondering where to start, then this is the episode for you.

Read More →
Parent
Working in-house and at a law firm concurrently in Japan with Yuka Yamada
Parent
Working in-house and at a law firm concurrently in Japan with Yuka Yamada
Parent

Yuka Yamada has taken on an exciting adjacent working path in addition to being General Counsel, Head of Legal and Compliance at Mercedez-Benz Finance Japan, she is also Counsel at GI&T Law Firm. This is really an unusual opportunity and yet another way to do law differently. We are thrilled to bring you this episode to hear more about how Yuka is able to do this and what has been her career path to date to enable such a fantastic way of working.

Read More →
Parent
Using your law degree without being a lawyer at top companies in Japan with Tomoko Konishi
Parent
Using your law degree without being a lawyer at top companies in Japan with Tomoko Konishi
Parent

If you have finished your law degree but are not sure if you want to work as a “lawyer”, you might consider going to an in-house role such as Tomoko Konishi has done. Tomoko has had a truly varied career so far and is now working in corporate governance. With a law degree you really are able to serve society from all kinds of angles, this time Tomoko is doing it her own way, listen to hear more!

Read More →
Parent
Navigating remote international work and work-life balance challenges with Sawako Ohgi
Parent
Navigating remote international work and work-life balance challenges with Sawako Ohgi
Parent

Sawako Ogi is the General Manager in the Strategic Legal Unit at JERA Co. From living overseas in a variety of countries as a child to managing a team remotely from the UK, Sawako's story is one of resilience, leadership, and determination. Join us as we delve into Sawako's in-house career path, her advice for in-house counsels, and her passion for balancing work and personal life.

Read More →
Parent
Creating fairness in the legal landscape of an organisation: Insights from Kenji Tagaya
Parent
Creating fairness in the legal landscape of an organisation: Insights from Kenji Tagaya
Parent

Kenji Tagaya joins Lawyer on Air as a very welcome male guest, fan of the show and ally of women working in the law in Japan. Kenji is General Counsel at Jera and shares his own lived experience of being a minority and how he uses that experience to help empower others. In addition to his career, Kenji is very active in volunteer activities and we hear about how he asks if he can join in and help and in doing this he has been able to use his skills for good outside of the office too.

Read More →
Parent
The journey of Akiko Kikuchi: From private practice to leading an award-winning legal team
Parent
The journey of Akiko Kikuchi: From private practice to leading an award-winning legal team
Parent

Akiko Kikuchi is a skilled general counsel with over two decades of experience in the legal industry. In this episode, we delve into the challenges of creating a career at a time when it was unusual to hire university graduate women in Japan. Akiko shares the benefits of building a strong team and how to get through the career challenges that might crop up for a General Counsel. Get ready to be inspired and informed in this episode of Lawyer on Air.

Read More →
Parent
The power of listening: Insights from Sayaka Ohashi, Lawyer and Advocate
Parent, lawpreneur
The power of listening: Insights from Sayaka Ohashi, Lawyer and Advocate
Parent, lawpreneur

Sayaka Ohashi, a legal counsel specialising in employment law, shares how her experience of raising three children and listening to what they have to say, has greatly improved her practice in employment law. She also encourages male lawyers to embrace child-rearing as it can make them better professionals. Her reasons are a little different from what you might be thinking (you will need to listen in!) Sayaka has had a varied career with big law firms and now running her own practice also makes time for new hobbies and even a side business!

Read More →
Parent, lawpreneur
Embracing career challenges and enjoying the journey with Aya Saito
Parent
Embracing career challenges and enjoying the journey with Aya Saito
Parent

In this episode, Aya Saito shares her journey from a kind of identity crisis to finding her style and authentic self in a unique role. Her career challenges became accomplishments that she even enjoyed! I’ve not heard of any guest so far in six seasons refer to their challenges in this way. Through the power of conversation, Aya uncovers these gems even though she didn’t know they were there! Join us for another fabulous episode from one of our own women in law in Japan.

Read More →
Parent
Self branding through kindness and thoughtfulness for your successful career in law with Akiyo Inoko Hewett
Parent
Self branding through kindness and thoughtfulness for your successful career in law with Akiyo Inoko Hewett
Parent

You are going to love this episode featuring one of the biggest fans of Lawyer on Air and a successful lawyer in her own right, Akiyo Inoko Hewett. Akiyo got my attention with her thoughtful and insightful post on LinkedIn; little did I know that she was a big LOA fan! In addition to being an avid listener, she has forged a career for herself as a bilingual international lawyer in Atlanta, Georgia. If you are wondering about different places to start a law career, this episode is packed with great examples of how Akiyo achieved this.

Read More →
Parent
Grab opportunities in your legal career or create them yourself with Asako Ouchi
Parent
Grab opportunities in your legal career or create them yourself with Asako Ouchi
Parent

Asako Ouchi takes us on an amazing journey through her career so far - you will need to hold onto your seat for this one! Tokyo, London, Shanghai, Tokyo, Asako created opportunities for herself to get what she wanted from her career and she did not let her circumstances get in the way of at least asking. Often this approach turned into an opportunity, so I highly recommend listening to this particular career journey for anyone who is thinking that what they want might not be possible because of a circumstance.

Read More →
Parent
What you need to know about joining the Japan legal market in 2023 with Sam Inohara
Parent
What you need to know about joining the Japan legal market in 2023 with Sam Inohara
Parent

From time to time I invite an ally of women lawyers in Japan onto the show, and someone I would love you to meet is Sam Inohara. Even though he did not graduate from a top 10 law school, he has created a unique career path in Japan, culminating in his present position as Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright Tokyo office. In this episode, he explains why you should consider Japan in your international law career and what the situation is here now with the legal market.

Read More →
Parent
From lawyer to legal recruiter in Japan with Mindy Allen
Parent
From lawyer to legal recruiter in Japan with Mindy Allen
Parent

Mindy Allen is sharing her knowledge of the Japan legal recruitment market with us in this episode. She has made a transition from lawyer to legal recruiter since we last spoke with her. We’ll dive into not only why she chose to move away from legal work for now and what it’s like to be a recruiter. She gives us her up to date insights for lawyers who want to know more about career moves in the near future.

Read More →
Parent
Developing a growth mindset to become founding partner of a joint enterprise law firm in Japan with Rika Beppu
Parent
Developing a growth mindset to become founding partner of a joint enterprise law firm in Japan with Rika Beppu
Parent

Rika Beppu was adamant she would forge her career through her own hard work as an English lawyer working in a UK firm. When her firm offered her the role of a lifetime and an opportunity to be the founding partner of a new office in Tokyo, this really challenged her idea of how she had planned her career and it did not include Japan! Listen as we hear how Rika navigated her career to where she is today.

Read More →
Parent
From law firm owner to becoming a patent attorney in Japan with Maria Abe
Parent, lawpreneur
From law firm owner to becoming a patent attorney in Japan with Maria Abe
Parent, lawpreneur

Maria Abe shows us that anything is possible with a little bit of an adventurous heart and a willingness to try new things even when you are unsure. Maria has navigated the challenges of starting her career during the World Financial Crisis of 2009 and takes us on a fascinating journey of how she came to be a practicing lawyer in Japan. A truly inspirational story for anyone who is feeling like the chips are stacked against you just now.

Read More →
Parent, lawpreneur
Finding your sweet spot at the top of legal at Google Japan with Yuko Noguchi
Parent
Finding your sweet spot at the top of legal at Google Japan with Yuko Noguchi
Parent

Yuko Noguchi shares how she narrowed down the many options she wanted to pursue with the help and advice from respected colleagues and lecturers. Yuko has done an amazing job of achieving the kind of career that many would envy, culminating in her current role as Head of Legal at Google, Japan. Listen as she takes us on an unbelievable journey through the bold choices she made to be where she is today.

Read More →
Parent
From sales executive to law firm partner with Yumiko Ohta
Parent
From sales executive to law firm partner with Yumiko Ohta
Parent

Are you wondering if you could be an associate in a law firm, even though you are “older”? Yumiko Ohta didn’t let anything stand in the way of passing the bar exam and joining a law firm later in life. Now a partner in one of the best places to work, Yumiko shares her story of leading her career and family choices.

Read More →
Parent
Jayne Nakata
Previous

Catherine’s Monthly Wrap Up - January 2024
Next

Catherine’s Monthly Wrap Up - December 2023