A new breed of lawyer has emerged in Japan over the past decade: part lobbyist, part advocate, they sit between companies and governments, helping to shape policy and regulation in some of the world’s fastest-growing and most geopolitically sensitive sectors.
As concerns grow about generative artificial intelligence and the free flow of data across borders, and as sanctions spread because of war and the creation of rival trading blocks, lawyers in Tokyo have found a new niche to occupy.
Drawn from industry or government backgrounds — and mirroring the work done by US lawyers for decades — both companies and regulatory bodies court them to help craft rules that allow the former to thrive but afford the latter sufficient control.