Takahiro Nonaka joins MoFo in Tokyo as litigation partner
12 May 2021
Takahiro Nonaka has joined Morrison & Foerster’s Tokyo office as a partner in the firm’s litigation department. Nonaka brings to the firm extensive experience across commercial litigation, internal investigations, and global compliance and regulatory matters. His practice complements the firm’s leading global capabilities across investigations and white collar defense, FCPA and global anti-corruption, global ethics and compliance, antitrust and privacy and data security. Nonaka joins the firm from DLA Piper in Tokyo, where he was a partner.
Nonaka represents multinational companies, particularly in the life sciences and technology sectors, in liaising with government officials and other regulatory agencies, conducting internal investigations and training, and drafting internal codes and policies. Nonaka advises multinational companies on U.S. antitrust law and FCPA compliance, data privacy issues in the EU and other jurisdictions, and cross-border disputes, with a particular focus on tort claims and product liability in the U.S., and general commercial litigation, including system development contracts, real estate lease agreements, and various types of labor disputes, in Japan. He also regularly advises clients on employment, trade/export control compliance, and white collar crime defense matters.
“Takahiro’s practice complements our Tokyo and global litigation practices extremely well,” said Ken Siegel, managing partner of Morrison & Foerster’s Tokyo office. “Building on the strength of our market-leading IP litigation practice, he will help accelerate the continued growth of our Tokyo commercial litigation practice. The regulatory side of his practice in particular – which focuses on trade and export control compliance – is a growing area of need for many of our Asia clients. Further, his Japan-law investigations and white collar defense practice and data privacy experience will reinforce global areas of strength for the firm.”
Nonaka’s notable matters include representing major U.S. pharmaceutical companies, major U.S. manufacturing companies, major U.S. technology companies, a major U.S. entertainment company, major European manufacturing companies, as well as major Japanese manufacturing companies in connection with internal investigations into various misconducts, including serious crimes by their employees; several Japanese leading automobile parts companies in connection with alleged international antitrust cartel activities; major Japanese pharmaceutical companies and a major Japanese automobile company in connection with product liability litigations in the U.S.; and major U.S. pharmaceutical and technology companies, and a major European infrastructure company in connection with general commercial litigation in Japan.
Nonaka began his career as a judge in 2000, serving in district courts in Japan for almost 10 years. During his time on the bench, he was seconded to a multinational automobile company for a year and also held a two-year diplomatic secondment role at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C., where he served as an advisor on issues relating to export controls, competition law, and FCPA enforcement affecting Japanese companies. He entered private practice in 2010.
