Mori Hamada & Matsumoto is proud to announce that it will be welcoming Mr. Keiichi Tadaki to the firm as special counsel on October 1 of this year. Mr. Tadaki retired in June as Prosecutor-General of the Public Prosecutors Office, Japan’s top public prosecutor.

Mori Hamada & Matsumoto is one of the largest law firms based in Japan, providing a full range of legal services to meet the needs of clients in Japan and abroad. Our attorneys are also aware of their social mission and, as one of the fundamental principles that guide the firm, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto proactively assists our attorneys in their activities that serve the public interest, in order to help create a society that is governed transparently and fairly under the rule of law.

The firm to date has produced a Supreme Court judge, a president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, and other prominent figures in the Japanese legal community. Many of our attorneys take positions on the boards of law societies and other public interest associations. They also contribute directly to the development of the legal profession by becoming adjunct professors at the Legal Research and Training Institute and post-graduate law schools. The firm also takes on legal apprentices as part of their training at the Legal Research and Training Institute and acts as a development firm that trains attorneys who are willing to work at Himawari Trust Law Firms, which provide legal services in remote locations, and at Japan’s legal support center, Houterasu. The firm also continually dispatches attorneys as public servants for fixed terms at government ministries, agencies and departments where their roles include assisting with the drafting of new laws and regulations.

Through his work at the Ministry of Justice and the Public Prosecutors Office, Mr. Tadaki has been a key figure in formulating policies for major reforms of Japan’s legal system, such as the establishment of the Japanese jury system. In joining private practice at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, Mr. Tadaki will continue to dedicate himself to the completion of legal reforms that have not yet been realized. We believe that having Mr. Tadaki on our team of attorneys will enhance the firm’s commitment to public service.

Japan has also undertaken tremendous efforts to reform its regulatory system from one dependant on unwritten administrative guidance to a more transparent system with regulatory and judicial oversight. Mr. Tadaki’s position as Prosecutor-General during this period of transition enabled him to play an influential role in responding to a broad range of important events in the spheres of Japanese politics, economy and society.

As one of the largest full-service law firms in Japan, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto provides a wide range of legal services, focusing particularly on commercial matters. Recently, with the enactment of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law and the strengthening of the Anti-monopoly Law, demands on corporations to act fairly in their markets have taken on increasing importance. Thorough legal compliance is now not merely necessary for a corporation to continue doing business, but it is an issue that goes to the very root of a corporation’s existence in society. Attorneys are now facing dramatically greater demands to provide assistance with the examination of the facts and causes of incidences of corporate misconduct and with the formulation of measures to prevent their recurrence.

By joining Mori Hamada & Matsumoto and utilizing the firm’s resources, Mr. Tadaki will be able to continue to benefit society with the broad insight and experience he has acquired during his many years serving in important positions in the public sector. Mori Hamada & Matsumoto believes this will greatly contribute to the public interest while at the same time enabling the firm to better serve its clients’ needs.