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Japan Lawyers - Blacklist, Recommended List, Etc
Disclaimer:
The information contained on this web page is based on personal experiences,
and is the personal opinion of the author.
If you have comments or concerns about these opinions, please contact webmaster937146 AT crnjapan.com who will forward them to the author.
If you have used a lawyer in Japan, good or bad please send us their name and comments on your experience. Also,
please let us know the names of lawyers you have faced in opposition, as described below.
Finally, see our list of online information on Japanese legal organizations.
NEW!! Comment on the draft version of
two Lawyers Pledges to Support Children's Rights that will be the basis for
entry into the new Supportive List of attorneys, below.
Essays
Recommended List
These lawyers or judicial scriveners have demonstrated experience in this area and have been specifically recommended by
someone employing them and willing to make a specific statement.. If you contact someone on this list, please tell them
you got their name from this website.
- NISHINOMIYA, Hyogo Prefecture. Mikiko Oyama - Gyoseishoshi Lawyer -
Oyama Gyouseshoshi Lawyer's Office; She has been very
helpful for one person living outside Japan on handling Japanese Family Court and government document related procedural
matters. mkoyama (AT] wa2.so-net.ne.jp (大山行政書士事務所); Tel & Fax :
0798-36-7436.
- OSAKA. Yoshinobu Sugimoto / 杉本 吉史 (すぎもと よしのぶ) At the district court's recommendation,
Yoshinobu Sugimoto, lawyer for the Japanese mother, tried (unsuccessfully) to arrange father-child visitation with the
father's lawyer. Despite all efforts, his client refused to comply in any reasonable way. The Japanese mother later
replaced him with a lawyer more willing to deny visitation. Osaka Law Offices,
〒５４３－００７１, Osaka City, Tennoji-ku, Ikutama-cho 2-4, Hirata Blding 4th fl.
- TOKYO. Gender and Law. Details on the actual
lawyers behind this site are not known yet. But members of the Fathers
Website recommend them.
- TOKYO. Tomoko Suganuma (すがぬま ともこ); One person recommends Ms. Tomoko Suganuma. In addition
to his case she worked on the Korean comfort woman
issue. She was at one time with the Tokyo Chuo Law office. Maybe still is, maybe not. At that
time, her email address was tomoko AT
mars.dti.ne.jp
- TOKYO. Masako Yuguchi (ゆぐち まさこ) ; Ms Yuguchi from the
International Social Service Japan, was recommended by
one person who was very helpful about 7 years ago. It's unclear whether she is a lawyer though. ISSJ's
email is issj AT a1.mbn.or.jp
Supportive List
This is a list of lawyers who have signed the Lawyer's Pledge to Support Children's Rights in Japan.
Known Experienced
A lawyer on this list is known to have some experience in Japanese Family Law, especially international abduction,
retention, custody or visitation. See also the Other Organizations
section for some legal aid groups. Any lawyer mentioned elsewhere on this page is not included here.
- NAGOYA: Mr. Kazuhiro Nishiyama
of Aichi Sogo Law Offices; An American parent comments, "Mr. Nishiyama has helped
me greatly in trying to get visitation with my two children and he has backed me up fully in my fight against my spouse in
Japanese family court. Although I did not achieve the ultimate goals I had hoped for, he was very supportive in preparing a
vast amount of necessary documentation in support of my position. He was also instrumental in helping me to at least
maintain a stable financial condition, and in obtaining guaranteed visitation with my children, 2-3 times every two months.
Although he's not a family law specialist, he seems to have a more internationally-minded viewpoint than other lawyers that
I consulted with, having spent time as a visiting scholar at Santa Clara University. On the downside, I felt that he
could have been more proactive in researching U.S. law in my case and in examining the implications and issues regarding
child custody. This aside, I can recommend him as at least being a solid and reliable lawyer who does not give up or back
down at the first sign of trouble. Despite the complacent and biased attitudes of the Japanese family court negotiators, he
always argued in favor of un-curtailed visitation rights with my kids, and he even held discussions within his own law firm
to promote understanding and moral support for a traditionally unpopular view."
- OKINAWA: Toshimitsu Takaesu, a lawyer and former prosecutor in Okinawa, has written a book in English on
Japanese family law and domestic disputes. He is mentioned in an Asahi Shinbun article and several other places on
the internet; He used to be a foreign law consultant at Betts,
Patterson & Mines in Seattle Washington. Current whereabouts unknown.
- SAPPORO: Mr. Toshiteru Shibaike of
Hokkaido Godo Law Offices; shibaike at hg-law.jp, 011-231-1888 FAX 011-231-1785.
- TOKYO: Mitsue Aizawa. (03) 5570-1234. At least one member has used her, and although the results
were not as hoped, she tried hard.
- TOKYO: Hiromi Ikeuchi, divorce and marriage counselor and
representative at Tokyo Kazoku Laboratory. Telephone: (03) 3953-3395. An English speaking counselor is available. Fax: 813
5996 3860. Mentioned in an IHT article.
- TOKYO. Kuroda and Associates (Japanese)
may be helpful on matters such as getting copies of koseki. They have a couple foreign employees/associates including
partner US attorney Albert Katsuaki Gustafson.
They may also be able to help on translation.
They also do immigration and some family law. (They are not actually known experienced yet, but may be worth
contacting.)
- UNKNOWN: Hiroko Takemori, attorney at law. Telephone: 81 45 662 0103. Japanese only spoken. Fax: 81 45 662 0681.
Mentioned in the International Herald Tribune article on this site.
Someone willing to explain the details suggests that you do not employ this lawyer for one of the following
reasons. 1) This lawyer's actions or practices were morally detrimental to or in opposition to
The Mission of the Children's Rights Network of Japan. 2) This lawyer exhibited
questionable business practices. (Remember, these comments are the opinions of their author!)
- Mikiko Otani / 大谷美紀子 (おおたに みきこ); Otani Law Office; Mihama Bldg
8th Floor 1-2-1 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 160-0004 JAPAN; Previous: #103 Yotsuya-Bengoshi Bldg, 13-1 Samoncho,
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0017, JAPAN and 415 W 118th
Apt 71 New York, NY 10027. "Ms. Mikiko Otani has worked with several human rights organizations and is a member of the
Japan Civil Liberties Union. As a feminist in Japan, she should also knows full well that a
court would virtually never grant custody of a Japanese child to a non-Japanese. With a university degree from the US
(non-law), she should also know that typical Japanese visitation would never be acceptable to a US
citizen. Yet in my opinion, Mikiko Otani did all she
could to discourage an amicable resolution between myself and my ex-partner who was denying all
contact with my son. She discouraged relationship counseling, discouraged all possible contact with family members
who could have helped, and in written letters to me, repeatedly tried to direct all lines of
communication thru her. If Mikiko Otani truly supported human rights, I feel that
she would have encouraged constructive discussion rather than pushing for a battle in a Japanese court." Read more...
- Yuko Iwata / 岩田祐子 (いわた ゆうこ); Miki Law Office, 未癸(みき)法律事務所; 〒５３０－００４７大阪市北区西天満4-3-4御影ビル4階; I submitted evidence in
court detailing my wife's psychological incarceration, long-term alcoholism, substance abuse and physical abuse against
myself and others. One piece of evidence was a signed statement by my ex-wife admitting that she (i) had taken our then 6
year old son to a number of bars and abused medication and alcohol in his presence, (ii) was under treatment for alcoholism
and bipolar disorder, and (iii) had "constantly deceived" me through an extra-marital affair and by disallowing me
visitation with our son. Her lawyer, Yuko Iwata, knew about all this as well as additional attempts by my ex-wife and her
family to alienate my son from me, including slanderous outbursts against me in front of our son. This type of behavior is
recognized in nearly all modern societies as child abuse. Yet Yuko Iwata, who is listed as a member of the city of
Osaka's Committee to Support the Prevention of
Child Abuse (児童虐待防止支援委員会委員名簿) delayed the trial repeatedly, arguing against unsupervised visitation, which a
district court judge had recommended. This gave the mother time to further alienate my son from me. Yuko Iwata also
brought into evidence a letter supposedly written by my son, but which was obviously dictated. (He referred to me by my
first name, which he had never before done.) I think these
events make it clear that Yuko Iwata is not interested in preventing child abuse and is happy to disregard the best
interests of a child in order to earn a fee.
- Thomas A. Flippen; Yamaguchi International Law Office; This lawyer is alleged to have tried to verbally
intimidate one of the several US fathers who has been successful in obtaining a felony conviction against a mother who
abducted a child to Japan. He has also represented an abducting mother in Japan as shown in this
sworn United States federal complaint for arrest of
Etsuko Tanizaki. This blacklisting is a dual edged sword as reports are that
he is a native English speaker who is knowledgeable in family law in Japan, and has also worked on behalf of non-Japanese
parents. You should certainly consider the potential for conflict of interest before hiring him. Another member
reports that the fees at his firm seem to be very high, charging upwards of 22,000 yen per hour.
It has been reported that the following lawyers worked for someone who was or still is
preventing a child from having meaningful and continuing contact with a parent. Or this lawyer brought a legal
action that is against the ideals that we stand for. This list is only meant to put these lawyers and law firms on
notice that someone is watching their actions carefully. It is not intended to be an indication of an individual's
knowledge of law or capabilities as an attorney. Also note that since the overall ideals and culture of a law firm
would influence the approach that an attorney takes in a case, even if an attorney leaves the firm with which the original
case occurred, that firm's name may not be removed from the entry. In such a case, the firm's name can be removed if
the firm agrees to sign the Lawyers Pledges to Support Children's Rights.
4 Known Cases
- Mikiko Otani / 大谷美紀子 (おおたに みきこ);
Otani Law Office (大谷法律事務所) - (http://www.yumepage.gr.jp/home/otanilaw/)
(2) Acting for a mother who brought a child to Japan from overseas and would not allow visitation by father.
(1) Acting for a mother who would not allow visitation by the father in Japan.
(1) Helping a father to bring a lawsuit in Japan against the family (in Japan) of a Japanese
mother living in the United States. The mother and child are living in the United States and refuse to return
because of alleged abuse by the father.
2 Known Cases
- Kensuke Ohnuki / 大貫憲介 (おおぬき けんすけ); Satsuki Law Office (さつき法律事務所)
(1) Filed complaint in Tokyo district court against a board member of CRC Japan related to his appearance on the
Lawyer Blacklist on this page. (At that time, this page was hosted on the CRC Japan website.)
(1) Acting for a mother who would not allow visitation by father in Japan.
1 Known Case
- Yuko Iwata / 岩田祐子 (いわた ゆうこ) Miki Law Office / 未癸 法律事務所 - (4F
Mikage Bldg. 4-3-4 Nishitenma Kita-ku Osaka, 530-0047 )
(1) Acting for a mother who will not allow visitation by father in Japan.
- Thomas A. Flippen; Yamaguchi International Law Office (大阪国際綜合法律事務所)- (http://www.yamaintl.gr.jp)
(1) Acting for a mother who abducted a child from overseas to Japan.
- Tetsuya Kondo / 近藤哲也 (こんどう てつや) Hayabusa Kokusai Law Offices ( 隼国際法律事務所)
- (http://www.hayabusa-law.com) - This lawyer is now at White and Case; See
www.whitecase.com/tkondo
(1) Acting for a mother who would not allow visitation by father in Japan.
- Imaizumi Yoshitaka /今泉良隆 (いまいずみ よしたか) Imaizumi Yoshitaka Law Offices (
今泉良隆法律事務所) - (101-0041,千代田区神田須田町２－２３,ＳＳビル,5207-5581,5298-8282)
(1) Acting for <details to be posted later>.
Under Investigation
- Mikiko Emi
- Acting for mothers claiming domestic violence (disputed by fathers) as a reason to refuse visitation.
The following is just here for your information. We have no information one way or another on these people except as
noted. Also see our own page on Human Rights Organizations. For a list of
recommended lawyers in a specific country outside of Japan, check the country specific
law page.
- Japan Civil Liberties Union jclu@jclu.org
- Most embassies have an online listing of Japanese attorneys who have offered to work with U.S. citizens. (Which doesn't
necessarily make them good attorneys nor mean they have experience in this area.) See the
country specific law page for the URL of your embassy.
- Immigration Lawyers with services in languages other than Japanese.
Comes from a good source, the General Union of Japan.
- Legal Counseling Services for Foreigners -
A list by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations
- Legal Counseling for Foreigners Provided at Bar
Associations Building
- Japan Legal Aid Association. This group offers free consultation in
various languages if you meet their income requirements. They Specializes in providing legal assistance to those who
cannot afford lawyers' fees or court costs. Here is their brochure.
Note that their website, www.jla.or.jp has a lot more information on the Japanese
version than on the English version, but the English version is still very useful. They have various locations.
TEL: 03-3581-6941.
- Local Government Offices. Your local government office, such as the kuyakusho, shiyakusho, etc may
have a special advice center for foreigners. (Where ever you go to get your Foreigner's Registration, or Gaikokujin
Tourokusyo.) This often includes legal advice. Also, if you speak Japanese, they often have free consultations
with a lawyer for local residents. You can usually also go to the government office in the area you work in.
- Legal Consultation Center. This is a group offers a low
cost initial consultation on a variety of issues. They also offer some free consultation if you cannot afford it.
There is consultation for foreigners on Thursday of every week. The pamphlet is in Japanese, but the number they give
for taped information for foreigners is (03) 3581-2302. The main number is (03) 3581-1511. They have three
locations in Tokyo, Yotsuya (03-5214-5152), Kanda (03-5289-8850) and Shinjuku (03-5381-3681). If you dont meet their
criteria for free consultation, they will charge 5000 yen for 30 minutes. Then the lawyer will give you his or her
card and offer additional help and consultation for additional fees. Finally, they offer free 5 minute phone
consultation. 03-3581-3839.
- Dai-ichi Tokyo Bar Association. This group has offered free legal aid for foreigners in the past,
including marriage and divorce. Here is an English/Japanese flyer describing
their services. Call to see if they are still offering this.
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