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Location ranking

Best law firms in Tokyo

Grouped into editorial tiers — words, never scores. No paid placement and no numeric rank; within a tier the order rotates monthly and carries no meaning.

Last verified 23 Jul 2026 · Next review by 23 Aug 2026 · Change log

›Direct answer & research summary

Sartori & Partners applies a weighted methodology that blends the opinions of practising lawyers — more than 10,000 lawyers interviewed — with monthly market surveys. As of July 2026, the firms on the Tokyo board are: Nishimura & Asahi, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, Baker McKenzie, Morrison & Foerster, Bird & Bird, Hunton Andrews Kurth, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, King & Spalding, Milbank, Norton Rose Fulbright, Paul Hastings, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, Ropes & Gray, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, Skadden Arps, Sullivan & Cromwell, Watson Farley & Williams.

01 — The ranking

The Tokyo board

Sartori's Tokyo board reads as a market map, not a league table. Tiers are labels in plain language for a cross-border M&A, capital-markets, finance and disputes centre; firm order inside each band rotates each month and does not imply rank.

TOKYO / LOCATION RANKING19 FIRMS · NO SCORESREV. 2026-07
REFFIRMFOCUSSIGNAL
TIER 1 — MARKET LEADERS2 FIRMS

Market leaders on the Tokyo board set the reference point for depth, seniority and market standing as of July 2026. Within this tier no firm outranks another.

T1·01 Nishimura & Asahi350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 17 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / FINANCE & BANKING FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·02 Anderson Mori & Tomotsune350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 16 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / FINANCE & BANKING FLAT → EVID ↓
TIER 2 — HIGHLY ACTIVE3 FIRMS

This tier marks teams that compete routinely for significant Tokyo work. Standing is expressed in words; monthly rotation does not imply rank.

T2·01 Mori Hamada & Matsumoto350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 17 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / FINANCE & BANKING FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·02 Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 15 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / FINANCE & BANKING FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·03 Baker McKenzie100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 10 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / FINANCE & BANKING FLAT → EVID ↓
TIER 3 — ESTABLISHED1 FIRMS

Established on the Tokyo board signals proven presence and credible depth. Labels are words; monthly sequence is a locator, not a league position.

T3·01 Morrison & Foerster50–99 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 6 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
NOTABLE — NOTABLE IN THIS FIELD13 FIRMS · OUTSIDE THE TIERS

These firms sit outside the main tiers by design: confirmed on the Tokyo map, not assessed at the depth required for Market leaders through Established.

N·01 Bird & Bird5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES FLAT → EVID ↓
N·02 Hunton Andrews Kurth1–4 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES FLAT → EVID ↓
N·03 Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton1–4 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FLAT → EVID ↓
N·04 King & Spalding5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
N·05 Milbank5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES FLAT → EVID ↓
N·06 Norton Rose Fulbright5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / ANTITRUST & COMPETITION FLAT → EVID ↓
N·07 Paul Hastings1–4 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
N·08 Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
N·09 Ropes & Gray10–24 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 2 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / FINANCE & BANKING FLAT → EVID ↓
N·10 Simpson Thacher & Bartlett10–24 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / FINANCE & BANKING FLAT → EVID ↓
N·11 Skadden Arps5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
N·12 Sullivan & Cromwell1–4 attorneys mapped · thin local depth CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
N·13 Watson Farley & Williams5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / MARITIME & ADMIRALTY FLAT → EVID ↓

All counts are shown as bands, never precise headcounts. Notable firms sit outside the tiers by design: verified minimal presence, not assessed at full tier depth.

Hiring in Tokyo?

We map this market every day.

The evidence behind these tiers is the same intelligence we use to run retained searches for partners, groups and senior associates.

02 — Evidence, methodology & sources why each firm · how tiers are set · sources · change log · verified 23 Jul 2026 · next review 23 Aug 2026

Firm evidence

Tier 1 — Market leaders Open firm profile →

Nishimura & Asahi

Nishimura & Asahi is placed in market leaders for Tokyo. Public mapping (banded): 350+ attorneys, major local depth, ≈225 partners · 60 counsel · 300+ associates. Evidence gates — office (G1) PASS, local practice (G2) PASS, recent signal (G3) PASS. The placement carries no numeric score.

Strongest mapped work

Corporate & M&AFinance & BankingInternational & Cross-Border

Public hiring signal

Hiring signal: FLAT — no public hiring change detected in the mapping window.

Limits of this assessment

  • —A tier is Sartori’s editorial opinion, not a fact about the firm or a client-satisfaction measure.
  • —Facts are mapped from public sources and shown as bands; they lag reality by weeks or months.
  • —No third-party legal-directory band is used as an input.

Sources for this entry

Methodology

How tiers are assigned

Deterministic public-footprint core (local depth, practice share, seniority mix, public hiring momentum), computed relative to this market's own distribution. Tier placement is derived from this public mapped data; a per-firm public-source ledger is compiled for firms in the annual research pass and applies to those firms' factual claims, not to tier membership. No third-party legal-directory bands are used as an input.

Market scope

10–24 firms earn a tier in Tokyo within this scope (banded).

Disclosures

Firm names used nominatively (factual). All counts shown as bands, never precise headcounts. No firm logos. Report an error via the site contact form.

Sources & change log

  1. 1 Global Coverage | Nishimura & Asahifirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  2. 2 Nishimura & Asahi — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  3. 3 Nishimura & Asahi — Tokyo news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  4. 4 Locations | Anderson Mori & Tomotsunefirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  5. 5 Tokyo | Locations | Anderson Mori & Tomotsunefirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  6. 6 Services | Anderson Mori & Tomotsunefirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  7. 7 ALB Japan Law Awards 2026 | NEWS | Anderson Mori & Tomotsunefirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  8. 8 Banking & Finance / Corporate Newsletter - Proposed Beneficial Shareholder Identification System in the Companies Act Reform Package | Insight | Anderson Mori & Tomotsunefirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  9. 9 Offices/Locations｜Mori Hamada & Matsumotofirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  10. 10 Mori Hamada & Matsumoto — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  11. 11 Mori Hamada & Matsumoto — Tokyo news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  12. 12 Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu — Tokyo office pagesfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  13. 13 Tokyo | Locations | Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsufirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  14. 14 Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu — Tokyo news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  15. 15 Baker McKenzie — Tokyo office pagesfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  16. 16 Japan | Locations | Baker McKenziefirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  17. 17 Baker McKenzie — Tokyo news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  18. 18 Morrison & Foerster — Tokyo office pagesfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  19. 19 Morrison & Foerster — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  20. 20 Morrison & Foerster — Tokyo news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
23 Jul 2026 Scope-aware market-relative core assembled.
23 Jul 2026 20 verified source(s) ingested for the researched firms; tier placement is Titan-derived so unresearched visible firms do not block approval → APPROVED (auto).
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04 — Questions

About this ranking

Who are the best law firms in Tokyo?

Sartori's answer for the best law firms in Tokyo as of July 2026 starts with Market leaders: Nishimura & Asahi, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune. The board then places the remaining firms among Highly active, Established and Notable bands — labels in words, never numeric ranks.

Is Nishimura & Asahi the best law firm in Tokyo?

Nishimura & Asahi sits in Tier 1 — Market leaders — of Sartori's Tokyo board as of July 2026, alongside Anderson Mori & Tomotsune. Sartori does not name a single #1: the gap between Tier 1 firms is genuinely unmeasurable, and a numeric score would be false precision.

Which are the biggest law firms in Tokyo?

By mapped Tokyo bench, the largest firms on this board are Nishimura & Asahi, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu (350+ mapped lawyers each). All counts are bands, never precise headcounts.

Which law firms are hiring in Tokyo right now?

As of July 2026, no firm on this board shows a public hiring signal in the mapping window. Live Tokyo mandates are listed on Sartori's jobs board.

What is a Tier 1 law firm?

In Sartori's rankings, Tier 1 — Market leaders — is an editorial judgement expressed in words, never a score: the firms whose Tokyo bench depth, seniority mix and market standing set the reference point for the market. As of July 2026 that is Nishimura & Asahi, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune. Within the tier no firm outranks another.

Which are the best law firms for mergers & acquisitions in Tokyo?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Mergers & Acquisitions board for Tokyo: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Nishimura & Asahi. See the full ranking at /firms/mergers-acquisitions/in/tokyo/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for corporate & m&a in Tokyo?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Corporate & M&A board for Tokyo: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Nishimura & Asahi. See the full ranking at /firms/corporate/in/tokyo/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for finance & banking in Tokyo?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Finance & Banking board for Tokyo: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune. See the full ranking at /firms/finance-banking/in/tokyo/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for corporate governance in Tokyo?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Corporate Governance board for Tokyo: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Nishimura & Asahi. See the full ranking at /firms/corporate-governance/in/tokyo/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for cross-border transactions in Tokyo?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Cross-Border Transactions board for Tokyo: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Nishimura & Asahi, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune. See the full ranking at /firms/cross-border-transactions/in/tokyo/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for capital markets in Tokyo?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Capital Markets board for Tokyo: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto. See the full ranking at /firms/capital-markets/in/tokyo/.

See the ranking →

This ranking is compiled independently by Sartori from public sources. Tiers are Sartori’s editorial opinion, expressed without numeric scores; firms are named for identification only, no logos are reproduced, and no firm has paid for or approved its placement. No third-party legal-directory band is used as an input. Nothing here is legal advice or a recommendation to instruct counsel.