Akira Kawashiro focuses on domestic and cross-border M&A, joint ventures, start-up related matters, disclosure regulations under Japanese securities laws, and other general corporate matters. He is recognized in the categories of Antitrust/Competition Law, Corporate and Mergers and Acquisitions Law, International Business Transactions and Private Equity, Private Funds and Venture Capital Law in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers awards for Japan, he is featured as an Up and Coming lawyer in Japan in the category of Corporate/M&A (Domestic) in the Asia-Pacific Chambers guide (2025), and he is highlighted in the TMT ranking (2023-24) and the Corporate/M&A ranking (2025) of Legal 500 as a key lawyer.

Akira began his career in 2013 at a major Japanese law firm, where he engaged in domestic and cross-border M&A and anti-trust matters. He has also been seconded to the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Akira is currently an outside audit & supervisory board member of Gojo & Company, Inc., and he is a statutory auditor of Qualicaps Co., Ltd.

• Co-author, “Venture Capital Investment in Japan,” as part of Lexology’s Getting the Deal Through series, March 2023
• Co-author, “Venture Capital Investment in Japan,” in the Japan M&A Practice Guide published by Lexology as part of this Getting the Deal Through series, May 2021 and May 2022
• Quoted in an article in the May 19, 2021 Nihon Keizai Shimbun “the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s unusual reaction to Seven & i Holdings’ acquisition of Speedway”
• Quoted in an article in the January 13, 2021 Nihon Keizai Shimbun “the Softbank Group’s sale of Arm, a British semiconductor design giant”
• Co-author, “Handbook for Capital and Business Alliances,” Shoji Homu, February 2020 (in Japanese)
• “Akron v. Fresenius: US Court Allows Termination of Purchase Agreement based on MAE,” in the December 2018 issue of Mergers & Acquisitions Research Report, December 2018 (in Japanese)
• “Key considerations when making timely disclosures – from the perspective of the stock exchange,” Securities Analyst Journal, March 2016 (in Japanese)

• “Learning the basics of startup financing through a term sheet,” seminar hosted by Tokyo Women in VC, December 2024 (Tokyo)
• “Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) Practice – Points to keep in mind as a CLO,” webinar hosted by Japan Association for Chief Legal Officers (JACLO), April 2023 (in Japanese)
• “Investment Practices of Corporate Venture Capital,” webinar sponsored by Financial Management Forum, 3-4 presentations per year, since 2021 (in Japanese)
• “The Basics of M&A and Joint Ventures,” webinar sponsored by Global Business Knowledge Supply, January 2021 (in Japanese)
• “Best Practices in Establishing and Operating Japanese-German Joint Ventures in Germany,” webinar sponsored by the Japanische Industrie- und Handelskammer zu Düsseldorf e.V. (JIHK), November 2020 (in Japanese)

• Asian Legal Business Japan Law Awards – Finalist in Young Lawyer of the Year (Law Firm), Japan, 2024
• Best Lawyers – Ones to Watch: International Business Transactions, Tokyo, 2023 – 2025
• Best Lawyers – Ones to Watch: Antitrust/Competition Law, Tokyo, 2024 – 2025
• Best Lawyers – Ones to Watch: Corporate/M&A Law, Tokyo, 2024 – 2025
• Best Lawyers – Ones to Watch: Private Equity, Private Funds and Venture Capital Law, Tokyo, 2025
• Chambers Asia-Pacific – Up and Coming: Corporate/M&A: Domestic, Japan, 2025
• The Legal 500 Asia Pacific – “Recommended Individuals” in Corporate and M&A: Independent Local Firms, Japan, 2022
• The Legal 500 Asia Pacific – “Other Key Lawyers” in Corporate and M&A: Independent Local Firms, Japan, 2025
• The Legal 500 Asia Pacific – “Other Key Lawyers” in TMT: Independent Local Firms, Japan, 2023-2024