Hisaya Kimura is a Partner in our Tokyo office. He specialises in international disputes litigation. Mr. Kimura joined the firm in 2024.
Prior to joining Quinn Emanuel, Mr. Kimura began his career as a lawyer at the offices of the late Ekizo Fujibayashi, the only lawyer in Japan to have served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He then obtained his LL.M. from Harvard Law School and was admitted to the State Bar of New York State. Mr. Kimura remained at Harvard as a visiting researcher before joining Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy in New York, where he primarily worked on large international disputes for Japanese companies for the next two years.
After returning to Japan, he joined Nagashima & Ohno (now Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu) as an associate – and eventually making partner - where he focused on international disputes including foreign litigation, international arbitration, international mediation, and international negotiations primarily for Japanese companies. He also represented Japanese and foreign companies in Japanese courts in some of the largest and most significant litigations in Japan. Mr. Kimura was elected to his previous firm’s Management Committee a total of five terms (10 years), and was directly involved in the management of the firm and was the representative partner for the attorneys engaged in dispute resolution for many years.
Mr. Kimura has extensive experience in a wide range of disputes, including in the areas of business alliance conflicts, finance and securities, competition, environmental and pollution, IT, labor, product liability, and intellectual property.
- Harvard University
(LL.M., 1990) - Waseda University
(B.A.in Law, 1983)
- The Japanese bar
- The State Bar of New York
- Japanese
- English
- Yamamoto & Takai (Fujibayashi)
- Associate, 1985-1993
- Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
- Foreign Associate, 1991-1993
- Nagashima & Ohno (from 2000, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu)
- Associate, 1993-1996
- Partner, 1996-2023
- Counsel, 2024
- Ranked by IAM Patent 1000 for Individuals: Litigation in Japan - Bronze, (2025)
- Ranked by Legal 500 Asia Pacific for International firms and joint ventures - Hall of Fame, (2025)
- Ranked by Chambers Asia-Pacific for Dispute Resolution: Domestic, (2025)
- Ranked by Chambers Global for Dispute Resolution, (2025)
- Named by Asia Business Law Journal as Japan's Top 100 Lawyers, (2024)
- Selected for The Best Lawyers in Japan for Arbitration and Mediation, (2024)
- Ranked by Legal 500 Asia Pacific for Dispute resolution, (2022-2024)
- Ranked by Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific for Commercial and transactions - Litigation Star, (2023)
- Ranked by Who's Who Legal: Global Practice Area Reports for Commercial Litigation, (2023)
- Ranked by Who's Who Legal: Japan for Commercial Litigation, (2023)
- Selected for ALB Top 15 North Asia Litigators, (2023)
- Selected for The Best Lawyers in Japan: The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Japan for Arbitration and Mediation, Corporate and Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Corporate Governance and Compliance Practice, Criminal Defense, Litigation, (2023)
- Ranked by asialaw for Dispute Resolution, (2022/23-2023/24)
- Ranked by Who's Who Legal: Global Guide for Leading Practitioners - Commercial Litigation, (2022)
- Ranked by Who's Who Legal: Japan for Leading Practitioners - Competition, (2022)
- Selected for ALB Asia Super 50 Disputes Lawyers, (2022)
- Named by Asia Business Law Journal for The A-List: Japan's Top 100 Lawyers, (2021-2023)
- Ranked by Asialaw Leading Lawyers for Leading Lawyers - Dispute resolution, (2021-2022)
- Ranked by Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific as Litigation Star - Commercial and transactions, (2021-2022)
- Selected for The Best Lawyers in Japan for Arbitration and Mediation, (2021-2022)
- Ranked by Legal 500 Asia Pacific for Dispute resolution - Hall of fame, (2021)
- Ranked by Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific as Dispute Resolution Star in Commercial and transactions, (2020)
- Ranked by Who's Who Legal: Japan for Leading Practitioners in Litigation, (2019-2021)
- Ranked by Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific as Dispute Resolution Star in Commercial and Transactions, (2019)
- Named The Best Lawyers in Japan for Criminal Defense, (2019)
- Ranked by Legal 500 Asia Pacific for Dispute Resolution, (2018-2020)
- Ranked by Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific for Commercial and Transactions, (2018)
- Ranked by Who's Who Legal: Japan for Competition, (2018)
- Ranked by Chambers Asia-Pacific for Dispute Resolution, (2017-2024)
- Ranked by Who's Who Legal: Japan for Business Crime Defense & Investigations, (2017)
- Ranked by Chambers Global for Dispute Resolution, (2016-2023)
- Named The Best Lawyers in Japan for Litigation, (2016-2018)
- Ranked by Chambers Asia-Pacific for Dispute Resolution - Band 1, (2016)
- Ranked by Legal 500 Asia Pacific for Dispute resolution - Tier 1, (2015-2017)
- Ranked by Chambers Asia-Pacific for Dispute Resolution - Band 2, (2015)
- Ranked by Chambers Global for Dispute Resolution - Band 2, (2015)
- Named The Best Lawyers in Japan for Litigation (5th edition), (2014)
- Ranked by Legal 500 Asia Pacific as Recommended Lawyer, (2014)
- Ranked by Asialaw Profiles as Recommended Lawyer, (2013-2015)
- Ranked by Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific as Local Disputes Star (ADR/Litigation), (2013-2014)
- Named The Best Lawyers in Japan for Litigation, (2012-2013)
- Ranked by Chambers Global for Dispute Resolution - Band 1, (2012-2014)
- Ranked by PLC Which lawyer? for Dispute resolution, (2012)
- Ranked by Asialaw Profiles for Labour & Employment - Tier 2, (2012)
- Ranked by Chambers Asia-Pacific for Dispute Resolution - Band 1, (2011-2014)
- Ranked by Chambers Global for Dispute Resolution, (2011)
- Ranked by Legal 500 Asia Pacific for Dispute resolution - Tier 1, (2010/2011-2013)
- Named The Best Lawyers in Japan for Litigation, (2010)
- Co-Hosted Seminars between Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu and Quinn Emanual Urquhart & Sullivan (2015)
- Civil Procedure in Japan (Revised Second Edition), Juris Publishing (2002)
- Fellow, International Academy of Trial Lawyers
- Visiting Researcher, Harvard Law School (1990-1991)