Takahiro Nonaka
Takahiro Nonaka is a partner of Morrison Foerster Law Offices. He focuses his practice on government and internal investigations, including anti-corruption, antitrust, employee misconduct, and data privacy issues. He also works on both cross-border dispute resolution and domestic general commercial litigation.
He has represented multinational companies in their negotiations with government officials, mass media, and other associated investigative agencies. His work also includes conducting internal investigations and training, researching relevant regulations and guidelines, and drafting internal codes and policies.
He has worked with many multinational companies on U.S. antitrust law and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters, data privacy issues in the EU and other jurisdictions, and cross-border disputes, particularly related to tort claims and product liability in Japan and the United States, collaborating with counsel in each jurisdiction. His practice also focuses on domestic general commercial litigation, including system development contracts, real estate lease agreements, and various types of labor disputes. In addition, he regularly advises clients on employment, trade and export control compliance issues, and business criminal defense matters.
Taka began his career as a judge, serving in district courts in Japan for almost 10 years. He was seconded to a multinational auto company, where he handled labor matters and trained factory workers. He also held a two-year diplomatic secondment role at the Japan Embassy in Washington, D.C., where he served as an advisor on issues relating to export controls, competition laws, and FCPA enforcement affecting Japanese companies.
Taka was recommended by Who’s Who Legal Japan for Business Crime Defense & Investigations, by Best Lawyers in Japan for Privacy and Data Security Law since 2021, and by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific for Japan: Antitrust and Competition in 2023.
He has often been invited to speak at seminars held by outside organizations and internally with MoFo partners from other offices. Recently, he participated in a presentation on topics relating to anti-corruption and overseas bribery at a seminar sponsored by the Global Compact Network Japan Anti-Corruption Subcommittee in November 2022. He also provided presentations on information security issues at the Association of Niigata Information Security and at an Asian Investigation Seminar held with KL Discovery.
Taka has been an adjunct professor of International Dispute Resolution at the Graduate School of Law at the Hitotsubashi University since September 2018. He is a bengoshi registered with the Daini Tokyo Bar Association. He is a native speaker of Japanese and is fluent in English.
Experience
Major U.S. pharmaceutical companies
Represented major U.S. pharmaceutical companies, major U.S. manufacturing companies, major U.S. technology companies, a major U.S. entertainment company, a major European recruiting company, and major Japanese manufacturing companies; he has led internal investigations into various misconduct, including serious crimes by employees, and communicated with government administrative officials on various regulatory issues.
Several leading Japanese auto parts companies
Represented several leading Japanese auto parts companies and their individuals in connection with alleged international antitrust cartel activities.
Major Japanese pharmaceutical companies
Represented major Japanese pharmaceutical companies and a major Japanese automobile company in connection with product liability litigations in the U.S.
Japanese subsidiaries of major U.S. manufacturing companies
Represented Japanese subsidiaries of major U.S. manufacturing companies, major U.S. life sciences companies, major U.S. technology companies, a major U.S. entertainment company, a major Chinese manufacturing company, and Japanese companies/entities in a considerable number of labor disputes.
A U.S. manufacturing company
Represented a U.S. manufacturing company in damage claims disputes including commercial arbitration with a major Japanese manufacturing company that arose from dissolution of joint venture agreement.
Various major Japanese manufacturing companies
Represented various major Japanese manufacturing companies and entities in tort claims, including fraudulent claims related to anti-corruption and defamation by members of labor unions and successfully resolved cases with settlements advantageous to clients.
Major Japanese manufacturing companies
Represented major Japanese manufacturing companies in conducting trade/export control compliance assessments.
Major Japanese manufacturing companies and major Japanese pharmaceutical companies
Represented major Japanese manufacturing companies and major Japanese pharmaceutical companies in establishing compliance systems regarding global data privacy schemes.
Major Japanese manufacturing companies, Japanese subsidiaries of major U.S. manufacturing companies, a major European pharmaceutical company, and a major European infrastructure company
Represented major Japanese manufacturing companies, Japanese subsidiaries of major U.S. manufacturing companies, a major European pharmaceutical company, and a major European infrastructure company in establishing compliance systems regarding anti-corruption, anti-competition, anti-social forces, civil enforcement, data security, document preservation, and various kinds of labor issues.
Rankings
Recommended in Japan: Dispute Resolution
The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2025
Privacy and Data Security Law
The Best Lawyers in Japan (Recognized since 2021)
Recommended in Japan: Antitrust and Competition
The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2025
Recommended in Japan: Business Crime Defense & Investigations
Who's Who Legal 2022