About TSL Partners

Japan is not a difficult market. It is an unfamiliar one.

TSL Partners is a Japanese law firm built for companies coming in from outside. Incorporation, licensing, employment, contracts, and exit — we cover the full arc of operating here, not only the moment of arrival. What clients tell us they need is rarely an explanation of Japanese law. It is a decision they can act on. Turning unfamiliar rules into clear decisions and workable next steps is the work.

Office Information

TSL is a law firm established in September 2018, with offices located throughout Japan.

Our team consists of relatively young and dynamic professionals in their 20s to 40s, bringing fresh perspectives and flexibility to legal practice.

We foster a modern and free-spirited culture that goes beyond the traditional boundaries of law firms, where each member approaches their work with professionalism, creativity, and a strong sense of responsibility.

Firm Name: Tokyo Startup Law Firm ( TSL Partners )
Establishment: September 2018
Founder: Managing Attorney Hirohide Nakagawa
(Member of the Tokyo Bar Association)
Location: Ginza Headquarters
Address: 7th Floor, Hulic Ginza 1-Chome Building, 1-13-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Our Philosophy

For the client - including when
the answer is the difficult one.

TSL Partners was founded on a single conviction: a lawyer's job is to stand with the client.
Not to catalogue risks, not to recite what the statute says, but to understand what the client is trying to achieve and find a route that is both legally sound and commercially real.
In practice that means raising the difficult issue early rather than late, answering the question that was actually asked, and treating the commercial decision as part of our work rather than someone else's department.
Our founding vision, UPDATE JAPAN, is about changing what a client should be able to expect from a lawyer. For companies building something here from outside Japan, we want to be the reason it felt manageable.

Profile