Professionals
Partner
Junko Hirakawa
- Admitted
- 1973, Japan; 1979, New York
- Languages
- Japanese/English
Practices
- General Corporate
- Regulatory
- Banking and Other Financial Transactions
- Structured Finance, Acquisition Finance and Securitization
- Asset Management, Funds, Investment Trusts, J-REIT and Private Placement REIT
- Derivative Transactions
- Insurance
- Dispute Resolution in Financial Transaction and ADR
- Real Estate Fund and REIT
- Real Estate Finance
- Real Estate Transactions
- Patent Litigation / Arbitration
- License Agreement / Technology Transfer Agreement
- Cross-Border Transactions
- Foreign Direct Investment
- Asia Practice
Professional Background / Education
Professional Background
- 1973-1997
- Yuasa and Hara (Partner from 1982)
- 1977-1979
- Shearman & Sterling
- 1997-2003
- Hirakawa, Sato & Kobayashi, Subsequantly renamed as Hirakawa, Sato, Kobayashi & Hirata, and further renamed as Yuwa Partners since 2001
- 2003 to Present
- City-Yuwa Partners
Education
- 1970
- Chuo University (LL.B.)
- 1973
- Legal Training and Research Institute
- 1977
- University of Washington (LL.M.) under a Fulbright scholarship and a grant from the Legal Training and Research Institute and a grant from College Women's Association of Japan
Professional Activities / Accolades
Membership, Japan Association of the Law of Trust
Auditor, The Japan Association of Charitable Organization
- Fifteen lawyers of City-Yuwa Partners were chosen for The Best Lawyers in Japan 2025. （April 22, 2024）
- City-Yuwa Partners and our lawyers are recommended in the Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2024. （January 19, 2024）
- City-Yuwa Partners was honored with an award at the ALB Japan Law Awards 2023. （June 8, 2023）
- Seventeen lawyers of City-Yuwa Partners were chosen for The Best Lawyers in Japan 2024. （April 20, 2023）
- City-Yuwa Partners and our lawyers are recommended in the Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2023. （January 11, 2023）
- Sixteen lawyers of City-Yuwa Partners were chosen for the 13th Edition of The Best Lawyers in Japan. （April 19, 2022）
- The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2022 recommends City-Yuwa Partners in 10 areas and further recommends our 7 lawyers. （January 14, 2022）
- Sixteen lawyers of City-Yuwa Partners were chosen for the 12th Edition of The Best Lawyers in Japan. （April 15, 2021）
- The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2021 has recommended City-Yuwa Partners in the 8 areas, and further recommended our 6 lawyers. （January 18, 2021）
- Fifteen lawyers of City-Yuwa Partners were chosen for the 11th Edition of The Best Lawyers in Japan. （April 9, 2020）
- The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020 has recommended City-Yuwa Partners in the 9 areas, and further recommended our 4 lawyers. （January 17, 2020）
- Ten lawyers of City-Yuwa Partners were chosen for the Tenth Edition of The Best Lawyers in Japan. （April 4, 2019）
- Six lawyers of City-Yuwa Partners were chosen as Leading Lawyers in Japan by Asialaw Leading Lawyers 2018. （May 14, 2018）
- Ten lawyers of City-Yuwa Partners were chosen for the Ninth Edition of The Best Lawyers in Japan. （April 6, 2018）
- Nine lawyers of City-Yuwa Partners were chosen as the Best Lawyers in Japan 2018 by Best Lawyers. （March 3, 2017）
- Eight lawyers of City-Yuwa Partners were chosen as the Best Lawyers in Japan by Best Lawyers. （February 26, 2016）
- Six lawyers of City-Yuwa Partners were chosen as Leading Lawyers in Japan by Asialaw Leading Lawyers 2016. （February 24, 2016）
- The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2016 has recommended our Firm in the areas of Banking and finance, Capital markets, Corporate and M&A, Labour and employment, Restructuring and insolvency, and Structured finance/securitization, and further recommended the following lawyers: （December 1, 2015）
- Asialaw Profiles 2016 – the guide to Asia-Pacific’s leading domestic and regional law firms has recommended our Firm in the areas of Capital Markets, Corporate/M&A, Dispute Resolution, and Investment Funds, and further recommended the following lawyers: （October 27, 2015）
- Eight lawyers of City-Yuwa Partners were chosen as the Best Lawyers in Japan by Best Lawyers. （May 25, 2015）
- Eight lawyers of City-Yuwa Partners were chosen as the Best Lawyers in Japan by Best Lawyers. （October 17, 2014）
- Six lawyers of City-Yuwa Partners were chosen as the Best Lawyers in Japan by Best Lawyers. （May 7, 2013）
- City-Yuwa Partners was awarded the Real Estate Deal of the Year for its work, led by Junko Hirakawa and Ken Takii, at the ALB Japan Law Awards 2012, hosted by the Asian Legal Business. （June 25, 2012）
- City-Yuwa Partners received high evaluation in several categories in the sectoral assessment of the Chambers Global 2012 and the Chambers Asia-Pacific 2012 made by Chambers & Partners. （April 12, 2012）
- City-Yuwa Partners received high evaluation in several categories in the sectoral assessment of the Chambers Global 2011 and the Chambers Asia-Pacific 2011 made by Chambers & Partners. （May 20, 2011）