Atsumi & Sakai Welcomes Competition Trio Shuichi Sugahisa, Junya Ae, And Michio Suzuki From Baker McKenzie
Atsumi & Sakai strengthens its competition law practice with the lateral hiring of Shuichi Sugahisa, former Secretary General of Japan Fair Trade Commission, and partners Junya Ae and Michio Suzuki from Baker McKenzie Tokyo,
Atsumi & Sakai Welcomes Competition Trio Shuichi Sugahisa, Junya Ae, and Michio Suzuki from Baker McKenzie
Japanese law firm Atsumi & Sakai has bolstered its competition law practice by hiring three senior practitioners from Baker McKenzie’s Tokyo office, including former Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) Secretary General Shuichi Sugahisa and partners Junya Ae and Michio Suzuki.
Ae, who co-led Baker McKenzie’s antitrust and competition practice in Tokyo, and Suzuki, a member of the firm’s antitrust and corporate M&A groups until July 2025, have joined Atsumi & Sakai as partners. Sugahisa joins the firm as a senior consultant, bringing over four decades of experience at the JFTC, where he oversaw major cartel and merger control cases and contributed to regulatory reforms, including amendments to the Antimonopoly Act in 2002 and 2019, and the establishment of attorney-client privilege rules.
Ae advises Japanese and international clients on cartel investigations, multijurisdictional merger control, and foreign investment regulations, while Suzuki focuses on transaction-related regulatory matters, including merger control and foreign subsidies regulation.
Hiroo Atsumi, Managing Partner at Atsumi & Sakai, said,
“It is our great honour to welcome Junya Ae and his team, including former Secretary General of the Japan Fair Trade Commission, Shuichi Sugahisa, who have been the very core of Baker McKenzie Tokyo’s competition law practice. Their participation brings valuable expertise and strengthens our competition law capabilities, particularly in transaction-related matters, while enhancing the trust and insight provided by Mr. Sugahisa’s extensive regulatory experience.”
Atsumi & Sakai’s competition practice comprises around 30 attorneys, including foreign-qualified lawyers, across its Tokyo and Brussels offices, and is highly regarded in both domestic and international legal media.
Atsumi & Sakai is a leading, independent, full-service Japanese law firm, famous for being the first to create a foreign law joint venture in Japan. The firm blends local expertise with international experience through foreign partners and is known for its strong finance and corporate practices. Atsumi & Sakai serves global businesses with diverse services including M&A, compliance, IT, energy, and dispute resolution, operating across Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka) and globally (London, Frankfurt, Brussels, New York, Ho Chi Minh City).
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