A host of unforeseen legal disputes triggered by COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine has pushed conflict-averse Japanese companies to become more litigious, with law firms in Japan benefiting from an increase in the use of international arbitration among their clients for settling disputes with foreign counterparts. 

Law firms in Japan have been pouring money into expanding their dispute resolution practices through the active hiring of international arbitration experts, both in their head office and regional offices in Asia.