Why and How Japanese Startups can form US entities
Join us to hear from Nishimura & Asahi startup-focused partner Atsushi Mizushima as well as a team from Morrison Foerster on why and how Japanese startups can form US entities to expedite investment, boost business, manage taxes, and achieve exits.
Nishimura & Asahi is Japan’s largest full-service business law firm—one of the “Big Four” in Tokyo—with over 800 lawyers across more than 20 offices globally, including major hubs in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
Founded in 1966 (in its current form since 2007), it stands out in key areas such as M&A, finance, dispute resolution, international arbitration, IP, crisis management, and corporate investigations . Industry-leading rankings include Band 1 in Chambers and top-tier status in Legal 500.
Atsushi Mizushima is a Tokyo‑based partner at Nishimura & Asahi, where he leads in Execution Design, focusing on startups, tech, venture finance, cross‑border M&A, and business model innovation. More about Atsushi:
Holds a Stanford MBA and a law degree from the University of Tokyo, blending deep legal expertise with global business acumen.
Former Silicon Valley entrepreneur, co-founder of mobility startup WHILL, where he led seed and Series A fundraising, giving him firsthand insight into startup growth and venture dynamics.
Actively shapes startup ecosystems in Japan, including co-founding innovation platforms and advising government initiatives that improve business environments for startups.
Named in Nikkei’s NEXT Unicorn Survey (2023) as one of Japan’s most trusted legal advisors to startups.
Frequent speaker and panelist on startup law and venture finance, including at FT and other global tech and business forums.
Morrison Foerster is a leading global law firm with over 1,000 attorneys across 18 offices worldwide, including in Tokyo, San Francisco, Palo Alto, and New York.
Among international law firms in Japan, Morrison Foerster has the largest and most diverse practice, with approximately 50 foreign attorneys qualified in jurisdictions such as the U.S. and U.K., alongside 50 bengoshi admitted to practice in Japan. As one of the first licensed foreign law firms in Japan, since the establishment of its Tokyo office in 1987, Morrison Foerster has cultivated extensive expertise across a wide array of practices in Japan, achieving market leadership in M&A, Technology Transactions and Intellectual Property, Real Estate, Litigation, Capital Markets, Finance, and Antitrust. The firm was recognized as “Japan International Law Advisers of the Year” in 2025 by Chambers Asia for the eleventh time since the inception of the award in 2011 and as “International Deal Firm of the Year” at the Asian Legal Business Japan Awards 2025.
Globally, Morrison Foerster has over 170 attorneys advising startups, emerging and growth companies, and venture capital funds, corporate venture capital clients, and other financing sources. Morrison Foerster lawyers assist companies with a full range of services, including initial formation and financings, late-stage financings, secondary transactions and investments, M&A, public offerings, strategic alliances and joint ventures, licensing deals, commercial contracts, patent prosecution, executive compensation, labor and employment, and corporate governance.
Hisateru Goda is a partner at Morrison Foerster Law Offices in Tokyo, specializing in corporate transactions with a focus on M&A, including inbound and outbound cross-border transactions and domestic transactions, both public and private. His expertise encompasses prospective buy-out deals, minority investments, joint ventures, and business reorganizations within group companies. He represents clients across various sectors, including media, technology, and life sciences, and advises on general corporate and capital markets transactions, stock options, corporate governance, and Japanese financial regulations. Hisateru’s educational background includes an LL.B. from the University of Tokyo and an LL.M. from Columbia Law School.
Yui Hirohashi is an associate in the Corporate Department of Morrison Foerster’s Tokyo office, with a focus on cross-border M&A and private equity and experience practicing in New York and Tokyo. She holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and graduated magna cum laude with Highest Honors from Harvard College.
Max Rich is an associate in the Emerging Companies + Venture Capital Group of Morrison Foerster’s New York office. Max represents operating companies and investment vehicles spanning the entire corporate life-cycle, from formation to exit across multiple industries. Max earned his J.D., with honors, from Boston University School of Law, and holds a B.A., summa cum laude, from Drew University.