52 voices on HR in Japan worth following

Tetsuhito Soyama曽山 哲人Japanese

Tetsuhito Soyama joined CyberAgent in 1999 and has led its HR function since becoming head of HR in 2005. He is one of the most visible in-house HR leaders in Japan, writing books on talent development and speaking widely at HR conferences. He also runs HLC, a community for HR practitioners.

Read for: CyberAgent's long-serving CHO and the most visible in-house HR leader in Japan.

Notable work: 若手育成の教科書 (2021); 強みを活かす (2017)

Yuka Shimada島田 由香Japanese

Yuka Shimada led HR and general affairs at Unilever Japan as a board member from 2014, where she introduced the WAA (Work from Anywhere and Anytime) scheme. She co-founded YeeY in 2017 and went independent in 2022, advising companies and local governments on well-being management. She is a frequent keynote speaker on well-being, DE&I and flexible work.

Read for: Former Unilever Japan HR head behind WAA; leading voice on well-being at work.

Masato Arisawa有沢 正人Japanese

Masato Arisawa has led HR at Resona, HOYA, AIU and Kagome, where as CHO from 2012 he built a single global HR system. He served as CHRO of Isuzu Motors from April 2025 and founded HR GENESIS in 2024. His co-authored book on Kagome's HR reform won the HR Award 2023 book prize, and he speaks frequently on succession planning and HRBP roles.

Read for: Architect of Kagome's global HR reform; one of Japan's most visible CHROs.

Notable work: カゴメの人事改革 (co-author with Nobutaka Ishiyama)

Chiharu Takakura髙倉 千春Japanese

Chiharu Takakura held senior HR roles at Pfizer and Ajinomoto, where she built and rolled out a global HR system, and later served as CHRO of Rohto Pharmaceutical. She now co-leads an advisory firm and is an adviser to the Protean Career Association. She writes and speaks on the CHRO role, job-based HR and the co-evolution of individuals and organisations.

Read for: Former Ajinomoto and Rohto HR leader; author of 『人事変革ストーリー』.

Notable work: 人事変革ストーリー 個と組織「共進化」の時代 (2023)

Hiroki Hiramatsu平松 浩樹Japanese

Hiroki Hiramatsu joined Fujitsu in 1989 and led the design and introduction of its job-based HR system in 2020 as head of HR. As CHRO he speaks widely on job-based talent management, internal posting and career ownership, including to government panels. He received the individual grand prize for corporate HR at the HR Award 2023.

Read for: Led Fujitsu's shift to job-based HR, Japan's most-watched case.

Lorena DellagiovannaEnglish

Lorena Dellagiovanna is Hitachi's Chief Human Resources Officer and leads its diversity and inclusion work. She began her Hitachi career in Italy, where she was country manager, spent five years in London and has worked in Japan since 2020. She presented Hitachi's human capital strategy at its June 2025 Investor Day and argues that Japan should move from lifetime employment to 'long-life employability'.

Read for: How one of Japan's largest employers is rebuilding pay, evaluation and careers for a global workforce.

Notable work: Hitachi Investor Day 2025: Human Capital Strategy (11 June 2025); Reclaiming the Pioneer Spirit: Hitachi's CHRO on Talent, Pay and Careers (Toyo Keizai English, 5 Mar 2026, interview feature)

Tatsuo Kinoshita木下達夫English

Tatsuo Kinoshita is Group CHRO of Panasonic Holdings, which he joined in July 2024. He built his HR career at P&G Japan and GE and was CHRO of Mercari from 2018. At Panasonic he leads UNLOCK, the group's organisation culture transformation, and argues that HR must transform its own systems first, using AI.

Read for: Bringing global-company HR practice to large Japanese employers, from Mercari to Panasonic.

Notable work: Group CHRO Tatsuo Kinoshita Shares Panasonic's Approach to Human Capital Management: 'Turning Human Potential into Business Strength' (Panasonic Newsroom, 17 Jul 2026)

Greg StoryEnglish

Greg Story runs Dale Carnegie Training in Tokyo and has worked in Japan for about four decades. He hosts several weekly podcasts and a YouTube show on leading, selling and presenting in Japan, and has written a series of Japan 'Mastery' books.

Read for: Plain-spoken advice on leading and developing Japanese teams.

Notable work: Japan Business Mastery (book); Japan Sales Mastery (book); Japan Presentations Mastery (book)

Jun Nakahara中原 淳Japanese

Jun Nakahara researches human resource development, leadership and organisation development at Rikkyo University. He publishes a steady stream of peer-reviewed papers and general-audience books on workplace learning, feedback and the HR function. He broadcasts an almost daily Voicy channel and maintains a long-running research blog.

Read for: Japan's best-known researcher on workplace learning, feedback and organisation development.

Notable work: 人材開発・組織開発の臨床知 (2026); 学びをやめない生き方入門 (2025, co-author); 増補改訂版 フィードバック入門 (2025)

Keiichiro Hamaguchi濱口 桂一郎Japanese

Keiichiro Hamaguchi is a labour-policy researcher at JILPT and a former Ministry of Labour official. He introduced the 'membership-type versus job-type' framing that now dominates Japanese debate on employment systems. He writes the daily hamachan blog, regular columns for labour trade papers and Diamond Online, and a run of policy books.

Read for: Originator of the membership-type vs job-type employment framework.

Notable work: スキルとデキル (2026); 管理職の戦後史 (2025); 賃金とは何か (2024)

Motohiro Morishima守島 基博Japanese

Motohiro Morishima is one of Japan's foremost scholars of human resource management, with a PhD from the University of Illinois. He has taught at Simon Fraser, Keio and Hitotsubashi, and has sat on the Labour Policy Council and the Central Labour Relations Commission. His concept of 'zenin senryokuka' (making every employee a contributor) shapes current debate among Japanese CHROs.

Read for: Leading HRM scholar; author of 『全員戦力化』 and 『人材マネジメント入門』.

Notable work: 全員戦力化 戦略人材不足と組織力開発; 人材投資のジレンマ; 人事と法の対話

Shoto Furuya古屋 星斗Japanese

Shoto Furuya is a former METI official who joined Recruit Works Institute in 2017. He researches young workers' careers, early-career development and Japan's coming labour shortage. His books on 'loose workplaces' and the 11-million-worker shortfall are widely cited by HR practitioners.

Read for: Coined the 'yurui shokuba' (loose workplace) debate on why young employees quit.

Notable work: 会社はあなたを育ててくれない (2024); 働き手1100万人不足の衝撃 (2024); なぜ若手を育てるのは今、こんなに難しいのか (2023)

Yuji Kobayashi小林 祐児Japanese

Yuji Kobayashi has been at PERSOL Research and Consulting since 2015, leading its think-tank work. His research covers work-style reform, middle and senior employees, job-change behaviour, well-being at work and unconscious bias. His books on 'punishment-game' management roles and workplace dialogue reach a wide HR readership.

Read for: Author of 『罰ゲーム化する管理職』 on why Japanese managers' roles have become unattractive.

Notable work: 学びをやめない生き方入門 (2025, co-author); 職場の対話はなぜすれ違うのか; 罰ゲーム化する管理職

Yohei Tsunemi常見 陽平Japanese

Yohei Tsunemi is a sociologist of labour at Chiba University of Commerce who comments widely on young workers, hiring and working culture. He appears regularly on national television and writes for Gendai Business and other outlets. His books challenge myths about 'capable people', job-hunting and corporate careers.

Read for: High-profile media commentator on young workers, job-hunting and work culture.

Notable work: 「できる人」という幻想; 「就社志向」の研究; 僕たちはガンダムのジムである

Motokazu Udagawa宇田川 元一Japanese

Motokazu Udagawa researches business strategy and organisation theory, using narrative approaches to study corporate transformation. His book 『他者と働く』 won the HR Award 2020 best book prize, and 『企業変革のジレンマ』 won an HR Award 2025 book prize. He also advises companies on organisational change.

Read for: Author of 『他者と働く』, a touchstone on dialogue and organisational change.

Notable work: 組織の物語り (forthcoming Dec 2026); 企業変革のジレンマ (2024); 組織が変わる

Hiroki Sato佐藤 博樹Japanese

Hiroki Sato is a leading scholar of human resource management who taught at Hosei University, the University of Tokyo's Institute of Social Science and Chuo Business School. He founded the long-running Work-Life Balance and Diversity research project with private companies. He has chaired or sat on many government councils, including the Gender Equality Council.

Read for: Co-author of the standard textbook 『新しい人事労務管理』; work–life balance pioneer.

Notable work: ホワイトカラーの働き方・暮らし方 (2026, co-editor); 仕事と子育ての両立 (2024); 新しい人事労務管理 (2023 ed.)

Nobutaka Ishiyama石山 恒貴Japanese

Nobutaka Ishiyama researches careers, cross-boundary learning, parallel careers and middle-senior employees at Hosei University. He is regarded as Japan's leading authority on 'ekkyo gakushu' (learning across organisational boundaries). He writes widely for HR audiences and speaks at government and corporate events.

Read for: Japan's leading researcher on cross-boundary learning (越境学習).

Notable work: 越境学習入門 (2022, co-author)

Yasuhiro Hattori服部 泰宏Japanese

Yasuhiro Hattori is a professor at Kobe University who has led the 'Saiyogaku' (science of recruitment) project since 2013. His research covers recruitment, psychological contracts and the treatment of 'star' employees. A book he co-authored won the best book prize at the Japan HR Award.

Read for: Founder of 'Saiyogaku', the evidence-based study of recruitment in Japan.

Notable work: 採用学 会社と個人の出会いの科学

Takashi Sakamoto坂本 貴志Japanese

Takashi Sakamoto is an economist at Recruit Works Institute, after roles at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Cabinet Office and Mitsubishi Research Institute. He analyses ageing, senior employment and the data behind Japan's labour market. His 『ほんとうの定年後』 sold more than 80,000 copies and reframed how employers think about post-retirement work.

Read for: Data-driven author on senior employment and 『ほんとうの定年後』.

Notable work: 月10万円稼いで豊かに暮らす 定年後の仕事図鑑 (2025); ほんとうの定年後 (2022); ほんとうの日本経済

Daisuke Kanama金間 大介Japanese

Daisuke Kanama is an innovation and motivation researcher at Kanazawa University. His books on young employees, including the 'ii-ko syndrome' and 'quiet quitting', are widely read by managers and HR teams. He writes regularly for Toyo Keizai Online and Diamond Online.

Read for: Author on young employees' motivation and 'quiet quitting'.

Notable work: モチベーションの科学 (2026); 無敵化する若者たち (2026); 仕事に「生きがい」はいりません (2025)

Takashi Iwamoto岩本 隆Japanese

Takashi Iwamoto researches HR technology and human capital management and is a leading Japanese commentator on ISO 30414 human capital reporting. He supervises and writes explainers on human capital standards such as ISO 30201 for HR audiences. He speaks frequently at HR conferences on human capital disclosure and succession.

Read for: Japan's leading commentator on ISO 30414 and human capital disclosure.

Notable work: 人的資本経営まるわかり (2023)

Kennosuke Tanaka田中 研之輔Japanese

Kennosuke Tanaka is a career studies professor at Hosei University who popularised the 'protean career' concept in Japan. He co-leads the Protean Career Association, which runs programmes on career autonomy for companies and HR teams. He writes and speaks widely on career capital and middle-senior careers.

Read for: Popularised the 'protean career' in Japanese HR.

Notable work: キャリア・アントラージュ (2026, co-author); プロティアン 70歳まで第一線で働き続ける最強のキャリア資本術 (2019)

Emiko Takeishi武石 恵美子Japanese

Emiko Takeishi researches human resource management, women's employment, work–life balance and career development at Hosei University, where she was formerly dean. She sits on Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare councils. Her recent books cover career autonomy, diversity management and balancing work with childcare.

Read for: Leading researcher on work–life balance, women's careers and diversity management.

Notable work: ホワイトカラーの働き方・暮らし方 (2026, co-editor); 「キャリアデザイン」って、どういうこと? (2024); 仕事と子育ての両立 (2024)

Kotaro Tsuru鶴 光太郎Japanese

Kotaro Tsuru is an economist specialising in personnel economics and employment systems, formerly a professor at Keio University's Graduate School of Business and Commerce. He has served on government regulatory-reform panels on employment. His books apply economics to Japanese HR practice, job-based employment and human capital management.

Read for: Economist of Japanese employment systems; 『人材覚醒経済』.

Notable work: ワカル人的資本経営 (2026); 日本の会社のための人事の経済学 (2023); 人材覚醒経済 (2016)

Ulrike SchaedeEnglish

Ulrike Schaede researches Japanese business strategy, corporate culture and employment practices. Her book The Business Reinvention of Japan won the 2021 Masayoshi Ohira Memorial Prize, and her later book on Japan's upstream manufacturing leaders appeared in Japanese in 2024. She speaks regularly to business audiences in Tokyo and Europe.

Read for: The clearest English-language account of how Japanese companies and their employment practices are changing.

Notable work: The Business Reinvention of Japan (2020); Japan Re-Emerges / シン日本の経営 (Japanese edition March 2024)

Hiroshi OnoEnglish

Hiroshi Ono teaches human resource management at Hitotsubashi ICS and researches motivation, happiness and productivity at work, and how demographic change shapes Japan's labour market. His work covers long hours, work-style reform, Japanese employment practices and careers in foreign-owned firms. He comments regularly in Japanese and international media.

Read for: Evidence on productivity, long hours and Japanese-style employment, explained in English.

Notable work: Lifetime Employment in Japan: Concepts and Measurements (2010); Careers in Foreign-Owned Firms in Japan (American Sociological Review, 2007); Human Capital and the Economic Analysis of Human Behavior (Japanese, Nikkei, 2024)

Daiji Kawaguchi川口大司English

Daiji Kawaguchi is a labour economist at the University of Tokyo and a programme director at RIETI. His research covers how technological change affects jobs and wages, and policies such as working-hours rules and minimum wage laws. RIETI publishes his papers and newspaper columns in English.

Read for: Rigorous evidence on Japan's labour market: overtime caps, wage statistics and AI's effect on jobs.

Notable work: Can Capping Overtime Improve Worker Welfare? Evidence from Japan's 2019 Labor Reform (RIETI discussion paper, April 2026); AI and Employment: Emerging inequalities demand attention (Nikkei, Oct 2025; RIETI English, Nov 2025); How do firms attain internal and external flexibility of employment? (Labour Economics, 2024, co-author)

Mai Teshigawara勅使川原 真衣Japanese

Mai Teshigawara is an organisation development consultant who went independent in 2017 after working at a global consulting firm. Her books question Japan's 'ability-based' view of people at work; 『働くということ』 placed fifth in the 2024 Shinsho Awards and was shortlisted for the HR Award 2025. She writes serial columns for Voice and the Yomiuri book pages and is a regular on Bunka Hoso radio.

Read for: Bestselling critic of 'ability-ism' in Japanese workplaces.

Notable work: 人生は逆算できるのか (2026); ハラスメント最終報告 (2026); 組織の違和感 (2026)

Toshimitsu Sowa曽和 利光Japanese

Toshimitsu Sowa led recruitment at Recruit and later heads an HR consulting firm advising companies on hiring and organisation. He is one of Japan's most prolific writers on recruitment, interviewing and talent assessment. He writes columns for Business Insider Japan and President.

Read for: Japan's most prolific author on recruitment and interviewing.

Notable work: AI時代の採用戦略 (2026, co-author); 採用に強くなる (2026); 採用面接100の法則 (2022)

Tsuguo Ebihara海老原 嗣生Japanese

Tsuguo Ebihara is an employment journalist who edited Recruit Works Institute's magazine Works before founding the HR consultancy Nicchimo in 2008. He edits the HR and management journal HRmics and is known for data-heavy, myth-busting analysis of Japanese hiring, careers and labour shortages. His books, including one co-written with Keiichiro Hamaguchi, are widely used in debates on job-based HR.

Read for: Data-driven critic of myths about Japanese employment.

Notable work: AI狂騒時代の勝ち筋キャリア (forthcoming Dec 2026); 働き方改革の世界史 (2020, with Keiichiro Hamaguchi); 雇用の常識 決着版

Kunio Tsuboya坪谷 邦生Japanese

Kunio Tsuboya is an HR consultant and author of the illustrated 'Zukai' series that explains HR theory and practice in 100 points per book. The series covers people management, evaluation, organisation development and recruitment, and is a standard primer for new HR staff. He is active in HR learning communities such as Jinji Toshokan.

Read for: Author of the 'Zukai' illustrated HR primer series.

Notable work: 図解 採用入門 (2025, co-author); 図解 組織開発入門; 図解 人材マネジメント入門 (2020)

Kaoru Kawai河合 薫Japanese

Kaoru Kawai is a health sociologist whose research covers occupational stress and positive psychology. She writes long-running columns and books on Japanese working life based on interviews with employees. Her recent books address middle-aged employees and why Japan 'doesn't work'.

Read for: Columnist on middle-aged employees and Japan's working culture.

Notable work: 「老害」と呼ばれたくない私たち (2025); 働かないニッポン (2024); 40歳で何者にもなれなかったぼくらはどう生きるか (2023)

Haruki Konno今野 晴貴Japanese

Haruki Konno founded the labour-consultation NPO POSSE as a student and holds a PhD in sociology from Hitotsubashi University. His book 『ブラック企業』 put the term 'black company' into mainstream use and won the Osaragi Jiro Rondan Prize. He continues to write on overwork, karoshi and workers' rights.

Read for: Popularised the term 'black company' (ブラック企業).

Notable work: 会社で働くとなぜ幸せになれないのか (2026); 会社は社員を二度殺す (2025); ブラック企業 (2012)

Amane Sawatari沢渡 あまねJapanese

Amane Sawatari is a writer and consultant who has supported work-style, organisational and management change at more than 400 companies, local governments and ministries. He writes prolifically on teamwork, cross-boundary work and healthier ways of working. He speaks and appears in media regularly.

Read for: Prolific author on work-style reform and team productivity.

Notable work: スマホに振り回されないデジタル解毒のすすめ (2026); チームプレーの天才 (2025, co-author); 「すぐに」をやめる (2025)

Yoshihiro Hirayasu平康 慶浩Japanese

Yoshihiro Hirayasu is an HR consultant who designs evaluation and pay systems for Japanese companies. He writes widely read books and columns on promotion, appraisal and pay. His books translate HR system design into practical guidance for managers and employees.

Read for: Popular author on appraisal, promotion and pay systems.

Notable work: 「困った部下」は、つくられる。 (2026); 7日で作る人事考課 (2025); 給与クライシス (2020)

Futoshi Nishio西尾 太Japanese

Futoshi Nishio is an HR consultant who says he has worked on HR systems at more than 400 companies. He runs 'Jinji no Gakko', a training programme for HR staff, and writes practical guides on evaluation, HR policy and HR in small firms. His books are standard references for HR generalists.

Read for: 'Jinji no cho-pro' author of practical HR evaluation guides.

Notable work: 人事評価の基本 (2025); "ぼっち人事"でも0から学べる人事の本 (2025); 人事で一番大切なこと (2023)

Yoshie Komuro小室 淑恵Japanese

Yoshie Komuro founded Work Life Balance Co. in 2006 and has advised more than 3,600 organisations on work-style reform. She has served on multiple government committees on working hours and labour policy. She writes books and speaks nationwide on productivity, long working hours and men's parental leave.

Read for: Japan's leading campaigner and consultant on work-style reform.

Notable work: 働き方改革 生産性とモチベーションが上がる事例20社; 全員成果を出して定時で帰る会社の毎日楽しく働く秘訣

Futa Sakai坂井 風太Japanese

Futa Sakai ran businesses and a subsidiary at DeNA while also leading its talent development, then founded Momentor in 2022 with backing from DeNA and Delight Ventures. Momentor applies industrial-organisational psychology to manager and leader development and says it has served more than 300 organisations. His talks on why organisations decline and how managers develop people are widely shared among HR teams.

Read for: Popular voice on manager development and organisational decline, ex-DeNA.

Notable work: 理不尽仕事論 (2026)

Yosuke Yoshida吉田 洋介Japanese

Yosuke Yoshida worked at Recruit Management Solutions before founding Trustyyle in 2021 to build HR functions for companies without HR teams. In April 2024 he opened Jinji Toshokan in Tokyo, a co-working space and learning community for HR professionals. He has published three books on strategic HR since late 2025.

Read for: Founder of Jinji Toshokan, Tokyo's HR learning community.

Notable work: 「人事のプロ」がやっている 決算書から人事施策を導く技術 (forthcoming Dec 2026); 経営に資する人事制度 (2026); 「人事のプロ」はこう動く (2025)

Yoku Date伊達 洋駆Japanese

Yoku Date runs Business Research Lab, which applies academic research on people and organisations to companies' HR questions. He writes regularly on evidence-based HR, engagement, psychological safety and recruitment. His books translate international management research for Japanese practitioners.

Read for: Evidence-based HR advocate translating research for practitioners.

Notable work: 世界の研究者はマネジメントをどう分析しているのか (2026); 現場でよくある課題への処方箋 人と組織の行動科学; 越境学習入門 (2022, co-author)

Yu Kusuda楠田 祐Japanese

Yu Kusuda leads the HR Executive Consortium, a long-running learning network for senior HR leaders. He hosts the audio programme 『楠田祐の人事放送局』, interviewing HR practitioners, now past 130 episodes. He also coordinates the Jinji Leaders School for HR managers.

Read for: Convenor of Japan's senior-HR network and host of 『人事放送局』.

Kosuke Terasawa寺澤 康介Japanese

Kosuke Terasawa runs ProFuture, which operates the HR Pro portal, the HR Summit conference and the HR Research Institute. HR総研 publishes regular surveys on graduate recruitment, job-based hiring and human capital management that are widely cited by Japanese HR teams. He has led the company since 2015.

Read for: Runs HR Pro and HR総研, a leading source of Japanese HR survey data.

Takao Maekawa前川 孝雄Japanese

Takao Maekawa was editor-in-chief of several Recruit career titles before founding FeelWorks in 2008 to develop managers' people skills. He has written about 40 books on management, developing subordinates and early-career retention. His 2026 book responds to the view that management roles have become a 'punishment game'.

Read for: 'Joshi-ryoku' (manager capability) author with about 40 books.

Notable work: 心が動くマネジメント物語 (2026); 「働きがい改革」に本気の上司がチームを覚醒させる (2025); 部下を活かすマネジメント"新作法" (2023)

Fumie HanazonoEnglish

Fumie Hanazono founded HRAI, which runs global HR credential courses in Tokyo and is SHRM's official partner in Japan. She runs GHR-Connection, a bilingual membership network for global HR professionals launched in February 2025, and the annual Global HR Conference in Japan. She previously led finance, HR, IT and legal functions at foreign-owned companies and is a US CPA.

Read for: The bilingual hub for global HR professionals in Japan: credentials, networking and an annual conference.

Notable work: GHR-Connection (launched 2025); Global HR Conference in Japan (3rd edition, 25GHR Tokyo, Nov 2025); SHRM Essentials Japanese program (co-developed, 2020)

Rochelle KoppEnglish

Rochelle Kopp is a management consultant specialising in cross-cultural communication, human resources, leadership and organisation development, with offices in Tokyo, Chicago and Silicon Valley. She helps Japanese companies run their global operations and HR practices and teaches bilingual courses on topics such as managing remote work in Japanese companies. She co-founded the GHR-Connection network for Japan-based global HR professionals.

Read for: Practical cross-cultural management between Japanese headquarters and non-Japanese staff.

Notable work: The Rice-Paper Ceiling: Breaking Through Japanese Corporate Culture; Valley Speak: Deciphering the Jargon of Silicon Valley (co-author)

Maki Muraki村木真紀English

Maki Muraki founded Nijiiro Diversity in Osaka in 2013, which describes itself as the first Japanese nonprofit to address LGBTQ+ discrimination in the workplace. The organisation runs an annual survey of about 2,000 LGBTQ+ people with academic researchers, has trained and advised more than 600 major companies, and runs Pride Center Osaka.

Read for: The data on how Japanese workplaces treat LGBTQ+ employees, and practical inclusion guidance for HR.

Notable work: Nijiiro Diversity workplace survey (annual, about 2,000 respondents); Pride Center Osaka (opened 2022)

Kotaro Kurashige倉重 公太朗Japanese

Kotaro Kurashige is an employer-side labour lawyer who founded KKM Law Office in 2018. He was ranked first in the HR and labour category of Weekly Toyo Keizai's 2022 in-house counsel poll. He writes a Yahoo! News column on the future of work and runs a YouTube channel on corporate labour law.

Read for: Top-ranked employer-side labour lawyer and prolific explainer of labour-law reform for HR.

Notable work: 実務詳解 カスタマーハラスメント対策関連法 (2026)

Shinya Ouchi大内 伸哉Japanese

Shinya Ouchi is a labour-law professor at Kobe University who writes extensively on how technology and AI will reshape employment law. His books on freelance regulation, AI-era labour policy and leading labour cases are widely used by HR and legal practitioners. He also writes a series on the future of employment for the labour trade press.

Read for: Labour-law scholar on AI, freelancing and the future of work.

Notable work: 労働政策の再創造 (2026); 最新重要判例200 労働法 (2026 ed.); フリーランス法制を考える (2025)

Ran Mukai向井 蘭Japanese

Ran Mukai is an employer-side labour lawyer, admitted in 2003, who specialises in union negotiations, dismissals and workplace disputes. He has written a long series of practical books for managers, HR staff and sharoushi. He hosts the podcast 『社長は労働法をこう使え!』.

Read for: Author of 『社長は労働法をこう使え!』 and practical union-negotiation guides.

Notable work: 会社は合同労組・ユニオンとこう闘え! (2024); 書式と就業規則はこう使え! 最新版 (2024); 職場トラブル解決のヒント! (2023)

Ryo Sasaki佐々木 亮Japanese

Ryo Sasaki is an employee-side labour lawyer and one of the most widely followed lawyers on Japanese social media for workplace issues. He writes practical books on workers' rights and contributes to practitioner texts on labour-law practice. His commentary is a frequent counterweight to employer-side views in HR debates.

Read for: Leading employee-side labour lawyer on social media; author of 『武器としての労働法』.

Notable work: 職場のトラブル即解決!あなたを守る労働法 (2026); 最新テーマ別実践労働法実務 (2026, contributor); 会社に人生を振り回されない 武器としての労働法

Akiko YamakawaEnglish

Akiko Yamakawa is one of three partners at Vanguard Lawyers Tokyo, a firm founded by lawyers from Freshfields' Tokyo office, and leads its labour and employment practice. She advises foreign companies on Japanese employment disputes, and the firm publishes English updates on new rules such as the October 2026 equal pay changes.

Read for: English briefings on Japanese employment law changes for foreign employers.

Notable work: October 2026 Changes to Equal Pay for Equal Work Rules (firm newsletter, 2026); Looking Ahead: Key Amendments Coming into Effect in 2026 (Legal 500, firm article)

Tobias SchiebeEnglish

Tobias Schiebe is a German lawyer and registered foreign attorney in Tokyo who has worked at ARQIS since 2011 and focuses on HR restructuring, employment law and data protection. He chairs the European Business Council in Japan's Human Resources Committee, which publishes the HR chapter of the EBC White Paper covering flexible work, job-based careers, immigration and diversity.

Read for: The European employer view on Japanese labour law, in English.

Notable work: Japanese Labor Law 2025: Compliance, Culture, and Cutting Through the Myths (AHK Japan / EBC HR seminar, 11 Nov 2025, with Rie Taiko); EBC White Paper, Human Resources chapter (committee chair); Low-Performer: How to separate? (Japanmarkt, 2017, with Rie Taiko)