The Japan In-house Lawyers Association (JILA) has appointed Satoshi Shinkuma as its new president, succeeding Hideyuki Sakamoto, who has completed a two-term, four-year tenure.
Shinkuma, director at a Tokyo-based e-commerce support provider, itsumo, takes the helm at a time when Japan’s in-house legal community continues to expand in both size and influence. Joining the leadership team is Kyoko Fukiya, in-house counsel at JFE Engineering. She has been appointed vice president and chair of the international committee.
In his first term, Shinkuma, who previously served as JILA’s vice president, has set a clear priority: growing JILA’s membership and deepening engagement across its ranks. “While the number of in-house counsel in Japan has grown to approximately 3,500, JILA has around 1,700 regular members. My first goal is to strengthen our recruitment efforts so that more than half of all in-house lawyers in Japan are part of our association,” Shinkuma told Asia Business Law Journal.
He also intends to build on initiatives introduced under Sakamoto’s leadership, particularly the JILA Awards, which are now in its third year.
A challenge identified by Shinkuma is the limited public understanding of the role of in-house counsel in Japan. “The unique roles and contributions of in-house counsel are still not widely understood by the public. I aim to enhance our presence and demonstrate our value through strategic use of publications and social media,” said Shinkuma.
JILA has recently joined the Asia-Pacific Corporate Counsel Alliance as the eighth member, along with other member associations, including the Indonesian Corporate Counsel Association, Thai Corporate Counsel Association, Legal Management Council of the Philippines, and Singapore Corporate Counsel Association.
