Guest Host Yoko Oshima leads this episode’s interview with host Catherine O’Connell as Lawyer on Air reaches the milestone of 5 years on air and 100 guests. Catherine shares her remarkable journey from a shy New Zealand teenager to an award-winning lawyer, podcast host, and board member at companies like Toyota and Fujitsu.

You will hear about the pivotal moments that shaped her career, and why she believes courage must come before confidence. If you love listening to LOA and want to know more about Catherine, this is the episode for you.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Catherine's childhood curiosity and shyness coexist with the confidence she's built over decades in Japan

• The Japanese lawyers who inspired her career transition and the mentor who saw her potential before she did

• Why she's stayed in Japan for 23 years despite initially planning “max two years”, and the concept of "strategic patience"

• The high-stakes investigation moment when Catherine realised that THIS was why she became a lawyer

• Her favourite restaurant and other fun facts

About Catherine

Catherine O’Connell is a bilingual New Zealand lawyer and the Principal & Founder of Catherine O’Connell Law, the first foreign female–founded law firm in Tokyo. An award-winning practitioner, she has been recognised as Foreign Lawyer of the Year (2022), Boutique Law Firm of the Year (2023), and Entrepreneur of the Year (2020) for her leadership and innovation.

Catherine served as an Independent Audit & Supervisory Board Member of Toyota Motor Corporation (2023–2025) and currently serves as an Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member of Fujitsu Limited (since 2022). Through these appointments she became the first non-Japanese female in Japanese corporate history to serve in such roles on these two blue-chip corporate boards. Her governance work is defined by cross-cultural fluency, bilingual communication, and a capacity to translate complex legal, compliance, and risk issues into clear board-level insight.

Drawing on more than 20 years’ experience in senior in-house legal counsel roles at Molex, Panasonic, Olympus, Mitsubishi Motors, alongside private practice experience at Hogan Lovells, and Anderson Lloyd, Catherine now advises boards, CEOs, and C-suite executives on governance, cross-border leadership, and boardroom mindset. Her C-suite mentoring programmes help executives understand how boards think and decide, enabling stronger alignment and strategic clarity.

Catherine hosts the award-winning Lawyer on Air podcast and co-hosts Jandals in Japan, celebrating cross-border success stories. She is Vice-Chair Emerita of the Australia & New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan, Co-Chair of the Legal Services & IP Committee at the ACCJ, and Past President and Advisory Board Member of Women in Law Japan.

Connect with Yoko

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoko-oshima-36a7396/

Links

Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya

Unpausable play list: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3aCekQmbR0CYMxzdkhzFqN?si=BrfZXnH_Soq8SIazs5M_AQ

Wakanui Restaurant: https://www.wakanui.jp/grill_dining_bar_tokyo/en/index.html

Connect with Catherine

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair

"I thought you didn't want to be a partner" - Maya Ito heard these stunning words at a meeting to discuss her firm’s view that her lack of career progression at Big Four law firm Nishimura & Asahi, was simply because she had children. Plot spoiler: she's now a partner at that same firm, she’s leading cross-border project finance deals, and all the while, she’s running an almost entirely female team. Maya shares a deeply personal story of utter loss that forever changed how she approaches every single day of her life, reveals the Japanese warrior philosophy that defines her service to clients, and also explains why monthly team lunches replaced late-night drinking sessions. If you are looking up at senior partners wondering how they got there, or simply want to know what it really takes to sustain a career in Big Law while living with no regrets, grab your headphones and get ready to get to know Maya Ito in a way you never have before.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Parental expectations that shaped her legal career and how she overcame them

• A profound personal loss that became a turning point that guides her actions every day

• The "kagemusha" philosophy of lawyering as a shadow ally

• How Maya runs her all female team and makes time for her own life too

• Her favourite podcasts, books and other fun facts

About Maya

Maya Ito is a partner at Nishimura & Asahi. She has extensive expertise in cross-border project financing for various natural resources, power projects, and other infrastructure projects. Her experience also extends to areas such as compliance, cross-border financial transactions, cross-border corporate transactions, and other general corporate matters.

Maya has extensive experience advising international investors on cross-border renewable energy projects, as well as advising both borrowers and lenders on financing for renewable energy projects in Japan. She previously worked in the cross-border project finance team of a Japanese megabank, handling matters relating to natural resources, power and energy, and infrastructure. Maya has also provided banks, financial institutions, and other corporate clients, most of which operate their businesses globally, with compliance and regulatory advice, as well as advice on a variety of governance matters. She is actively involved in D&I projects aimed at promoting the active participation of women, and has organized numerous D&I seminars and other similar events for corporations. She is also actively involved in Climate Change related projects and has organized Climate Change seminars and events.

In her free time Maya likes to play golf and she usually plays golf with her colleagues, clients and her family. Maya also has two cute toy poodles (Tarao and Ikura). The poodles’ names come from a famous Japanese Anime, “Sazae-san” and they give Maya a sense of “iyashi” (癒し) meaning “soothing and solace”.

Connect with Maya

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-ito-278b1863/

Links

Kagemusha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kagemusha

Ikikata Book: https://amzn.asia/d/ew7DMGc 　　

Connect with Catherine

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair

Liting Cong is Legal Counsel at ASICS, one of Japan’s most successful sportswear companies. Liting shares her journey through the lens of Japanese aesthetics, particularly the concept of wabi-sabi or embracing imperfection, impermanence, and incompleteness. If you're considering an in-house career in Japan, curious about human-centric AI, or looking for wisdom on embracing life's uncertainties, you will enjoy the metaphor Liting shares about building a beautiful garden. More on that inside this episode!

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Japanese martial arts and dance became a source of peace and resilience during challenging times

• The evolution of in-house counsel roles beyond gatekeeping and contract review

• Practical strategies for unlearning perfectionism that Liting uses herself at work

• Why ideation is a lawyer's secret weapon in the age of AI

• Liting’s favourite book and other fun facts

About Liting

Liting Cong is a Legal Counsel at ASICS Corporation, where she leads global privacy, AI governance, and digital initiatives in the Legal Department. She graduated from Grinnell College in 2011, and University of Toronto Faculty of Law in 2014. She was admitted to the bar in Ontario in 2015, and in New York in 2019. Before relocating to Japan, Liting gained diverse international experience at King & Wood in Shanghai, Shin & Kim in Seoul, and Stikeman & Elliott in Toronto, and started her own practice as a sole practitioner in Toronto.

In addition to her legal credentials, Liting is a data protection professional with multiple certifications from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) for European privacy (CIPP/E), privacy program management (CIPM), and artificial intelligence governance (AIGP).

With over a decade of experience living and working in Canada and Japan, Liting brings not only legal expertise but also fluency in the languages--English, Chinese, and Japanese--and a deep understanding of cross-cultural business environments.

In 2018, as an avid fan of Japanese arts and culture since childhood, Liting relocated to Japan. She joined Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation in Osaka as Legal Counsel, and later SymBio Pharmaceuticals Limited in Tokyo as Legal Manager.

In 2023, Liting joined ASICS Corporation in its global headquarters in Kobe. She now serves as the lead in global privacy and AI governance and managing ASICS’ digital initiatives across the globe.

Liting lives in Osaka with her husband and a cat who enjoys making cameos in Teams calls and supervising all her legal work.

Connect with Liting

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/litingcong/

Links

Gokan: https://patisserie-gokan.co.jp/item/

The Cultural Map by Erin Meyer https://amzn.asia/d/9w9muCI

Connect with Catherine

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair

Yu Watanabe is General Counsel at Airbnb Japan, where he has spent over 10 years building one of the most respected in-house legal teams in the country. From training at Freshfields to navigating the world of tech startups at DeNA, and ultimately joining Airbnb, Yu's career embodies the power of taking calculated risks and listening to the right mentors. This episode is rich with wisdom about mentorship, community involvement, and finding success by focusing completely on serving your clients. If you are wondering how Yu stands out as such a star in the world of Tokyo Law, this is the episode for you.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How a childhood visit to a law firm in Osaka inspired Yu to pursue law and become a "superhero" helping people

• The critical decision to join Airbnb Japan in 2015 when almost everyone advised against it

• Why Yu approaches legal work with hospitality at its core

• The transformative moment in Yu’s career and why someone is always watching your effort

• His favourite book and other fun facts

About Yu

Yuichiro Watanabe is a Director of the Japan In‑House Lawyers Association (JILA) while taking a role of Lead Counsel at Airbnb Japan, and since January 2025 serves as a board director of Airbnb Japan K.K. He joined Airbnb in 2015 as the company’s third lawyer in Asia, following roles with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and DeNA. Recognized with eight honors across six consecutive years at the ALB Japan Law Awards in his thirties, including being the youngest recipient of In‑House Lawyer of the Year, Yu has also led a team named Diversity & Inclusion: In‑House Team of the Year at the Chambers Asia‑Pacific and Greater China Region Awards 2024 and has been selected for The Legal 500 GC Powerlist: Japan. He also contributes to policy and standards work through committees at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Digital Agency, and ISO/TC262 for risk management.

He has walked a non-traditional career path in Japan, where in-house lawyers were still rare at the time. Through various failures and struggles within organizations, he has gained lessons that shaped his professional journey — and he carries a deep commitment to turning those personal setbacks into guidance for others. Admitted to the Japan Bar in 2009, he holds a J.D. from the School of Law at the University of Tokyo, and is the author of 「リーガルリスクマネジメントの教科書」 (The Textbook of Legal Risk Management, Nihon Kajoshuppan, 2023) and 「組織内弁護士の教科書」 (The Textbook for In-House Lawyers, forthcoming, Nihon Kajoshuppan, October 2025). Including these and his earlier two publications, his four-volume series has achieved an extraordinary circulation of 15,000 copies in Japan.

In his personal life, he enjoys traditional Kabuki theatre and traveling.

Connect with Yu

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wtnby/

Links

Hotel New Otani https://www.newotani.co.jp/en/tokyo/

JILA: https://jila.jp/

Blog: https://inhouselaw.org/inhouse/

Peter Thiel, Zero to One : https://amzn.asia/d/43FV5e7

Connect with Catherine

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair

Sayaka Matsui is General Counsel and Representative Executive Officer at Unilever Japan. Sayaka shares how she unlearned something that she thought was helping her to do better. When she did that amazing things happened and she reached new career heights as well as achieving personal goals too. If you are wondering if your career path is “on track” or you are struggling with self criticism, this episode is for you!

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How reading a children's story-book version of Merchant of Venice at age 10 sparked Sayaka's interest in law

• Sayaka’s transition from private practice to corporate planning and eventually to General Counsel

• The transformative impact of spending two years in the United States

• How Sayaka unlearned her habit of nightly self-criticism and embraced vulnerability

About Sayaka

Sayaka Matsui is the Representative Executive Officer and General Counsel of Unilever Japan Holdings G.K., where she leads legal, compliance, and risk management for one of the world’s most recognised global brands.

Before joining Unilever in 2019, she held legal roles at Credit Saison, Waseda Legal Commons Law Office, Daizawa Law Office, and Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu. Sayaka also spent a year as a Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, broadening her global perspective on law and social impact.

She is deeply committed to the next generation of legal talent, providing programs to law schools and judicial apprentices to promote understanding of in-house legal work, and in 2025, she was appointed as a member of MEXT’s advisory committee on law schools.

Sayaka holds a J.D. (Professional) and LL.B. from Waseda University.

In her spare time, she loves watching international TV dramas and learning foreign languages.

Connect with Sayaka

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sayaka-matsui-881a61188/

Connect with Catherine

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair

Midori Yamaguchi is a Senior Associate at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto in Tokyo whose career spans Singapore, the US, and Japan. We hear about her two-year secondment to METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), where she was the only lawyer on the legislation drafting team where she helped create Japan's new pre-insolvency regime - literally dreaming about the law every night. If you're contemplating a step off the well trodden career path of private practice, and think it’s not possible to come back on track, or if you are seeking inspiration, this episode is for you.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Midori's father shaped her values of fairness and honesty

• The pivotal role of taking opportunities based on enjoyment rather than fear

• Powerful lessons from working across Singapore, the US, and Japan

• Practical strategies for building visibility in Japan's humble culture, including why putting your skills on display, isn't self-promotion

About Midori

Midori Yamaguchi is a Senior Associate at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto in Tokyo, where she specialises in restructuring and insolvency as well as dispute resolution. She is qualified in both Japan and New York.

Her practice has a strong cross-border focus: she has worked in the firm’s Singapore office, spent time at a U.S. law firm, and completed an LL.M. at New York University. Most recently, she concluded a secondment at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, where she was involved in drafting legislation to introduce a new pre-insolvency regime.

Recognised in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Japan for Arbitration and Mediation in 2022, she is regarded as a rising expert in international legal matters.

She actively contributes to the international restructuring and insolvency community through her regular publications and involvement with leading global organisations, including INSOL International as an INSOL Fellow, the International Insolvency Institute (III) as a NextGen member, the International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC), the Insolvency Section of the International Bar Association (IBA), and the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI).

She has an LL.B. from Hitotsubashi University and J.D. from Hitotsubashi Law School.

Outside of work, she enjoys traveling abroad, scuba diving, and exploring Tokyo’s traditional public bathhouses.

Connect with Midori

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/midori-yamaguchi-3364a3222/

Firm: https://www.morihamada.com/en/people/midori-yamaguchi

Links

Ginza Music Bar: https://ginzamusicbar.com/

METI, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry: https://www.meti.go.jp/english/

Connect with Catherine

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair

Yoshie Midorikawa is an inspiring international dispute resolution lawyer and a Co-founding Partner at Miura & Partners who has built a remarkable career on her own terms. From initially refusing to use English to becoming a leading voice in cross-border litigation - using English -, Yoshie shares her unconventional journey with refreshing honesty and humour.

Discover how this avid reader of detective stories transformed her love of mysteries into a successful legal career, why saying "no" at the start proved pivotal, and how she helped establish a law firm with over 30% female partners - a rarity in Japan. Whether you are an aspiring lawyer, seeking board positions, or simply curious about building an authentic career in a traditional culture, this episode offers practical wisdom wrapped in warmth and wit.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Yoshie's surprising declaration against using English that later reversed completely

• Why having 30% women in leadership transforms workplace dynamics and how Yoshie helped create this at her firm

• The importance of switching from detail-focused analysis to big-picture thinking for board roles

• Her favourite books and other fun facts

About Yoshie

Yoshie Midorikawa is a co-founding partner of Miura & Partners and has led the firm’s international dispute resolution practice since its launch in 2019. Since her admission to the bar in 2007, she has advised on a broad range of dispute resolution matters, with a particular focus on complex commercial disputes.

In addition to her practice as external counsel, Yoshie serves as an independent director on the boards of several listed Japanese companies across industries including consulting, manufacturing, telecommunications, information technology, and real estate. Her board experience enhances her ability to deliver commercially grounded, practical legal solutions tailored to business realities.

Yoshie has been recognised as Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year at the ALB Japan Law Awards 2025. She is also ranked as a Next Generation Partner in Dispute Resolution by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific since 2023, currently shortlisted as Japan Female Lawyer of the Year by asialaw Awards 2025, and is recognised by Best Lawyers in Japan for her work in Litigation, International Arbitration, and Corporate Governance and Compliance.

She actively contributes to the legal community through regular publications and speaking engagements, particularly on Japanese law and cross-border dispute resolution including third-party litigation funding.

Admitted to practice in Japan and New York, Yoshie is a Council Member of the Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration (MCIA), and serves on the panel of arbitrators at the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (JCAA), the Shanghai Arbitration Commission (SHAC), and the Thailand Arbitration Center (THAC).

She holds a J.D. from the University of Tokyo School of Law and an LL.M. from Columbia Law School.

Outside of her legal work, Yoshie enjoys spending time with her family and finding balance through yoga. She recently acquired the skills to sew dresses based on her daughter’s drawings, which she finds very rewarding. She is also a devoted fan of US and UK courtroom and intelligence dramas. Her passion for solving puzzles dates back to her school days, when she was an avid reader of detective stories.

Connect with Yoshie

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoshie-midorikawa-7663aa83/

Links

Le Marquis: https://hotel-chinzanso-tokyo.com/dining/marquis/

Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do: https://amzn.asia/d/bj7iR6Q

Connect with Catherine

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair

What happens when a lawyer decides success isn't about climbing the ladder, but about creating freedom? Join Catherine as she talks with Mika Fukutomi, who traded her career at top-tier international law firms for entrepreneurship - and built an app to solve one of Japan's biggest business succession challenges: who will maintain the SMEs in Japan with aging leaders and no successors. If you are curious about how legal skills translate into unexpected entrepreneurial ventures then this is the episode for you.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Mika moved from private practice to in-house to business roles to entrepreneurship without a dramatic leap (and why that matters)

• Vibe coding for lawyers - The surprising truth about how anyone can build an app using AI, even without coding knowledge

• Why critical thinking remains invaluable outside traditional practice, and how Mika uses it as her super power

• Redefining success on your own terms

About Mika

Mika Fukutomi is an investor, educator, and consultant specializing in Japan’s private markets. Blending her legal background with an entrepreneurial spirit, she recently launched Akamira.ai, a platform designed to bring transparency to Japan’s often-hidden SME sector. As Managing Partner of INV Japan, she pioneers new ways for global investors and entrepreneurs to engage with Japan’s business ecosystem.

Before founding her investment and advisory businesses, Mika trained and practiced law at Clifford Chance and White & Case, and qualified as a Solicitor of England & Wales. She later held senior leadership positions at Deutsche Bank and MetLife, serving as Chief of Staff to the CEO and Corporate Secretary, where she gained deep experience in governance and corporate leadership.

With decades of combined experience in law, investment banking, and entrepreneurship, Mika’s career reflects how a legal foundation can serve as a powerful springboard into new industries. Her expertise spans angel investing, private equity, real estate, SME M&A, and corporate governance. She is also a graduate of the Board Director Training Institute (BDTI), underscoring her commitment to governance excellence.

Mika’s passion lies in helping others pursue their purpose. Through her work at INV Japan and her educational initiatives, she shows how building on a legal background can lead to unexpected and fulfilling career pathways.

Mika loves being in nature with her dog and planning trips to meet up with her son and his girlfriend.

Connect with Mika

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikafukutomi/

Links

Akamira App: https://akamira.ai/

Connect with Catherine

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair