ABOUT THE JAPAN IN-HOUSE COUNSEL NETWORK (JICN)
The Japan In-house Counsel Network (JICN) was first launched in 2005 and is an unincorporated professional association for in-house counsels working in, or having other affiliations with, Japan.
The goal of JICN is to expand expertise, broaden the knowledge, and strengthen the skills of legal professionals in Japan. JICN offers:
- Educational seminars aimed at updating and broadening the legal competency of its members regarding both domestic and cross-border issues;
- Skills training that provides troubleshooting, brainstorming and team building activities that can be applied in any business organization;
- Career events that enable members to benefit from insights and experience of other legal professionals and external experts, and to otherwise enhance their career development; and
- Social events that not only provide a fun way to network but also build a sense of community among JICN members.
JICN Executive Board
The JICN Executive Board shares roles to support JICN activities.
Angela Yuen
Co-President
Angela Yuen is the Deputy General Counsel (Global Legal, Tech & Innovation) for JERA Inc., Co. (the largest power producer in Japan and a global energy company) based in Tokyo. She oversees the global Legal functions for the JERA Group and is also responsible for driving digital transformation and innovation in Legal. Angela is qualified in Australia and has over 20 years of combined in-house experience and private practice experience at some of Japan’s top trading houses as well as premier Australian and international law firms. She specialized in major projects in the mining, power, energy, resources and infrastructure sectors. Angela is an advocate for digitalization of in-house legal functions and also passionate about sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and supporting young professional females to maximize their leadership potential. She is recognized on the Legal 500 GC Power List for Japan and named Inhouse Lawyer of the Year at the ALB Japan Law Awards 2024. Angela is Co-President of Women in Law Japan (WILJ) and also serves as non-executive director on several Boards in Europe and Australia.
Akiko Kikuchi
Co-President
Akiko Kikuchi is an experienced General Counsel with nearly 30 years of experience in the legal industry. She currently serves as Board Member and General Counsel for Novo Nordisk Pharma in Japan. Her previous leadership experience includes General Counsel and Senior Operating Officer positions at Bayer Japan, PwC Japan and GE Plastics Japan. She also worked in private practice for top-tier global firms in UK, HK and Japan specializing in corporate law and cross-border transactions. Akiko is a law graduate from Keio University and Oxford University where she was awarded a Jardine Matheson scholarship. She was selected as the Women Lawyer of the Year (In-House) in the ALB Japan Law Awards in 2020 and is recognized on the Legal 500 GC Power List for Japan. Akiko contributes to the broader legal community by serving on the JICN Board as Co-President and the Executive Board of Japan CLO Association as one of its Founding Members.
William Herbert
Senior Advisor
William Herbert has spent seven years in private practice and nine years providing in house advice at publicly traded Japanese pharmaceutical manufacturers. His duties have included negotiating development and license agreements for innovative compounds, managing product liability litigation in North America and Europe, providing legal advice to overseas affiliates in Asia and North America, advising on FCPA and data privacy, and establishing and leading an anti-counterfeiting department.
Since 2016, William has been Director of the Legal Department at Nippon Becton Dickinson, the Japanese subsidiary of Becton Dickinson and Company, a US medical device manufacturer. He is admitted to practice law in the states of Georgia, New York, and Washington.
Jun Kochi
Board Member
Jun Kochi is currently a Manager at International Legal Department at JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corporation. Jun started off his career at the intellectual property department at Hitachi, Ltd., and subsequently moved to the legal departments of Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., before briefly engaging in a project in India at Japan International Consultants for Transportation Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of JR East.
Jun originally studied law in the UK, where I was initially called to the Bar at the Middle Temple in 2008. In 2014-15, Jun took a career break to pursue an LLM at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. I am currently admitted to practice law in New York, England and Wales (as Solicitor), and New South Wales.
Outside of work, Jun enjoys kick boxing for fitness and recently visited Thailand.
Asako Ouchi
Board Member
Asako Ouchi is the Senior Attorny in IBM Japan with over 15 years of experience in the legal industry. Holding a Japanese legal qualification, she has built a distinguished career by combining deep expertise with a forward-looking approach to the evolving legal landscape.
Asako began her journey at one of top tier law firm in Japan, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, where she specialized in antitrust law and honed her skills in legal analysis and complex investigative work. During her tenure, she gained valuable in-house experience through a secondment to the global pharmaceutical company—a role that later led to a full-time position with the organization.
In 2023, Asako joined IBM Japan, where she focuses on cutting-edge areas of law, including privacy, cybersecurity, AI, economic security, other IT-related legal matters. Her ability to navigate these dynamic and innovative fields underscores her commitment to supporting businesses in a rapidly changing world.
Asako was honored as a “Rising Star” on the Legal 500 GC Power List for Japan in 2024.
Mina Hoshizawa
Board Member
Mina Hoshizawa is Head of Legal and Compliance at Servier in Japan, sitting at its Leadership Team. Before joining Servier, she belonged to Bayer in Japan and served as Compliance Manager for the entire company and as Legal Manager for its Consumer Health Business and Crop Science Business. Mina is a qualified Japanese bengoshi (attorney), and before joining Bayer, she worked at Freshfields’ Tokyo office. She is the leader of a working group of the Governance and Legal Committee of The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). She was selected as LexisNexis® UNDER 40 2024, Japan Rising Star 2024 by GC Powerlist Legal 500, and became the first JILA In-house award winner in in the Compliance category in Individual Awards 2023.
Ryota Kaneko
Board Member
Ryota Kaneko is the Global General Counsel of ispace, inc., where he oversees the company’s legal, compliance, and export control operations across Japan, the United States, and Luxembourg. In this role, he supports global space exploration and lunar development activities by providing strategic legal advice on cross-border operations, regulatory matters, and risk management. Prior to joining ispace, Ryota held legal positions at AGC Inc., Bayer Holding, and HIFUMI Law, gaining broad experience across manufacturing, life sciences, and private legal practice. Ryota is qualified to practice law in Japan and in the State of New York, and has spent several years working in the United States.
Steven Howard
Board Member
Steven Howard is Legal Director, Asia-Pacific, for the Fiskars Group, a diversified Finnish consumer goods business with brands including Arabia, Fiskars, Gerber Gear, Georg Jensen, Iittala, Moomin, Royal Copenhagen, Waterford and Wedgwood. He is responsible for all legal, compliance, intellectual property and privacy matters in the APAC region. Prior to this, he held in-house roles for Sony’s mobile business and an IBM spin-off as APAC GC, based in Tokyo and Singapore. Steven is a graduate of the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii and is qualified in Hawaii and California. He has been recognized on the Legal 500 GC Power List for Japan for three consecutive years since 2023 and has been a speaker at legal events in Tokyo, Singapore and several Inter-Pacific Bar Association annual conferences.
Chie Hashimoto
Board Member
Chie Hashimoto is a legal professional with over 20 years of experience in multinational luxury and retail environments. She currently serves as Senior Legal Manager at Richemont Japan LLC, providing strategic legal support to prestigious brands including Cartier, Montblanc, and Vacheron Constantin across retail, e-commerce, and digital transformation initiatives. She is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). Prior to Richemont, she gained broad legal experience at Kering Japan and Dell Technologies Japan.
Outside of work, Chie is a 4th Dan Black Belt in Wado-kai Karate and holds a J.S.A. Wine Expert qualification.
