Japan’s Nishimura & Asahi will combine with Taiwan‑based Lexcel Law Offices on Jan. 1, 2027, creating a new international full‑service firm that will operate under the Japanese name 西村朝日・理安法律事務所, while its English designation remains under discussion.
Background to the merger
The partnership traces back to April 2020, when Nishimura & Asahi opened its first office in Taipei, marking the first Japanese law firm to establish a presence in the city. Since that milestone, the firm has broadened its footprint across East Asia, leveraging the growing trade and investment ties between Japan and Taiwan.
Lexcel Law Offices, founded in 2004, has built a client roster that spans technology, finance, pharmaceuticals and real estate. Its partners, Linda Chu and Shiau‑Pan Yang, have overseen a steady expansion of cross‑border work, positioning the firm as a natural fit for a broader regional alliance.
Strategic reasons for integration
Ing‑Chian Sun, co‑representative of Nishimura & Asahi’s Taipei office and lead partner of the Taiwan practice group, explained that rising demand for complex legal services drove the decision. “We have provided legal services to a wide range of clients in both Japan and Taiwan. In recent years, legal needs have grown significantly and become increasingly complex amid expanding investment flows and business opportunities between Japan and Taiwan, particularly in sectors such as semiconductors, AI and real estate,” she told Asia Business Law Journal.
Sun added that the integration will enable the new firm to draw on Nishimura & Asahi’s global network while leveraging Lexcel’s track record in cross‑border matters. “To further strengthen our capabilities in serving these evolving needs, we decided to integrate with Lexcel Law Offices, a firm with a strong record in cross‑border matters,” she said.
Once the merger is complete, the combined entity plans to focus on supporting Taiwanese companies investing in Japan, Southeast Asia and other regions, as well as Japanese firms expanding into Taiwan. Services will include post‑investment compliance and dispute resolution, areas that have become more prominent as cross‑border transactions multiply.
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The move reflects a broader trend of regional firms aligning to meet the demands of multinational clients. While the English name is still being finalized, the partnership aims to present a unified brand that signals both Japanese heritage and Taiwanese expertise. Sun, who holds the distinction of being the first Taiwanese lawyer registered as a foreign lawyer in Japan, noted that it remains to be seen how many lawyers the firm will have once the integration has been completed.
Compared with earlier cross‑border alliances, the Nishimura & Asahi‑Lexcel integration covers a wider scope. Earlier collaborations often involved limited practice areas or joint ventures that kept the firms legally distinct. Here, the full merger creates a single entity with a shared client base and integrated management, suggesting a deeper commitment to long‑term cooperation.
The new firm will inherit Lexcel’s established client relationships while tapping into Nishimura & Asahi’s extensive network of offices worldwide. This dual advantage could position the combined practice as a go‑to advisor for companies dealing with the increasingly complex regulatory environments of both Japan and Taiwan.
Stakeholders will watch closely how the integration unfolds, particularly regarding the firm’s staffing levels and the rollout of its English brand. The partnership’s success will depend on its ability to deliver seamless service across jurisdictions, a challenge that many multinational law firms continue to face.
For now, the firms have signaled a clear intention to deepen their cross‑border capabilities, aiming to meet the “substantially increasing legal needs” of clients operating between Japan and Taiwan. As the January 2027 launch approaches, both parties appear poised to manage the complexities of a combined operation, hoping to offer a more cohesive legal solution for regional investors.
