Hideshiro KARASAWA

Hideshiro KARASAWA

OF COUNSEL

TEL : +81-3-3221-2400
FAX : +81-3-3265-3860

Hideshiro KARASAWA is Of Counsel of Nozomi Sogo. He passed Japan’s bar exam in 2000 and served as a public prosecutor from 2002 to 2026. He was admitted to the bar in Japan in 2026. He is a member of Japan Federation of Bar Associations and Dai-Ich Tokyo Bar Association.

Practice Areas

Crisis Management and Corporate Misconduct
• Internal investigations into corporate misconduct and compliance violations
• Fraud investigations and responses to third-party committees
• Development of crisis management systems and compliance frameworks
• External response to corporate misconduct, including communications with government authorities and media
Government and Regulatory Matters
• Representation in dealings with government agencies and regulatory authorities
• Strategic advice regarding public policy and regulatory frameworks
• Assistance in responding to administrative investigations, regulatory enforcement actions, and administrative sanctions
Criminal Defense and Dispute Resolution
• Representation in investigations by law enforcement authorities and defense in criminal cases relating to corporate activities
• Analysis, assessment, and prevention of criminal risks
• Handling administrative litigation and other dispute matters relating to corporate activities
Personal Rights and Information Law
• Representation in matters involving infringement of personal rights, including defamation and privacy violations
• Advice on compliance with personal data protection laws and matters involving trade secret misappropriation and other issues under unfair competition laws
• Development of information management systems
• Legal advice on information dissemination and media relations
Human Rights Due Diligence and Geopolitical Risk
• Support for human rights due diligence and compliance with international human rights standards
• Advice on geopolitical risks affecting corporate activities

Experience

2026: Joined Nozomi
2025: Counselor for the National Police Agency’s Secretariat
2024: Prosecutor at the Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office and Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office
2023: Prosecutor at the Maebashi District Public Prosecutors Office and Member of the Gunma Bar Association’s Disciplinary Conduct Committee
2021: Concurrently served as a member of the Commercial Law Research Association’s “Expert Review Panel on Legal Issues Surrounding Online Defamation” (related official) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ “Study Group on Platform Services” (observer)
2020: Counselor for the Ministry of Justice’s Human Rights Bureau
Examiner of the Bar Examination and Preliminary Bar Examination (Constitutional Law)
2019: Attorney of the Secretariat Division, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Justice
In the same year, served as a prosecutor at the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office
2018: Attorney of the Minister’s Secretariat and Judicial and Legislation Department of the Ministry of Justice (Director of the Judicial System Reform Promotion Office) Member of the Liaison Council for Legal Professional Training Systems and Member of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations’ Committee on Disciplinary Conduct for Registered Foreign Lawyers
In the same year, served as a prosecutor at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s Legal Support Office, Minister’s Secretariat
2017: Prosecutor, Chiba District Public Prosecutors Office
2016: Attached to the Criminal Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Justice (Criminal Legislation Management Office)
2013: First Secretary, Embassy of Japan in Germany
2012: Attached to the Criminal Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Justice (Criminal Justice System Reform Headquarters)
2011: Concurrently Supervisory Officer and Financial Securities Inspector
2010: Deputy Director of the General Affairs Division, Inspection Bureau, Financial Services Agency; Deputy Director of the Policy Division, General Affairs and Planning Bureau, Legal Compliance Investigation Office
2008: Overseas research (Munich District Court and Public Prosecutor’s Office, Germany)
2002: Appointed as a prosecutor (Osaka, Otsu, Tokyo, Saitama, and Nagoya District Public Prosecutors Offices)
2000: Passed the Bar Examination

Education

1998: Graduated from Hitotsubashi University Faculty of Law

Languages

Japanese/English/Deutsch