Masaki Kakimoto is recognised as a leading antitrust lawyer in Japan, advising multinational corporations, financial sponsors, and domestic businesses on complex competition matters. Masaki Kakimoto combines front-line transactional experience with regulatory insight gained from a fixed-term assignment at the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), positioning him to advise on merger control, cartel investigations, compliance programmes, and competition litigation risk. Clients seeking clear, pragmatic guidance on Japanese competition law turn to Masaki Kakimoto for his ability to bridge government practice and private-sector strategy.
Masaki Kakimoto is a partner in the Competition & Antitrust practice at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, one of Japan’s pre-eminent full-service law firms. Masaki Kakimoto graduated from Hitotsubashi University (B.A., 2009) and Hitotsubashi Law School (J.D., 2012), and later attended Columbia Law School in 2019. Following international studies, Masaki Kakimoto completed secondments with Slaughter & May in London and Brussels, and served in the Mergers & Acquisitions Division of the Economic Affairs Bureau at the JFTC as a fixed-term government employee from 2020 to 2022.
Masaki Kakimoto is admitted to practice in Japan (2013) and New York (2021), and is an active member of relevant professional bodies. His professional roles include designation as a Non‑Governmental Advisor to the International Competition Network (ICN) and participation in international working groups such as the International Bar Association’s Antitrust Litigation Working Group. He additionally contributes to domestic initiatives including the Competition Law Forum and serves in compliance governance roles, reflecting both sectoral expertise and public‑policy engagement.
As an antitrust lawyer in Japan, Masaki Kakimoto handles the full spectrum of competition matters: pre‑merger clearance and multi‑jurisdictional merger filings, dawn‑raid and investigation responses, cartel and abuse‑of‑dominance defence, compliance programme design, and antitrust aspects of M&A and joint ventures. He advises clients across regulated and competitive sectors including TMT, manufacturing, chemicals, life sciences, and financial services, and frequently leads Japanese law teams in cross‑border matters. His combined regulatory experience at the JFTC and on‑the‑ground transactional work enables him to anticipate enforcement priorities and craft pragmatic mitigation strategies.
Masaki Kakimoto has acted on a range of high‑profile transactions and regulatory matters, including cross‑border acquisitions, privatisations, and carve‑outs where merger control and competition clearance were material to deal timing and structure. Representative matters listed by his firm include roles on privatisations, strategic acquisitions for corporates and private equity clients, and complex multi‑jurisdictional filings. He is also an author and speaker on competition law topics and contributes to firm newsletters and international fora that analyse developments in Japanese antitrust enforcement. Masaki Kakimoto’s professional standing has been recognised in industry guides, including a Best Lawyers listing.
Japan’s competition regime has evolved substantially in recent years, with the JFTC increasingly active in merger reviews, cartel enforcement, and abuse‑of‑dominance investigations while also engaging with global developments on digital markets and cooperation with overseas authorities. Businesses face heightened scrutiny on vertical restraints, information exchanges, and platform conduct; merger filings can require careful coordination across jurisdictions. Specialist expertise matters because Japanese procedural nuances, sectoral regulatory overlays, and the JFTC’s investigatory tools require tailored legal strategy to protect deal value and limit enforcement risk.
Masaki Kakimoto distinguishes himself through a blend of practical transactional experience, institutional knowledge from his JFTC assignment, and international exposure from Columbia Law School and secondments in London and Brussels. This background enables Masaki Kakimoto to translate regulator‑facing sensitivities into defensible commercial structures and to lead integrated teams on cross‑border matters where Japanese competition law is only one element. Masaki Kakimoto is particularly valued for rapid crisis response, pragmatic drafting of compliance and risk‑mitigation measures, and clear explanations of enforcement dynamics to business stakeholders.
Masaki Kakimoto is well suited to multinational clients, private equity sponsors, and Japanese corporates confronting merger control, cartel risk, or competition‑related regulatory challenges. His practice benefits companies operating in technology, media, telecoms, chemicals, and finance that require both transactional support and enforcement defence. For businesses planning acquisitions into or out of Japan, or seeking to strengthen internal antitrust compliance, Masaki Kakimoto’s combination of government‑side insight and private‑practice experience provides targeted, outcomes‑focused counsel.
In an increasingly interconnected enforcement environment, having an experienced antitrust lawyer in Japan who understands both the mechanics of JFTC practice and the demands of international transactions is essential. Masaki Kakimoto offers that blend of regulatory know‑how, transactional experience, and thought leadership, making him a pragmatic choice for clients navigating the complexities of Japanese competition law. His record of cross‑border engagement and public‑policy participation further strengthens his ability to deliver effective, commercially mindful solutions.
Masaki Kakimoto is a leading antitrust lawyer in Japan and a partner in Mori Hamada & Matsumoto’s Competition & Antitrust practice, advising multinational corporations, financial sponsors, and domestic businesses on complex competition matters.
He holds a B.A. from Hitotsubashi University (2009) and a J.D. from Hitotsubashi Law School (2012). He attended Columbia Law School in 2019, completed secondments in London and Brussels, served at the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) from 2020–2022, and is admitted in Japan (2013) and New York (2021).
He handles pre-merger clearance and multi-jurisdictional filings, dawn-raid and investigation responses, cartel and abuse-of-dominance defence, compliance programme design, and antitrust aspects of M&A and joint ventures.
He advises clients across TMT, manufacturing, chemicals, life sciences, and financial services, and works with multinational corporations, private equity sponsors, and Japanese corporates on cross-border and domestic matters.
His JFTC secondment provides institutional insight into enforcement priorities and procedural nuances, enabling him to anticipate regulator actions and craft pragmatic mitigation strategies that bridge government practice and private-sector needs.
Companies should engage him for merger control and cross-border filings, cartel or abuse investigations, crisis response, designing compliance programmes, and advising on competition-related risks in transactions or regulated sectors.
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