About CLO – 一般社団法人日本CLO協会

Mission of the JACLO

The Chief Legal Officer (CLO) or General Counsel (in either case as used herein, “CLO”) is not just the head of a corporate legal organization, but is also an important leader of the corporation. The position is one of the most important leadership positions in the world. This is primarily the case in most global companies, but in Japan the position may not always have the same status.

The CLO is responsible for the legal matters of the company’s activities and, importantly, is also responsible for supporting business growth. The CLO is committed to preventing fraud and misconduct associated with corporate activities and minimizing the reduction of corporate value if it occurs. If necessary, the CLO will stop such activities. The CLO is in a position to actively provide opinions and suggestions to its senior management as a leader. Such authority and responsibility are significant. The CLO must also be sensitive to the changing business environment and be able to make bold changes in the corporate legal organization to adapt to such changes. The CLO is also responsible for creating a framework within which to develop the talent and abilities of its in-house legal professionals. At the JACLO, we endeavor to provide a critical platform to foster exchange and study for the purpose of skill improvement, information sharing and networking in order to contribute to the further professional development of CLOs and in-house legal professionals.

Background of JACLO

As legal needs have become more diverse and complex, the CLO and legal departments increasingly require close collaboration with and a wide network of external attorneys, accountants, tax accountants, and other professionals, as well as with internal CEOs, CFOs, CHROs.

Above all, the CLO must advocate to management to widely recognize and understand the importance of the corporate legal organization and the fostering of a robust in-house legal organization and in-house legal professionals capable of competing globally. Further, the position of the CLO should be maintained as a meaningful career path within the company. The opportunity to become a future CLO and to become an impactful member of the management team will be a great way to motivate talented professionals to follow in their footsteps — and a virtuous cycle of talent, experience and relationships will be created.

Presently, large companies and also start-ups have CLOs and qualified lawyers in their legal departments. Increasingly, these professionals are expected to play an active role in the management of the company. In order for Japanese companies to become internationally competitive in an increasingly globalized economic environment, it is essential that companies and the legal community in Japan recognize and utilize these trends to further positive change in the role of the CLO and of legal departments. It is critical to establish and develop continuity of such pursuit, an endeavor which the JACLO aims to support through its membership and activities.

Japan Association for CLOs

Organization name	Japan Association for Chief Legal Officers
Date founded	April 2020
Chairman	Kohei Kodama
Head Office	2-7-1, Hirakawa-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Sister organization

Board of Directors

Chairman	Kohei Kodama	Independent Director, IR Japan Holdings, Ltd. Independent Director, Niterra Co., Ltd. （Former Vice President and Executive Officer, CLO, General Counsel, Deputy CRMO, 　and Officer in charge of Audit, Hitachi, Ltd.）
Founder & Executive Director	Hiroshi Yaguchi	Founder & Executive Director, Japan Association for Chief Financial Officers Founder & Executive Director, Japan Association for Chief Human Resource Officers
Director	Miwa Ozaki	Senior Executive Director, Legal & License, Katana Inc.
	Akiko Kikuchi	Board Member, General Counsel, Novo Nordisk Pharma Ltd.
	Takayuki Kitajima	Managing Executive Officer, General Manager of Legal and Intellectual Property Head Quarters, Kanadevia Corporation （Former Representative Executive Officer and General Counsel, Unilever Japan Holdings G.K.）
	Katsuya Natori	Managing Partner and Attorney-at-Law, N & O Partners
	Yoshiyuki Nojima	Representative Director, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Functional Officer, Corporate Administration, Legal, Mitsubishi Corporation
	Yoshihiko Fuchibe	Managing Partner and Attorney-at-Law, Venture Lab Law Office
	Tatsuya Morita	Managing Executive Officer, CCO, CISO, COO, Legal Department, Internal Control Administration Department, Sojitz Corporation
	Anthony Luna	Registered Foreign Lawyer, Southgate Law Office （Former Director, Managing Executive Officer and General Counsel, IBM Japan, Ltd.）
Auditor	Kenji Tamakoshi	Representative Partner and Certified Public Tax Accountant, Tax Corporation ＹＵＩ Advisors Auditor, Japan Association for Chief Financial Officers Auditor, Japan Association for Chief Human Resource Officers
Honorary Advisor	Ryuji Hori	Professor Emeritus, Waseda University Special Advisor, TMI Associates
Advisor	Yutaka Nakamura	Legal Advisor, Asurion Japan Holdings, G.K. （Former Vice President and CLO, Japan Region, Asurion Japan Holdings G.K.）