

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Policy
- In order to fulfill the firm’s social responsibility to provide the best quality service to our clients, Anderson Mōri & Tomotsune Foreign Law Joint Enterprise (AMT) must create an environment in which people from diverse backgrounds can fully demonstrate their individual talents and skills.
- The true strength of a law firm lies in its ability to enable its members to discover their own path to flourishing as individuals, regardless of their gender, nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, special needs, culture, beliefs, or lifestyle. AMT actively promotes Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) throughout the firm in order to create an organization in which employees with these different backgrounds are led naturally to accept one another, consider individual differences and circumstances to ensure fairness, and to value one another’s unique differences, such that each member is able to demonstrate his or her abilities in a safe working environment.
Specific Initiatives at AMT
AMT promotes the recruitment of diverse human resources by mutually respecting the values and sensitivities of each individual, regardless of their gender, nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or special needs.
At AMT, where approximately 60% of employees are women, the following measures have been taken to promote the advancement of women:
●For our lawyers, we have invested in measures that facilitate flexible working styles and support long-term career goals through the fixed time work system, the establishment of a firm-contracted nursery, and the setting up of a framework to subsidize the expenses of sitters.
●For our staff, we have been awarded three stars under the ‘Eruboshi Certification’ based on the ‘Act regarding the Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace.’
AMT was reorganized as a Foreign Law Joint Enterprise in January 2021 to strengthen its ability to respond to the demands of cross-border transactions through a truly equal partnership among lawyers from different countries. Operating within this new framework, AMT currently has lawyers and staff from more than 13 distinct countries working together in a variety of different languages and cultures. For this reason, we have taken measures such as adopting a policy of using both Japanese and English for notifications and communications within the firm.
AMT promotes an environment where LGBTQ+ and other sexual minority employees can demonstrate their individuality and be respected. We strictly prohibit any form of discrimination and require that no discriminatory remarks or actions be made based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.As part of our efforts to promote understanding and acceptance of LGBTQ+ and other sexual minorities, and to create an environment where all employees respect diverse values and do not tolerate unfair discrimination, we have implemented the following specific measures:
●LGBTQ+ identity awareness training for our partners.
●Review of the gender categories found in the workplace rules and other internal rules (e.g., by clearly indicating in the rules that the definition of ‘spouse’ includes the partner from a same-sex marriage).
●Emphasize our harassment policy that clearly prohibits discrimination against sexual minorities among employees.
●Content related to SOGI harassment has been added to the harassment training that all employees are required to take every year.
AMT has created an environment in which each and every person, with or without disabilities, can play an active role. Furthermore, we have set up a consultation desk so that employees with disabilities can work with peace of mind.
The inception of the firm’s new DEI Promotion Committee, comprised of both lawyers and staff, was announced in May 2021. Moreover, we will establish a dedicated consultation desk tailored to various circumstances and backgrounds to receive consultations and consider measures.
●Please watch the video interview with Mari Itoh , our partner and DEI Promotion Committee member of our firm, regarding AMT's DEI efforts, goals, and challenges.
June 2023: Diversity & Inclusion in Japan’s Legal Industry
●Our firm invited Mr. Kazuo Wakamiya (uni’que Inc./CEO, Metaverse Creators Inc./CEO) as an external speaker at an event titled 'Let's Talk about Gender in the Metaverse'.
February 29, 2024: 'Let's Talk about Gender in the Metaverse'
●In addition to the above, our office is very much engaged in DEI-related Pro Bono activities. For details, please refer to > this link destination.