Who we are
Yukihisa Koike
Judicial Scrivener & Administrative Scrivener — Yokohama
Background
Graduated from Husson College (USA), followed by Sophia University Faculty of Law. Passed the Judicial Scrivener examination in 2022 and the Administrative Scrivener examination prior. Gained practical experience at a major judicial scrivener firm before establishing Koike Legal Office in Yokohama in April 2025.
Fluent in English and Japanese. All client communication — emails, meetings, document review — is conducted directly by Koike, not through staff or interpreters.
Qualifications
Judicial Scrivener (司法書士) — registered
Administrative Scrivener (行政書士) — registered
Registered immigration and visa procedures specialist (申請取次行政書士)
Authorized to file immigration applications on behalf of clients with the Immigration Services Agency of Japan
Sophia University, Faculty of Law
Husson College (USA)
What do these titles mean?
Japan’s legal system divides work among several licensed professionals. Unlike the US or UK, there is no single “lawyer” who handles everything. Here is what each title means in practice.
Attorney (Bengoshi)
Can handle all legal matters including court representation. Primarily focused on litigation, disputes, and complex contract negotiations.
Judicial Scrivener (Shiho-shoshi)
Specialist in registration: company formation, real estate transfers, inheritance. Files directly with the Legal Affairs Bureau. Cannot handle visas or permits.
Admin Scrivener (Gyosei-shoshi)
Specialist in government applications: visa filings, business permits, licences. Cannot file registration applications.
This office holds both licenses
Company registration, visa applications, and permit filings — all from one office. You do not need to find and brief a second professional. Where matters fall outside our scope (tax, litigation, social insurance), we refer you directly to a specialist in our network.
Selected cases
Details anonymised to protect client confidentiality.
Foreign subsidiary establishment
Southeast Asian corporation establishing a Japanese GK. Foreign Exchange Act pre-filing, overseas notarisation, multi-party coordination across three jurisdictions. Completed in 40 days from initial contact.
Cross-border property sale
US national selling Japanese real estate. Managed authentication requirements without apostille by applying accepted Japanese legal practices. Coordinated with buyer’s agent and tax advisor.
International inheritance
Estate involving property in Japan with heirs located in Southeast Asia. Coordinated overseas document authentication and completed inheritance registration.
More cases to come
This office opened in April 2025. Our case portfolio grows with each engagement.
How we work
We tell you what you need to know, not what you want to hear. If a plan has legal risk, we say so upfront — in writing — before you commit.
We stay in our lane. Tax goes to a tax accountant. Litigation goes to an attorney. We don’t overreach — and we arrange the referral ourselves.
One business day. Every initial inquiry gets a substantive response within one business day. Not an auto-reply — a real answer from the person handling your matter.
Fees before work. You receive a written estimate before we begin. If the scope changes, we tell you before the cost does.