Similar to a lawsuit in court, parties to an arbitration are allowed to have legal counsel represent their interests to the panel of arbitrators. However, while legal representation in litigation is limited to attorneys licensed in Japan, there is no rule in the Arbitration Act preventing foreign lawyers from representing clients in an arbitration.
In addition, the Foreign Lawyers Act specifically states that foreign lawyers are allowed to represent clients in international arbitrations. Therefore, foreign clients are free to hire foreign attorneys to act as their representatives in local Japanese arbitrations.
If you have a question about international arbitrations please contact our office for a legal consultation.