The Firm’s foundation dates back to as early as1955. Mr.
Tadao Ohno, a founder of the Firm, established Law
Office of Tadao Ohno in Tokyo in 1955 after
serving as Naval Judicial Officer and private practice for
more than ten years. Mr. Tadao Ohno’s firm gradually added
associates and partners, including his son, Mr. Ryoichi Ohno,
and until 1995 was known as "Ohno & Mizukami".
In 1951, Mr. Kazuhide Harada, another founding father of the Firm, joined
a law firm in Tokyo, which became known as
"Furnes, Sato, Harada & Matsui",
one of the first international law firms in Tokyo. During
1972 through 1975, Messrs. Harada and Ohno served as Lecturers
of Civil Trial at the Legal Research & Training Institute
of the Supreme Court of Japan. In 1975, Mr. Harada left "Furnes
Sato" and established "Harada
& Hayakawa", with Mr. Takeo Hayakawa,
a law professor at Kobe University and Mr. Minoru Uchida,
the then young associate attorney. Harada & Hayakawa grew
and until 1995 was known as Harada, Uchida, Sugiyama
& Horii.
Because of the close friendship and professional respect between Mr. Ohno
and Mr. Harada, and the attorneys of the respective two firms, they often
worked together and by 1989 had begun sharing office space. In 1998, the
two law firms officially merged into one law firm, thereby adopted the
current name of "South Toranomon".
Since then, the Firm has grown by adding selected partners
and been providing its clients with a broad range of legal
services, while maintaining its tradition of an un-compromised
commitment to excellence.
