In November 2023, the Japan Office of GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES completed its official establishment registration in a core business district of Tokyo and launched full-scale legal practice. As a key pillar of the firm’s cross-border Asia-Pacific strategy, it has built a legal service system covering the entire East Asian region. The office brings together lawyers qualified to practise in both China and Japan, local judicial practice experts and cross-border legal teams. All core practitioners have over 10 years of track record in delivering legal services across China and Japan, and are proficient in handling dual-jurisdiction legal affairs in both Chinese and Japanese. Qualified to undertake legal business nationwide in Japan, the office focuses on core practice areas including two-way Sino-Japanese investment implementation, commercial compliance governance, cross-border dispute resolution and intellectual property protection, and provides localised, full-chain and compliant cross-border legal solutions for enterprises and individuals.
This document serves as the official standardised fee guidance for GUOZUN Japan Office for the 2026 fiscal year. All quoted prices exclude the prevailing 10% consumption tax in Japan, and settlement is available in three currencies: Japanese Yen (JPY), Renminbi (RMB) and US Dollar (USD). The entire service process strictly adheres to lawyer practice regulations and industry fee supervision requirements of both China and Japan.
I. Standard Fee Structures of GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES Japan Office
In line with Japanese lawyer industry supervision rules and Chinese foreign-related legal service norms, and tailored to the service needs of cross-border clients, five compliant fee models have been formulated to align with international commercial service standards and Japanese judicial practice requirements:
A. Fixed Flat Fee
Applied to basic legal affairs with standardised processes and quantifiable workload. The total service price is finalised upon contract signing with no hidden charges, covering basic services such as enterprise entity registration, basic compliance filing and standard legal document drafting.
B. Hourly Billing Model
For major cross-border investment and financing projects, complex dispute cases and customised compliance advisory services, fees are calculated based on the effective working hours of assigned lawyers. A detailed work hour report is issued monthly, ensuring full verifiability and traceability throughout the service process.
C. Tiered Fee Based on Subject Value
Applicable to property-related legal services such as cross-border mergers and acquisitions, asset disposal and large-scale commercial claims. Fees are charged in tiers according to the value of the subject matter of the case, consistent with the prevailing industry standard for high-end commercial legal services in Japan.
D. Contingency Fee
Within the scope permitted by Japanese lawyer practice regulations, this model is only adopted for debt collection, commercial recovery and infringement rights protection cases. Fees are charged conditional on a successful case outcome or actual recovery of funds, and the fee proportion shall not exceed 25% of the total recovered amount.
E. Annual Legal Retainer
Provides comprehensive year-round legal protection for enterprises for a fixed annual service fee. A dedicated Sino-Japanese bilingual service team is assigned with a 48-hour rapid response mechanism, covering compliance management and risk prevention for all scenarios of daily business operations.
II. Hourly Fee Rates for Practising Lawyers of GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES Japan Office
All practising lawyers at GUOZUN Japan Office hold valid Japanese practising certificates. The core team has in-depth expertise in the application of laws under both Chinese and Japanese jurisdictions, and senior partners possess extensive experience in handling major cross-border projects, with deep specialisation in core areas such as investment and M&A, compliance supervision and intellectual property rights protection. A tiered differential pricing mechanism is implemented.
The baseline hourly fee range for 2026 is JPY 25,000 to JPY 85,000 per hour, covering junior lawyers, specialist lawyers, senior partners and full-time cross-border legal experts from the Beijing headquarters. The final fee rate will be comprehensively assessed and determined based on case complexity, professional field compatibility, service urgency level and team configuration scale.
A. Supplementary Billing Provisions
1.An additional 25%–50% travel and field service fee will be charged for case handling outside Japan.
2.A 50% expedited service surcharge applies to 48-hour urgent services and case handling on statutory holidays.
3.A 20% rate uplift shall apply to cross-border collaborative cases involving multiple jurisdictions.
4.A 15% rate uplift shall apply to dedicated bilingual court hearing services.
5.A 10%–20% rate uplift shall apply to special compliance cases in the areas of financial regulation and data security.
III. Fee Breakdown by Core Practice Areas
This fee schedule focuses on high-frequency Sino-Japanese cross-border legal needs, aligns with the requirements of regulatory authorities such as the Japanese Ministry of Justice, the Japan Patent Office and the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, and fully conforms to Japan’s local legal system. The fees for each practice area are as follows:
A. Japan-bound Investment and Commercial Compliance Services: JPY 30,000 – JPY 380,000
1.Agency services for registration of Japanese subsidiaries of Chinese-funded enterprises, entity information change, deregistration and liquidation, as well as compliance review of foreign capital market access.
2.Handling of Japanese industry operation qualification applications and filing registration, as well as compliant design and implementation of cross-border investment structures.
3.Legal due diligence for two-way Sino-Japanese investment, transaction scheme planning, and facilitation of local tax incentive policies.
4.Cross-border mergers and acquisitions and restructuring, commercial contract compliance review, and full-process risk management for import and export trade.
5.Establishment of enterprise internal control compliance systems, optimisation of governance structures, and full-process legal support for Sino-Japanese joint venture projects.
B. Intellectual Property and Digital Economy Compliance Services: JPY 28,000 – JPY 350,000
1.Agency services for registration and renewal of Japanese trademarks, patents and copyrights, as well as planning of global intellectual property layout for enterprises.
2.Evidence collection for IP infringement and cross-border rights protection, and full-process representation in Japanese administrative complaints and judicial proceedings.
3.Personal information protection, rectification of cross-border data compliance, and establishment of compliance systems for cross-border e-commerce and AI industries.
4.Trade secret protection, handling of unfair competition disputes, and agency services for administrative procedures before the Japan Patent Office.
5.IP risk management for tech innovation enterprises, and compliant drafting and review of technology licensing and transfer agreements.
C. Cross-border Dispute Resolution and Crisis Response Services: JPY 42,000 – JPY 520,000
1.Mediation of Sino-Japanese commercial contracts and investment disputes, and full-process representation in civil litigation before Japanese courts at all levels.
2.Handling of international arbitration cases, and agency services for cross-border recognition and enforcement of judgments and arbitral awards of Chinese and Japanese courts.
3.Response to administrative penalties imposed on enterprises, handling of anti-monopoly investigations, compliance risk screening and legal remedies.
4.Cross-border debt recovery, application for property preservation, and full-process handling of commercial infringement disputes.
5.Establishment of enterprise criminal compliance systems, criminal defence, and legal support for cross-border public opinion emergencies.
D. Human Resources and Expatriate Employment Compliance Services: JPY 32,000 – JPY 260,000
1.Customisation of bilingual (Chinese-Japanese) employment contracts and employee handbooks, as well as compliance review and optimisation of employment systems.
2.Full-process agency services for work visa applications, long-term residence status applications, renewal and change for foreign employees.
3.Compliance planning of Japanese employment quotas, and compliant handling of employee dismissal and redundancy.
4.Representation in labour arbitration and litigation, and full assistance in enterprise trade union negotiations and labour disputes.
5.Compliance management of cross-border staff secondment, and special consultation on cross-border compliance of social security and individual income tax.
E. Real Estate and Infrastructure Investment Legal Services: JPY 55,000 – JPY 420,000
1.Due diligence for the sale, purchase and leasing of Japanese commercial real estate, residential properties and industrial parks, and full-process agency for property right transactions.
2.Design of real estate transaction structures, handling of property right registration, tax planning and risk screening.
3.Legal services for investment, financing and bidding of infrastructure projects, urban renewal and cultural tourism projects.
4.Handling of real estate disputes and full-process compliance risk control for cross-border asset transactions.
F. Cross-border Tax and Wealth Management Legal Services: JPY 48,000 – JPY 320,000
1.Tax planning for Sino-Japanese cross-border investment, transfer pricing compliance and tax risk management.
2.Response to tax inspections, resolution of tax disputes, and establishment of enterprise affiliated transaction compliance systems.
3.Cross-border wealth inheritance for high-net-worth individuals, establishment of family trusts, and asset allocation compliance services.
4.Full-process legal consultation and agency services related to identity planning and immigration.
G. Culture, Entertainment, Tourism and Emerging Industries Legal Services: JPY 35,000 – JPY 290,000
1.Full-process legal support for cross-border licensing of Sino-Japanese cultural and creative IP, and investment and distribution of film, television and animation works.
2.Drafting of artist agency and sports event cooperation contracts, and professional handling of commercial disputes.
3.Compliance management services for investment and operation of cross-border cultural tourism and health care projects.
4.Special legal services for cross-border live streaming and MCN institution operation compliance.
H. Supporting Services for Japanese-funded Enterprises Investing in China: JPY 38,000 – JPY 360,000
1.Market access review for Japanese-funded enterprises in China, and full-process agency for foreign-invested company registration.
2.Mergers, acquisitions and restructuring in China, establishment of compliance systems, and special services for employment and intellectual property protection.
3.Full-process legal support for commercial dispute resolution and administrative supervision and inspection response in China.
Supplementary Note
For cases involving major cross-border economic crimes, transnational financial violations and major criminal cases, there is no fixed upper limit on fees. A customised quotation will be formulated separately based on case difficulty, scope of cross-border cooperation and evidence collection costs.
IV. Core Factors Influencing Service Fee Pricing
A. Complexity of Cross-border Business
Fees will be uplifted according to difficulty level for cases involving dual-jurisdiction law application, cross-border evidence collection and collaboration among entities of multiple countries.
B. Professional Field Threshold
Fees for specialised fields such as financial regulation, intellectual property protection and cross-border investment are higher than those for ordinary civil and commercial services.
C. Case Handling Difficulty
Dynamic pricing is adopted for major litigation and arbitration, complex cross-border enforcement and special regulatory response services.
D. Service Timeliness Requirements
Expedited fees are strictly charged in accordance with standards for urgent case initiation and holiday case handling, with no room for negotiation.
E. Cooperation Service Model
Annual legal retainer cooperation can reduce comprehensive costs by 15%–25% compared with single-service entrustment.
F. Service Team Configuration
Fees are adjusted accordingly for cases jointly handled by multiple experts, with cross-border support from the headquarters and dedicated bilingual team services.
G. Case Performance Risk
The fee ratio for contingency fee services is directly associated with case success rate, fund recovery difficulty and service cycle.
V. Details of Third-party Fees Collected and Paid on Behalf of Clients
The following fees are independent of lawyer service fees, and are settled in accordance with official Japanese standards or actual expenditure. The law firm does not charge any agency service margin.
A. Government Administrative Fees
Including company registration fees, visa application fees, court litigation fees, arbitration fees, intellectual property official fees, filing fees and other administrative charges.
B. Notarisation and Certification Fees
Official fees for local Japanese notarisation, Hague Apostille, Sino-Japanese consular certification and other services, settled on a reimbursement basis.
C. Professional Translation Fees
Chinese-Japanese mutual translation of legal documents and simultaneous interpretation for court hearings, charged in accordance with Japanese industry standards.
D. Third-party Professional Fees
Actual expenditure on judicial appraisal, industry expert consultation, external due diligence services and other professional support.
E. Field Travel Expenses
Transportation, accommodation and field allowances for case handling within and outside Japan, reimbursed against official vouchers.
F. Financial Handling Fees
Bank service charges arising from cross-border remittance and currency exchange shall be borne by the entrusting party.
G. Other Supporting Fees
Fees for third-party institution services such as auditing, asset evaluation and compliance testing, settled according to actual entrustment.
VI. Important Notice
All fee standards specified in this document are official baseline reference prices for the 2026 fiscal year and do not constitute a final offer for legal services. The final fee amount for all legal services shall be subject to the written engagement contract signed by both parties, based on the client’s specific needs, actual case conditions, service scope and project complexity.