Noboru Kitayama

Noboru Kitayama, a Partner at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, has been recognised in the Information Technology Law Firm of the Year in Japan category at the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2025. The award acknowledges the information-technology practice of one of Japan's largest and most respected full-service law firms, and the contribution of a partner whose work sits at the intersection of technology, data protection and regulatory compliance. Mr. Kitayama became a partner of the firm in January 2023 and practises within its IT, technology and artificial-intelligence group.

Mori Hamada & Matsumoto is a leading international law firm headquartered in Tokyo, offering the full range of corporate, finance, disputes and regulatory services to Japanese and multinational clients. Its technology, media and telecommunications practice is among the most active in the market, advising on the legal questions raised by digital transformation, data governance, cybersecurity and emerging technologies. Within this environment, Mr. Kitayama focuses on information-technology law and the increasingly important field of personal-data protection.

His background is distinctive. Before joining the firm's partnership he served as a Deputy Director at Japan's Personal Information Protection Commission, the national authority responsible for data-protection regulation, where he oversaw regulatory compliance matters. This regulatory experience is complemented by time as a senior associate at the international firm Bird & Bird and by work connected to the automobile industry, giving him a rounded view of how technology and data issues arise in practice across both the public and private sectors.

Mr. Kitayama's academic credentials reinforce his specialisation. He holds a Bachelor of Laws from Rikkyo University and a Doctor of Law from the University of Tokyo, and he earned a National Security Law LLM from Georgetown University Law Center in the United States. He has also co-authored a work on Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information, which received recognition in the Honzukuri Awards, underlining his standing as a commentator and authority on data-protection law. This combination of regulatory service, international training and scholarship equips him to advise clients on the most demanding questions in information technology and privacy.

Information-technology law in Japan has grown steadily more demanding as data protection, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence move to the centre of commercial and regulatory concern. Businesses must navigate the requirements of the Act on the Protection of Personal Information alongside sector-specific rules and rapidly developing international standards, often in the context of cross-border data flows and global operations. Mr. Kitayama's regulatory background at the Personal Information Protection Commission gives him an insider's understanding of how these rules are formulated and applied, an advantage that translates directly into practical advice for clients. Backed by Mori Hamada & Matsumoto's technology practice, he is well placed to help organisations manage data, technology and privacy risk with confidence.

For clients, the value of this expertise lies in its practical application: guiding technology companies, data-driven businesses and multinational corporations through Japan's regulatory framework for information technology, data protection and related areas. Backed by the scale and resources of Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, Mr. Kitayama is able to bring both depth of knowledge and institutional strength to complex matters. His recognition in the Information Technology Law Firm of the Year in Japan category at the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2025 reflects the firm's leadership in this field and his own emergence as a prominent specialist in Japanese information-technology and data-protection law.