Toshifumi Saiki
Of Counsel
- Lawyer (Tokyo office)
Toshifumi was appointed as an assistant judge in 1983. Following a period at the Ministry of Justice, he retired in 2019, concluding his judicial career as a Presiding Judge of a Division at the Tokyo High Court. During his tenure, he handled civil litigation, administrative litigation, tax litigation, family law cases, and execution and bankruptcy cases. Furthermore, he served as a notary public from 2019 to 2025. In this capacity, he engaged in duties such as drafting notarized wills, notarized voluntary guardianship contracts, and contracts for delegation of post-death affairs, as well as certifying articles of incorporation for company establishment and authenticating documents for submission to foreign countries (obtaining Apostilles).
Professional History
| 1955 | Born in Hokkaido |
|---|---|
| 1980 | Graduated from Hokkaido University, Faculty of Law |
| 1981 | Passed Bar Exam |
| 1983 | Completed legal training; Appointed as Assistant Judge, Sapporo District Court |
| 1985 | Assistant Judge, Tokyo District Court |
| 1988 | Assistant Judge, Fukuoka District Court |
| 1991 | Assistant Judge, Fukushima District Court, Koriyama Branch |
| 1993 | Judge, Fukushima District Court, Koriyama Branch |
| 1995 | Public Prosecutor, Litigation Department, Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau |
| 1998 | Counselor, Litigation Bureau, Ministry of Justice |
| 2001 | Director of Property Litigation, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Justice |
| 2002 | Administrative Litigation Division, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Justice |
| 2003 | Director, Civil Litigation Division, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Justice |
| 2005 | Director, Litigation Planning Division, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Justice |
| 2007 | Counselor (General Litigation Affairs), Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Justice/td> |
| 2008 | Judge, Tokyo High Court |
| 2009 | Presiding Judge, Tokyo District Court |
| 2012 | Presiding Judge, Yokohama District Court |
| 2014 | President, Okayama District Court |
| 2016 | Presiding Judge, Tokyo High Court |
| 2019 | Retired from the judiciary; Notary Public, Kojimachi Notary Office |
| 2024-2025 | Chairman, Tokyo Notary Association |
| 2025 | Retired as Notary Public; Registered as a lawyer (Tokyo Bar Association); Joined Higashimachi LPC |
Other Professional Experience
| Bar Examination Examiner (Civil Procedure or Civil Code) (1998–2004) |
| Lecturer, Japan Federation of Land and House Investigators (2009–2012) |
| Temporary Member, Subcommittee on Law of Succession, Legislative Council of the Ministry of Justice (April 2024 – June 2025) |
| Member, Expert Panel on Issues Regarding Certification of Articles of Incorporation, Commercial Law Center (2024) |
Publications
| Co-author, “Key Points and Model Clauses for Drafting Wills by Case,” Shinnihon-Hoki |
| Co-author, “Practice: Litigation Regarding Co-owned Real Estate,” Nippon Kajo Publishing |
| “End-of-Life Planning for Singles and the Use of Various Notarized Documents,” Family Law and Courts (Katei no Ho to Saiban), Vol. 40, p. 37 et seq. (2022) |
| “Denial of Tax Avoidance Acts,” in Toshiaki Hokin ed., Compendium of Modern Case Law 29 |
| “Exercise of Management Rights over Public Property,” in Masayuki Fujiyama ed., New Judicial Practice System (25): Administrative Litigation (Revised Edition) |
| “The Right of Representation for Daily Household Affairs and Apparent Agency,” Hanrei Times, No. 650, p. 61 et seq. |
| Commentary on the Supreme Court Judgment of June 23, 1989, Hanrei Times, No. 735, p. 44 |
| Commentary on the Supreme Court Judgment of April 19, 1990, Hanrei Times, No. 762, p. 36 |
| Commentary on the Supreme Court Judgment of November 20, 1990, Hanrei Times, No. 790, p. 26 |
| Commentary on the Supreme Court Judgment of October 1, 1991, Hanrei Times, No. 821, p. 26 |
| Commentary on the Nagoya District Court Judgment of October 7, 1992, Hanrei Times, No. 852, p. 22 |
| Commentary on the Supreme Court Judgment of September 24, 1993, Hanrei Times, No. 882, p. 20 |