Breaking Boundaries: Miyako Ikuta on Patience, Perseverance, and Becoming a Global Lawyer

Lawyer on Air

Miyako Ikuta is a partner at Kitahama Partners in Tokyo registered to practice in France, New York, and Japan. Miyako shares her journey across multiple countries and legal systems and discusses her diverse roles, including serving as an auditor and outside director. and shares valuable tips for preparing for board roles. Additionally, she delves into her passion for privacy and data law, her experiences with the EU Court of Justice, and her advocacy for human rights. Miyako is truely making a big impact on the legal landscape in Japan, listen to hear the full story.

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In this episode you’ll hear:

• How an early frustration with a lack of privacy from her family set Miyako on the path to become a lawyer

• How a one year exchange in France led to Miyako becoming one of a few Japanese Advocat (Lawyer)

• Miyako’s passion for the law and her efforts to bring about positive changes in Japan

• What you need to study up on when you get shoulder tapped for a board role

• Her restaurant and other fun facts

About Miyako

Miyako is a Partner in the Tokyo office of Kitahama Partners.

As a qualified lawyer in Paris, New York, and Tokyo, her main practice areas are corporate law, IP law, and data privacy law. She has extensive experience in court proceedings in France and Japan, so she is very able to handle litigation matters including cross-border arbitrations when requested.

Most recently, she has been advising on and handling various cross-border matters in Europe, especially in regard to the EU regulations including the GDPR. From the start of her career she has always been active in cross-border transactions between Japan and France.

Miyako studied an LL.B. in Japan (at Ritsumeikan University) and furthered her study of law in France (at Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Tours and the University of Paris II). She started her career as a French attorney at Baker & McKenzie, Paris, then moved to Mandel, Ngo, and Partners in the nineties. She lived in France for about 10 years including 1.5 years of living in Vietnam. Miyako then moved to the US in 1999, went to Columbia Law School where she studied for an LL.M. and then spent half a year at the EU Court of Justice (TFI) in Luxembourg. She moved to New York and joined Hughes Hubbard and Reed LLP and then returned to practice in Japan. Outside of the firm she is an auditor of the Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency (a Japanese public agency under the governance of the Ministry of Environment) and is a corporate auditor of PCA Corporation (also listed on the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange). She was previously a corporate auditor at Renaissance Inc. (listed on the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange), Miyako is also an outside director of kaonavi, inc. (listed on the Growth Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange).

Outside of work, Miyako is active, serving on the Data Issues Committee and the Working Group regarding Attorney-Client Confidential Communication at the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA), and on the Attorney Mediation Committee at the Daini Tokyo Bar Association.

In the spring of 2024, Miyako restarted doing “Kokyo runs”, jogging with her colleagues around the Imperial Palace. She also completed a full marathon at the Tokyo Marathon in 2019. Miyako’s favorite pastimes are listening to the radio, watching sumo and kabuki, and going to operas.

Connect with Miyako

Website: https://www.kitahama.or.jp/english/professionals/miyako-ikuta/

Links

Namamugi Fish Market: https://www.kanagawa-kankou.or.jp/spot/369

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