When there is a need to enter into a contract with a foreign company, we sometimes come across people who think that all they need to do is prepare an English translation of their Japanese contract format for signing. But in reality, Japanese contracts are usually drafted in accordance with Japanese laws only, and contracts in other languages are drafted in accordance with the laws of their country of origin, so if you translate the Japanese contract directly into the other language, there will be contradictions and conflicts that will become risks due to differences in laws and customs, even if there are no errors in the translation. Therefore, it is recommended that contracts with overseas companies should be formalized in only one language version (English in most cases), and translations including Japanese should be considered only as references. If you need to make both language versions official for special reasons, such as an agreement with the other party, you need to include a condition in the contract that specifies which language version should be used in the event of a translation conflict.

Contract drafting is much more than just translation, it needs to be done very carefully with special attention to conditions that would not normally cause problems if both parties were incorporated in Japan, such as "Limitation of Liability", "Indemnity" and "Confidentiality", not to mention more conspicuous articles such as "Governing Law" and "Jurisdiction."

When we take on a client's contract drafting, we listen carefully to their intentions, draft each article in perfect accordance, explain all the conditions and possible risks of each article, and deliver the final version after the client understands and is satisfied with all the conditions.

Examples of contracts that can be drafted by us：
Sales contracts, license contracts, business tie-up contracts, agency contracts, M & A contracts, confidentiality contracts, manufacturing consignment contracts, consulting contracts, settlement/agreement contracts, etc.

The purpose of legal proofreading is to check whether the draft contract is legally valid, whether its content correctly reflects the contractor's intentions, and whether there is a risk that the contractor will be disadvantaged later.

In particular, there are many factors in contracts with foreign companies that could inadvertently cause enormous disadvantages later, so proper legal review by experts on both sides is desirable to make the deal fair and balanced.

With our support, the Gyoseishoshi lawyer, who has extensive business experience and works as a professional translator, will perform a legal proofreading of contracts and have a meeting with you to explain the results in detail. Please take advantage of our contract drafting/legal proofreading support to boost your confidence in overseas business.