Leading Global Trade Lawyer Junko Suetomi Joins Greenberg Traurig’s Tokyo Office

TOKYO - Nov. 10, 2025 - Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP is strengthening its services in Asia with the addition of global trade lawyer Junko Suetomi as a shareholder in its Tokyo office. Junko, who previously worked at Baker McKenzie, is a highly regarded, multidisciplinary lawyer who has advised the Japanese government, practiced in the United States, and counseled clients on trade sanctions imposed on countries throughout the world.

"Greenberg Traurig's driving goal in Tokyo and throughout Asia has been to attract top-tier talent that exhibits legal excellence to ensure we continue to meet and exceed client expectations," said Koji Ishikawa, managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig's Tokyo office. "Junko's wide-ranging experience is the perfect embodiment of that mission. She has served her clients honorably, developed critical relationships throughout Japan, and has become one of the most trusted voices on sanctions, international trade regulations, and the intricacies of global trade. We are privileged to welcome her to the firm."

Junko's hiring is the latest step in Greenberg Traurig's ongoing ascent in the Asian market, with the firm's Singapore office recently adding a team of investment fund lawyers and the Seoul office being named "Best Foreign Law Firm" two years in a row by the Asia Business Law Journal. The firm's global growth strategy has focused on recruiting top local talent, empowering it on the ground, respecting local rules and markets, and encouraging collaborations with the firm's 3,000+ lawyers operating in 51 offices worldwide.

Junko will add her knowledge and experience to Greenberg's Traurig's Tokyo office, which opened 10 years ago and has grown to become one of the leading groups working in the country. Twelve lawyers from the office were named in the latest edition of Best Lawyers in Japan and its Real Estate Practice received an Asia Business Law Journal 2024 Japan Law Firm Award.

"Junko's unique experience will open up new possibilities for our clients and provide Greenberg Traurig with an invaluable resource in the critical Japanese market," said Richard A. Edlin, vice chair of Greenberg Traurig. "We have built an international team of trade lawyers across the firm who understand their local markets and work collaboratively to bridge the gaps between distant regions. Junko represents a monumental addition to that team."

Junko focuses her practice on commercial and trade law, World Trade Organization (WTO) disputes, civil and criminal litigation, antitrust law, bankruptcy law, and general corporate law. She advises clients on trade remedy matters, antitrust compliance programs, customs matters, and disputes with government entities. She represents government agencies, financial institutions, information technology companies, manufacturing companies, professional services companies, medical equipment manufacturers, machinery manufacturers, and energy companies.

Junko regularly analyzes and advises clients on sanctions programs, particularly those imposed on Russia, Iran, and Myanmar. She counsels businesses on inbound and outbound trade deals, advising them on regulations imposed by the governments of Japan, the United States, and others, especially in recent years as companies have grappled with global supply chain disruptions.

"Companies that trade in the global market are facing challenges on all fronts, from tariffs and trade wars to political instability and regional conflicts," she said. "I'm constantly analyzing how those problems affect the global supply chain and providing legal guidance to my clients on how to navigate them."

Junko's experience is in such high demand in part because of a pioneering position she held early in her career as a lawyer advising the WTO Dispute Settlement Division of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Economic Bureau. She was one of the first lawyers to be seconded to work for the ministry, giving her firsthand experience with international trade dispute resolution mechanisms. She also worked for global law firms in Washington, D.C., New York, and Tokyo, roles that helped develop her understanding of U.S. trade and regulatory frameworks.

Now, with Greenberg Traurig, Junko will continue her global trade work, but also expand her practice to include the nascent field of commercial arbitration in Japan. Arbitration is not common there, with most disputes resulting in litigation. But Junko said that trend is shifting as clients are becoming more interested in finding resolutions outside of the courtroom.

"There's room to explore and to grow that field and I want to be a hub for that practice," she said. "The timing is perfect now that I'm joining Greenberg Traurig, because I can tap into the firm's prodigious disputes resolution practice that is already operating worldwide. That will help me serve clients by responding to their evolving needs."

Her hiring at Greenberg Traurig serves as a homecoming for Junko, who interned at the firm's New York City office in 2006. She is returning because of the reputation the firm has developed across Asia for allowing its lawyers the freedom to operate across practices to best serve their clients. Junko was impressed that there are no barriers between Greenberg Traurig's practices or offices around the world, giving her the opportunity to work in new fields and collaborate with new colleagues.