Japan: Best Practices for Lawyers Returning to the Office following COVID-19 State of Emergency

Atsumi & Sakai has established a special response team to address the risk posed by the Coronavirus (COVID-19), and is implementing countermeasures to avoid the spread of the virus and ensure the safety of our clients and team members.

The government of Japan recently lifted the state of emergency that had been in effect since early April. Accordingly, in early June, Atsumi & Sakai moved to a system combining telework and staggered commuting hours for staff. During this time, the reception will remain open, conference rooms will be available and we will be reachable at our main telephone number from 11:00 to 16:00.

Whilst we continue to recommend to our lawyers that they work from home as much as possible through remote access and online meeting systems, they will come to the office if necessary, and can be contacted via their direct phone number, mobile phone number and email, as usual.

In order to prevent the spread of infection, we ask that meetings with our lawyers and staff be held online or via teleconference to avoid personal contact if at all possible. If a face-to-face meeting is to be held at our offices, we ask that all attendees (clients, attorneys and staff alike) wash and disinfect their hands, wear a face mask to and during the in-person meeting (both hand disinfectant and masks are always available in our reception area), and permit us to do a quick temperature check using a thermographic body temperature measuring system or non-contact thermometer (no data is stored from the body temperature check). Please note that individuals with a temperature of 37°C or higher, may be asked to refrain from attending an in-person meeting.

In addition, for the time being, our lawyers and employees are not permitted to drink or dine in large groups, whether inside or outside the firm, as a rule. These measures are expected to remain in place for the foreseeable future.

We encourage our colleagues working in law firms worldwide to consider implementing similar policies. Together, we can identify and assess the situation and the major risks to our staff, in order to propose the best alternatives and actions to mitigate any negative short-term and long-term effects. We hope you will join us in this effort

For more information on these articles or any other issues involving labour and employment matters in Japan, please contact Tatsuo Yamashima (Partner) of Atsumi & Sakai at tatsuo.yamashima@aplaw.jp or visit www.aplaw.jp.

For more information please contact Joseph Granato, Communications Manager at L&E Global at joseph.granato@leglobal.org.