Commercial Dispute
Commercial Dispute Advisory
A written position assessment for companies in disagreement with a supplier, customer or partner — covering strengths, weaknesses and the cost of each route available.
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Lease and Tenancy Advice
Read the lease before you sign it, or before you leave.
Lease terms set out what each party owes the other — at the start, during the tenancy and at the end. A plain summary of those obligations, reviewed before you commit or before a term ends, is often the most straightforward way to avoid a dispute later.
What this service delivers
A plain account of what the lease requires of you, and what it requires of the other side.
Leases are often long and written in terms that are difficult to follow without legal background. The advice we provide translates the obligations into plain language: what you are required to do, what the other party is required to do, and what happens if either side does not do it.
Where a dispute has already arisen — over restoration work, deposit deductions, rent revision or notice — we advise on the applicable provisions and what your position is under them.
Plain summary of end-of-term obligations
Restoration obligations at the end of a tenancy are a frequent source of dispute. We set out what the lease requires and what the applicable rules provide where the lease is silent or ambiguous.
Deposit and restoration provisions explained
What the deposit covers, what deductions are permissible, and what process applies when it is returned — these are set out so you understand the position before a dispute arises or after one has.
Correspondence drafted where preferred
Where the client prefers not to write to the other party directly, we draft the relevant correspondence — notice, response to a claim, renewal proposal — in the appropriate terms.
Renewal, rent revision and notice requirements
We advise on what the lease says about renewal and rent revision, what the applicable statutory framework provides, and what notice each party is required to give in each situation.
The difficulty
Most lease disputes turn on provisions that were there in the document from the beginning.
Restoration obligations misunderstood
What a tenant is required to restore at the end of a term — and what is considered normal wear — is one of the most commonly contested areas in Japanese residential and commercial tenancy. The applicable rules are specific and not always reflected accurately in what the parties understood when they signed.
Notice given too late or in the wrong form
Both landlords and tenants are required to give notice within specified timeframes and in particular forms. A notice given too late, or in the wrong way, may not be legally effective — meaning a lease continues, or a right is lost, when the party intended otherwise.
Renewal terms not reviewed
Renewal is an opportunity to negotiate terms. Many tenants renew without considering whether the existing terms are favourable, and many landlords propose revised rent figures without checking what the lease and the applicable framework actually permit.
Our approach
We read the lease as it is written, against what the law provides.
The starting point is the lease document itself. We review what it says about each area of concern — restoration, deposit, renewal, rent, notice — and consider how the relevant statutory provisions apply where the lease is silent or where its terms need to be read alongside the law.
The summary we produce is written in plain language. It does not reproduce the lease; it explains what the lease means in practical terms for your situation as landlord or tenant.
Where the other party has made a claim — for restoration costs, for example — we advise on whether that claim is supported by the lease and what the options are in response.
Position statement
Who decides what, in this service
You decide
Whether to accept the renewal terms proposed. How to respond to a claim from the other party. Whether to draft correspondence directly or to have us prepare it. Whether to negotiate or let a term run to its end.
We determine
What the lease actually requires of each party. What the statutory framework provides where the lease is silent. Whether a claim made by the other party is supported by the terms. What notice is required and when it must be given.
What working together looks like
A review across two to four weeks, longer where negotiation is involved.
01
Initial description
You describe the matter — a lease you are about to sign, a renewal coming up, a claim received, or a term ending. We confirm whether it falls within lease and tenancy advice and what documents we will need.
02
Lease review
We read the lease against the relevant statutory provisions and any correspondence or claims that form part of the picture. We note what each side is obligated to do and where the document is unclear or silent.
03
Written summary
You receive a plain written summary of the obligations, the applicable provisions, and — where a claim or dispute is involved — the options available and what each involves. Where correspondence is needed, we draft it at this stage.
04
Your decision
With the summary in hand, you decide how to proceed. If negotiation or further correspondence is needed, we advise on that stage separately if you want to continue.
Working languages
Documents
English · Japanese
Meetings
English · Japanese
Correspondence
English · Japanese
Fee
¥27,000 for the initial review and summary.
This fee covers the lease review and the written plain-language summary of obligations. Where correspondence needs to be drafted as part of the initial advisory, this is included. Further stages — negotiation support, mediation, formal proceedings — are scoped and quoted separately if you choose to continue.
Review takes two to four weeks from receipt of the lease and any other relevant documents. Where negotiation is involved, the timeline extends accordingly and we discuss that when scoping the work.
What is included
Review of the lease document against applicable statutory provisions
Plain written summary of obligations at the end of the term
Explanation of deposit and restoration provisions as they apply to your situation
Advice on renewal terms, rent revision options and notice requirements
Correspondence drafted in the appropriate terms where the client prefers not to write directly
How the review works
The lease document first. Then what the law provides where the document is silent.
Lease review in Japan requires reading the document alongside the statutory framework that governs tenancy — which sets defaults that apply whether or not the lease addresses them, and in some areas overrides what the lease says even if both parties agreed to it.
Restoration obligations, in particular, are governed by guidelines that specify what is considered normal wear and therefore the landlord's responsibility, and what represents damage attributable to the tenant. These guidelines apply to residential tenancies in ways that many landlords and tenants are not aware of.
The written summary we produce sets out what each party owes the other under the lease as it stands, what the statutory framework adds or overrides, and — where a claim has been made — whether it is supported by the applicable rules.
Suited to
Small businesses taking commercial premises and wanting to understand what they are committing to before signing. Private owners letting residential property who want clarity on their obligations. Tenants approaching the end of a term with questions about restoration. Landlords and tenants in dispute about deposit deductions or rent revision.
Timeline
Two to four weeks for the review and summary, from the date complete documents are received. Where negotiation with the other party is involved, the timeline is longer and is discussed when we confirm scope. If your matter involves a deadline — a notice that must go out by a specific date — note this when you get in touch.
Our commitment
A summary written for your lease, not a general guide to tenancy law.
The document we produce is specific to your lease and your situation. It does not explain tenancy law in general terms — it explains what your lease says and what that means for you. If the lease is poorly drafted, or if it contains provisions that work against you, we say so.
If you find that the summary does not address the provision or issue you raised — that it has answered a different question from the one you asked — please contact us and we will review the work. The summary should be useful, and that means it should engage with what you actually needed to know.
What you can expect
A plain summary of your obligations — and the other party's — under the lease as it is written
An explanation of where the statutory framework applies and what it changes or adds
A clear account of deposit and restoration provisions as they apply to your situation
Correspondence drafted in appropriate terms if you prefer not to write directly to the other party
No obligation to proceed to negotiation or further stages after receiving the summary
Getting started
What happens when you reach out.
01
Contact us
Use the contact form on the main page or email info@domain.com. A few lines about the situation — a lease you want reviewed, a claim you have received, a term that is ending — is enough to start.
02
We confirm scope
Within two working days we confirm whether the matter falls within lease and tenancy advice, what documents we will need — the lease itself, any correspondence, notice already served — and the timeline from there.
03
Summary delivered
You receive the written plain-language summary within two to four weeks of receiving complete documents. Where correspondence is included, it is delivered at the same time. You then decide what to do with it.
Other services
Further areas where we advise.
Each service begins from the documents and produces a written assessment. If your matter involves more than one area, let us know when you get in touch.
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Describe the situation briefly.
We will confirm whether it falls within scope and explain what the next step looks like. There is no commitment involved in reaching out.
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