Harvey Tokyo office plans were confirmed this month, with the US legal artificial intelligence start-up announcing it will open in the Japanese capital in early 2027 to deepen its support for law firms and corporate legal teams across the country.
The company said the Tokyo office will support its growing customer base in Japan and deepen relationships with law firms including Mori Hamada & Matsumoto and Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, as well as in-house legal teams such as Mitsubishi Corporation. A local presence will help the firm work more closely with those teams and strengthen the support it provides.
Harvey’s chief executive and co-founder Winston Weinberg said Japan is a critical market for legal, home to many exceptional law firms and companies. With the government investing in AI acceleration country-wide, there is no better time to bring Harvey to Tokyo, he said.
The announcement came on 12 October. In an interview with Nikkei published the following day, Weinberg said the company will open the office between January and March and hire local staff, including a Japan country manager, while working to establish a Japanese subsidiary.
What the Harvey Tokyo office will focus on
The Tokyo team will concentrate on sales and support for major Japanese law firms and corporate legal departments. Harvey is also building its software to better support work in Japanese and reflect the needs of legal professionals in Japan.
That includes a partnership with Legalscape, a Tokyo-based legal research company, aimed at bringing trusted Japanese legal sources directly into Harvey. By teaming with customers to improve the accuracy of its AI in handling Japanese law, the company can adapt its service to legal practices specific to the country.
Existing customers in Japan already include the law firms Mori Hamada & Matsumoto and Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, along with legal departments at Mitsubishi Corporation and Dentsu Group, according to Nikkei. Many of Harvey’s sales and customer support staff are lawyers, the report noted.
Koji Toshima, a partner and chief financial officer at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, said the firm has worked closely with Harvey since forming a partnership in 2024, exploring how AI can raise the quality and efficiency of Japanese legal services. He described the Tokyo office as a welcome and significant milestone demonstrating Harvey’s commitment to the Japanese legal market.
Why Harvey Tokyo office timing matters
The Tokyo office will join Harvey’s existing Asia-Pacific presence in Sydney, Singapore and Bengaluru, marking the latest step in an expansion that has taken the company to more than 85 countries and over 3,500 customers since its founding in 2022.
Harvey was co-founded by Weinberg, a former litigator, and an AI researcher. Its software specialises in legal work, incorporating generative AI to streamline tasks such as drafting documents, reviewing contracts and researching laws across jurisdictions. The company uses multiple AI models, including those from OpenAI and Anthropic.
The move lands as Japanese law firms face mounting pressure to use billable time more efficiently. Weinberg told Nikkei the company aims to accelerate AI use by law firms and their corporate clients, a pitch that resonates in a market where elite firms compete for talent and efficiency.
Investors see the planned opening as a signal of continued investment in geographic growth and deeper penetration of the legal technology market in Asia. Closer engagement with leading law firms and corporate legal departments in Japan could support revenue opportunities, strengthen client retention and bolster Harvey’s competitive position in a high-value market.
The emphasis on building around local professional needs points to product localisation tailored to Japanese regulatory and practice requirements. Working with local experts and listening to customer feedback will guide how Harvey develops its product and supports its use, the company said.
Harvey is already hiring for the Tokyo team and has invited interested candidates to get in touch. The company says trust is earned over time through close collaboration and consistent support, and that it is investing in a local presence to build lasting relationships with the lawyers and legal teams it serves.