I’m Catherine, the host of Lawyer on Air, the #1 podcast for legal careers in Japan. In each episode, I bring you award-winning insights and inspirational inside stories about working in law as a woman in Japan.
Whether you’re dreaming of a career here or already practicing, this is your go-to guide for finding your place in Japan’s legal landscape.
We’ll dive into what hiring managers look for, emerging trends in the legal market, what it takes to earn a seat on a Japanese corporate board, and how to thrive personally and professionally.
Building a Legal Career in AI Ethics at Sony with Yoko Arisaka
Yoko Arisaka is General Manager of Sony Group's Legal Department and a key architect of Sony's AI ethics guidelines. Yoko shares her journey from Tokyo to New York, experiencing the World Financial Crisis there, and finding her niche at Sony, forging a deep interest in AI governance. You will be surprised at how Yoko looks to the past and outside of the law for hints on how to bring about the future.
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/jp/podcast/lawyer-on-air/id1553526783) to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here! (https://www.speakpipe.com/LawyerOnAir)
In this episode you’ll hear:
Yoko’s “small”, consistent networking habit that compounded into creating a valuable network for her
The moment in 2015 when she was first asked to research the new field of AI ethics
The technical and soft skills a legal general manager needs right now
Yoko's biggest concern about AI adoption is not speed but the hidden long-term costs
About Yoko
Yoko Arisaka is General Manager of the Legal Section, Legal Department at Sony Group Corporation. She plays an important role in offering legal guidance and support for the implementation of new technologies and creating new businesses in Sony. She works closely with cross-functional teams to ensure compliance with legal requirements and minimize potential risks.
In addition to her expertise in corporate law, she has made contributions to the field of AI ethics. She was a key member of the team responsible for developing Sony Group AI Ethics Guidelines. She has published multiple articles on the subject in reputable Japanese legal journals. She has a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from the University of Tokyo and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from UCLA School of Law, and is licensed to practice law in the State of New York.
In her free time, she enjoys staying active, exploring gut health and inner wellness, and dining out with friends.
Connect with Yoko
Please contact Catherine to be connected with Yoko
Connect with Catherine
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair (https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair)
13 Sept 2026
Simon Hollander on a Legal Career Built on Curiosity and Tips to Tackle AI Tools in the Market
Special guest, Simon Hollander is Senior Corporate Counsel at Amazon Web Services and supports Products and Security Legal across Asia Pacific as AWS's regulatory expert on cloud and AI. Simon shares his interesting career path and the women lawyers who influenced every pivotal career decision he ever made. We hear about the tools coming out of leading AI models, Simon's insights on brain fry, and what lawyers should be working on in this age of AI.
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/jp/podcast/lawyer-on-air/id1553526783) to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here! (https://www.speakpipe.com/LawyerOnAir)
In this episode you’ll hear:
How nearly every pivotal legal career decision Simon has ever made was influenced by a woman lawyer. Listen in for some shoutouts to our LOA community!
The “uncommon sense” lesson lawyers need to learn that no law school teaches
Simon’s experience from the front line of AI development and the “brain fry” phenomenon replacing “brain rot”
About Simon
Simon is Senior Corporate Counsel at Amazon Web Services and supports Products and Security Legal across Asia Pacific (ex-China but including Japan and New Zealand). Before joining Amazon Web Services in 2016, he was Senior Counsel at Accenture Japan.
Before going in house he was in private practice on the corporate legal team at Morrison & Foerster LLP in Tokyo.
He is qualified as a barrister in New Zealand and has a BA/LLB from Auckland University
Before life as a lawyer Simon spent seven years working as an IT Consultant for Deloitte Tohmatsu, and later as an environmental policy consultant at Tokio Marine Risk Consulting before deciding to earn his New Zealand bar admission while living and working in Japan and to finally try out becoming a lawyer.
Simon grew up - in his own words - an army brat, moving around attending 16 schools. He moved to Japan straight out of uni and has lived here for 27 years now. In his years in Japan he has been a rugby referee, managed the local French rugby club for several years, been a club DJ and his latest passion is running and is hoping he can run the Tokyo Marathon once again with the current lottery. In his free time he also has a video blog about weekly news and culture topics in Japan he has been doing for more than 15 years now.
Like everyone else Simon is wrapped up in learning AI and feels very lucky to be in a position to get access to the latest models and tools, and is a trainer of how to use this tech inside Amazon Legal globally, and has given seminars for regulators inside and outside of Japan on the technology.
Connect with Simon
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-hollander-9b5a3a5/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-hollander-9b5a3a5/)
Links
Punk Doily: https://www.instagram.com/punkdoily (https://www.instagram.com/punkdoily)
Connect with Catherine
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair (https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair)
2 Aug 2026
The Deep End Strategy: How Nancy Miyaji Chose High Risk, High Responsibility to Build her Legal Career
What do you do when a global financial crisis derails your carefully planned legal career before it even begins? Rather than hold out for the law firm role she wanted, Nancy Miyaji threw herself into the deep end and built her career anyway. With a superpower of bridging perspectives, Nancy's story is one of resilience, clarity of purpose that shows another successful pathway in law, whatever is happening around you.
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/jp/podcast/lawyer-on-air/id1553526783) to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here! (https://www.speakpipe.com/LawyerOnAir)
In this episode you’ll hear:
How arriving in Japan at age 11 without a word of Japanese forged a resilience that still her today
Choosing a startup role during the global financial crisis when no law firm jobs were available
The valuable lessons she learned in the deep end working on an IPO and M&A at a start up company
The reframe she would give her younger self: stop asking "why me?" and start asking this instead
Her favourite beverage and other fun facts
About Nancy
Nancy Miyaji is a corporate lawyer whose work focuses on cross-border transactions, compliance, and corporate matters in Japan and internationally.
She is a Foreign Lawyer at Iwata Godo and a member of the New York Bar.
Her experience spans both private practice and global companies, including Simmons & Simmons and Hitachi, where she has worked on cross-border transactions, compliance, and corporate matters.
Rather than following a conventional legal career path, Nancy has built a career across private practice and in-house environments, developing her own perspective on professional growth and success.
She holds an LL.B. from Kyushu University and an LL.M. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and works in Japanese, English, and Chinese.
Outside of work, Nancy enjoys pushing her limits. She played competitive table tennis in her youth and later led her high school mountaineering club. She has since climbed Mount Fuji and completed the Saitama Marathon. She is also passionate about volunteer work supporting foreign women in Japan to achieve success on their own terms.
Connect with Nancy
Website: https://www.iwatagodo.com/english/lawyers/miyaji_nancy.html (https://www.iwatagodo.com/english/lawyers/miyaji_nancy.html)
Links
Seattle’s Best Coffee: https://www.jrff.co.jp/seabest/ (https://www.jrff.co.jp/seabest/)
Connect with Catherine
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair (https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair)
Who has been a guest on Lawyer on Air
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Olga Belosludova
Yoko Oshima
Alexander Dmitrenko
Tomoko Nakajima
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
8,320
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
9 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
22 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 70 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
62
Social presence
91
YouTube
74
Engagement
77
Contact Lawyer on Air
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Lawyer on Air
Who hosts Lawyer on Air?
Catherine O'Connell host the show. Published by Catherine O'Connell.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Lawyer on Air take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
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