Japan's largest law firm Nishimura & Asahi has announced that respected academic Nobuhiro Nakayama will join the firm as an adviser following his retirement from a professorship at the prestigious University of Tokyo.

Nakayama is a professor of the university's Graduate Schools of Law and Politics and Faculty of Law. He is also a member of a variety of government councils, including the Strategic Council on Intellectual Property, Industrial Structure Council and the Industrial Property Council.

As Nakayama is a leading member of the academic community in the area of Intellectual Property Law, Nishimura & Asahi hopes his appointment will boost the firm's IP practice.