Small Team, Big Canvas: Taking the Golden Ticket to In-House Legal Counsel Success with Yu Watanabe

Yu Watanabe is General Counsel at Airbnb Japan, where he has spent over 10 years building one of the most respected in-house legal teams in the country. From training at Freshfields to navigating the world of tech startups at DeNA, and ultimately joining Airbnb, Yu's career embodies the power of taking calculated risks and listening to the right mentors. This episode is rich with wisdom about mentorship, community involvement, and finding success by focusing completely on serving your clients. If you are wondering how Yu stands out as such a star in the world of Tokyo Law, this is the episode for you.

How a childhood visit to a law firm in Osaka inspired Yu to pursue law and become a "superhero" helping people
The critical decision to join Airbnb Japan in 2015 when almost everyone advised against it
Why Yu approaches legal work with hospitality at its core
The transformative moment in Yu’s career and why someone is always watching your effort
His favourite book and other fun facts

About Yu
Yuichiro Watanabe is a Director of the Japan In‑House Lawyers Association (JILA) while taking a role of Lead Counsel at Airbnb Japan, and since January 2025 serves as a board director of Airbnb Japan K.K. He joined Airbnb in 2015 as the company’s third lawyer in Asia, following roles with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and DeNA. Recognized with eight honors across six consecutive years at the ALB Japan Law Awards in his thirties, including being the youngest recipient of In‑House Lawyer of the Year, Yu has also led a team named Diversity & Inclusion: In‑House Team of the Year at the Chambers Asia‑Pacific and Greater China Region Awards 2024 and has been selected for The Legal 500 GC Powerlist: Japan. He also contributes to policy and standards work through committees at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Digital Agency, and ISO/TC262 for risk management.

He has walked a non-traditional career path in Japan, where in-house lawyers were still rare at the time. Through various failures and struggles within organizations, he has gained lessons that shaped his professional journey — and he carries a deep commitment to turning those personal setbacks into guidance for others. Admitted to the Japan Bar in 2009, he holds a J.D. from the School of Law at the University of Tokyo, and is the author of 「リーガルリスクマネジメントの教科書」 (The Textbook of Legal Risk Management, Nihon Kajoshuppan, 2023) and 「組織内弁護士の教科書」 (The Textbook for In-House Lawyers, forthcoming, Nihon Kajoshuppan, October 2025). Including these and his earlier two publications, his four-volume series has achieved an extraordinary circulation of 15,000 copies in Japan.

In his personal life, he enjoys traditional Kabuki theatre and traveling.

Connect with Yu
LinkedIn:   / wtnby  

Links
Hotel New Otani https://www.newotani.co.jp/en/tokyo/
JILA: https://jila.jp/
Blog: https://inhouselaw.org/inhouse/
Peter Thiel, Zero to One : https://amzn.asia/d/43FV5e7

Connect with Catherine
LinkedIn   / oconnellcatherine  
Instagram:   / lawyeronair