Corporate Counsel, JP AWS Legal

Amazon's Legal Department is looking for a talented attorney to support Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS is at the forefront of the cloud computing industry, providing IT infrastructure services such as on-demand compute capacity, storage, content delivery, database services, and more. AWS also offers a comprehensive suite of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) services, infrastructure, and tools to help users build, train, and deploy AI models.

This Corporate Counsel will primarily support AWS's sales and marketing teams in Japan. The successful candidate will be responsible for drafting, negotiating, and advising on strategic technology service and licensing agreements with enterprise customers and partners, support for local and regional marketing initiatives, and will act as a counselor for senior management and other business team members. The role includes participating in other Amazon legal projects as directed, including managing legal issues that arise in existing commercial relationships and handling pre-litigation legal disputes and inquiries.

At Amazon, you'll work alongside the latest AI and GenAI tools that are increasingly woven into how teams operate: from AI-powered capabilities that accelerate decision-making, to Generative AI that helps you focus on work that truly matters. You'll have opportunities and resources to develop AI fluency at your own pace, with continuous learning built into the culture.

• A day in the life
• No two days are exactly the same, but here's what a typical day might look like. Please see below from a current employee in the team!

I commute to Azabudai Hills office, grab a banana from the free banana stand, and open Kiro, an AI-powered development tool built by AWS. It pulls up my meetings, works through overnight messages, and proposes a to-do list. Before long, I'm on a call with US colleagues discussing a program launching in Japan, then checking in with the local business team on where things stand.

Mid-morning, I use Amazon Quick, an AWS AI assistant, to get through emails in both Japanese and English, review regulatory updates, and prep for a discussion with the Public Policy team. If something unfamiliar comes up, a message to APAC colleagues usually helps—someone in the region has dealt with something similar before.

At lunch, the team heads out together. Azabudai is full of great restaurants, so today it's a Peruvian spot someone found around the corner.

In the afternoon, I give legal input on a new initiative aimed at local authorities, resolve a marketing agreement question in ten minutes by walking over to a colleague's desk, and test a GenAI tool a teammate has been building using Kiro. That mix—strategic advice, quick-turn problem solving, and experimenting with new technology—is typical.

• What I find rewarding about AWS Legal is the simplification mindset: finding the smartest path to a solution, not spending time on work that doesn't add value. AI tools like Amazon Quick and Kiro help us get there. Combined with your own legal expertise, they open the door to a wide range of work—contract negotiations, antitrust, data governance, AI regulation—all as live matters, not just things you read about. I use Japanese and English in equal measure. The work feels global and local at the same time.
• The evening is for family. On busier days, I log back on after dinner. The schedule is flexible enough to allow for that.

• Read our "Meet the Amazon Japan legal team" LinkedIn post series!
• Hiromi
• Yuki
• Marie
• Sho

• About the team
• The team is part of a broader global legal function and is focused on delivering strategic, business-oriented legal support in a collaborative, fast-paced environment, partnering closely with the business to enable growth, navigate regulatory complexity, and drive impactful outcomes.

Basic qualifications

• - Law degree from a reputable university or college
• - Licensed to practice law in Japan and/or the United States or other common law jurisdiction
• - 5 or more years legal experience (PQE) with experience at a leading global law firm and/or in-house at a major multinational corporation
• - Strong written and oral communication skills with the ability to summarize complex issues and ideas clearly and concisely
• - Ability to work independently and proactively, while also collaborating effectively with other legal team members and global business teams
• - Must have strong ability to communicate orally and in writing, draft agreements and negotiate in both Japanese and English

Preferred qualifications

• - Experience of a mix of corporate law firm and in-house work
• - Understanding of intellectual property, competition, and privacy law

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.