Shape Your Own Mold: How a Turkish Energy Lawyer Found Her Place in Japan with D. Didem Tari

What do you do when everyone tells you it's impossible? D. Didem Tari is a Turkish lawyer who refused to let jurisdiction, language barriers, or naysayers stop her from building a legal career in Japan. Now working as a legal advisor at Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), Didem shares her remarkable journey from 13 years in an Ankara boutique firm to finding her dream role in Tokyo. This is a story about shaping your own mold when you don't fit the typical template and proving that passion combined with persistence can overcome any barrier.

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In this episode you will hear:

• How witnessing legal injustices at the age of 8 and 13, shaped Didem's decision to become the lawyer her family needed

• The "after this, after this" trap that kept Didem in one place for 13 years and how she finally broke free to make her dream come true

• Why the doubts of naysayers were the biggest challenge

• The breakthrough moment at a Women in Law Japan event that shifted Didem from thinking "it's possible" to visualising "it's happening"

About Didem

D. Didem Tarı is a Turkiye-registered lawyer and currently serves as a Legal Advisor at TEPCO’s Overseas Business Office, where she contributes to the company’s international expansion and strategic partnerships. She joined TEPCO in April 2024, bringing more than 14 years of legal experience across the energy and aviation industries.

Prior to joining TEPCO, Didem developed a broad and internationally oriented career at a boutique law firm in Ankara, advising a global portfolio of clientele - from emerging enterprises to large multinational holdings - on complex legal matters. Her core areas of expertise include energy law (with a particular focus on renewables), aviation law, corporate and commercial law, and cross-border contracts.

Admitted to the Ankara Bar in 2009, she holds an LL.M. in Public International Law from Ankara University Faculty of Law. She is also the author of The Legal Status of the Southern Kurile Islands, a work reflecting her longstanding interest in international legal issues. To further strengthen her decade-long specialisation in aviation, she completed a BB.A. in Aviation Management, integrating legal, technical, and operational perspectives within the field.

Didem proudly represented Turkiye in the prestigious Ship for World Youth (SWY) program, and has remained active in international volunteer initiatives, taking on leadership and coordination responsibilities in collaboration with IYEO, the Cabinet Office of Japan, and JICA.

In her spare time, she is passionate about scuba diving, Ashtanga yoga, and traveling.

Connect with Didem

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/d-didem-tari/

Links

The Mosque Cafe, Shimokitazawa : http://mosquecoffee.com

In the Name of Identity: https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Name-Identity-Violence-Need-Belong/dp/1611453240

European Journal of International Law Podcast: https://www.ejiltalk.org/ejil-the-podcast-page/

Yuyuの日本語のポッドキャストhttps://www.youtube.com/@yuyunihongopodcast

Women in Law Japan: https://womeninlawjapan.org /

Connect with Catherine

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair