Welcome to the ALB Japan In-House Legal Summit 2023

    DATE              Thursday, 13 April 2023

    TIME                Registration: 9.30am. Event: 10.00am to 5.00pm 

     VENUE            The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo                                       

 

FORUM CHAIRPERSON

 

 

 

 

 

Wise Wang, Senior Legal Counsel, TikTok Japan  

Wise Wang is the Senior Legal Counsel (Attorney-at-law admitted in California) responsible for TikTok Japan's legal affairs. He joined TikTok Japan as the first in-house legal counsel and is currently the lead product and corporate counsel, covering various BtoB, BtoC products of ByteDance. 

Prior to joining TikTok Japan, Wise worked for IBM, Deloitte as a business management consultant, and subsequently served as a legal counsel for several IT companies across industries (Game, EC, Automobile, Entertainment, Payment services, and SaaS). Being the first in-house legal counsel at PLAID, Inc., he had played a substantial role in leading its global IPO (Global offering), which was an exceptional case in Japan-based SaaS industry. Combined with his diversified experiences in the business/legal fields and his multi-language (Japanese, Chinese, and English) skills, he provides unique and balanced legal services for one of the fastest-growing companies in the world.

SPEAKERS PROFILE

 

 

 

 

 

Ben Fouracre, Managing Director and Japan Representative - APAC Investigations Practice Lead, J.S. Held Japan LLC 

Ben has been responsible for assessing risk exposure and response strategies for global organizations across a range of industry sectors through the conduct of risk assessments and compliance driven programs. He has been responsible for leading the design and implementation of human rights and social impact specific due diligence and monitoring processes, training and reporting for  both global and Japanese multinationals operating in high risk environments and has led large-scale projects in diverse sectors from automotive to manufacturing, technology and healthcare. He is responsible for the creation and development of global programs aimed at implementation of process and behaviors tied to delivery of strategic objectives. His clients have included both government organizations and major name, culturally diverse multinationals ranging multiple industry sectors. 

Ben has been based in Japan for over 16 years.

He is a certified in Leading Sustainable Corporations through Oxford University and SEAD Business School and is a guest lecturer on Human Rights and Supply Chains at Hitotsubashi University in Japan

He is the Vice Chairman of the ACCJ Sustainability Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

Mitsuru Claire Chino, Managing Executive Officer- General Manager (Corporate Communications Division), ITOCHU Corporation

Attorney at Law (California) 

Mitsuru Claire Chino is a bilingual and bicultural (U.S. and Japan) senior business executive with a Fortune Global 500 company and an international lawyer with 30+ years’ experience. She was a partner of an international law firm prior to joining ITOCHU, a diversified industrials. With ITOCHU over the years, she has served as Global General Counsel, CEO of its North American operations and an Audit & Supervisory Board member. Since April, Claire is Managing Executive Officer in charge of corporate communications.

She is a graduate of Smith College (B.A. cum laude) and Cornell Law School (J.D.), where she serves on the advisory board. She is also a classically trained singer who has studied voice at the Juilliard School of Music (Evening Division).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ritchell Madikaegbu, Economic Policy Officer, US Department of State  

Ritchell Madikaegbu is an Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.  She received her master’s degree in Global Politics and Security and a certificate in International Business Diplomacy from Georgetown University.  Previously, she worked at the U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad, India as a Vice Consul and did a fellowship at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico and the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs’ Economic and Regional Affairs Office.  Prior to the State Department, Ritchell worked in the private sector and an NGO doing investment banking operations, financial planning, accounting, and international trade facilitation. 

 

 

 

 

 

Junko Watanabe, Lawyer at Nishimura & Asahi 

Junko has been advising companies in dealing with sustainability-related matters from a global legal perspective, including international human rights law, international labor law, EU/Asian laws and regulations on human rights, environment and other sustainability-related issues.  Based on her experience working on a wide range of domestic and international corporate matters including various matters in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries for more than seven years and overseas study and business experience in the UK for three years, she has been engaged in supporting Japanese companies in dealing with sustainability issues, while collaborating in various legal fields and jurisdictions including M&A, labour issues, European law and Asian law.

She has been a consultant to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) since 2021 and was a key leader in the development of the "Guidelines for Responsible Corporate Behaviour in the Textile Industry” established by the Japan Textile Federation in July 2022. She is a member of the Advisory and Mediation Committee of the Japan Center for Engagement and Remedy on Business and Human Rights (JaCER), and a managing member of the Business and Human Rights Lawyers Network in Japan

 

 

 

 

 

Hazuki Nagai, Senior Manager of the Purpose & Sustainability Department at Veolia Asia 

Hazuki is a sustainability manager with expertise in change management and people engagement. She has dedicated the last 5 years of her career to focusing on sustainability and aligning organizational strategies with business goals to address social and environmental challenges. Hazuki's skills in effective communication, programming, and leadership have enabled her to foster employee engagement, creativity, and productivity.

In her current role, Hazuki contributes to the company's strategic decision-making process, leading cross-functional teams and facilitating internal working groups to build and execute action plans. She ensures that the organization's mission and values are integrated into its operations, creating a purpose-driven culture. Hazuki leads employee educational programs and develops internal and external communication tools to promote sustainability and a purposeful workplace.

Hazuki is also the driving force behind the "Circular Economy Bootcamp," a social business project that brings together social entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners. The initiative fosters idea exchange and learning to accelerate the adoption of circular economy practices within the city.

In addition to her work with Veolia, Hazuki has gained experience in various capacities for companies in Japan, India, and the USA. Her passion for creating positive change is rooted in her belief that companies can be a force for good in society.

 

 

 

 

 

Makoto Ohnuma (in charge of Japan), Partner, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu 

Makoto Ohnuma is a partner of Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu. Since he was admitted to the Japan Bar and joined the firm in 2010, he has been working at its corporate and M&A practice group with the focus on M&A, joint ventures and other strategic corporate transactions, as well as FDI and sanctions regulations. After his study at Columbia Law School (LL.M.), he was seconded to leading law firms in Germany, in the Netherlands and in Russia during 2016-2019. He has broad experiences in cross-border matters, especially between Europe and Japan.

 

 

 

 

 

Haseru Roku (in charge of China), Partner, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu

Haseru Roku’s practice focuses on complex cross border activity, including M&A, FDI  regulations, international trade and economic security related matters. Based on his strong in-bound and out-bound experience as well as his work at top tier law firms in the U.S. and China, his expertise also lies in trade friction, cross-border transactional disputes, and negotiations for acquisitions and joint ventures with companies in the Greater China area (mainland China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan). He is fluent in Chinese and English in addition to his native Japanese.

 

 

 

 

 

Mayuko Tsujimoto (in charge of U.S.), Partner, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu NY LLP 

Mayuko Tsujimoto is a corporate and M&A lawyer working at Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu NY LLP. Ms. Tsujimoto has extensive experience advising clients on M&A, commercial transactions and general corporate matters in Japan and the U.S. She has represented both Japanese and foreign clients in various cross-border transactions.

Ms. Tsujimoto received an LL.B. from Kyoto University in 2008 and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School in 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

Axel Kuhlmann, Foreign Law Partner, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu 

Axel Kuhlmann is a corporate and M&A lawyer qualified in Germany and a Foreign Law Partner* of Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu. He has wide-ranging experience in the German and European market advising Japanese and global companies on all kinds of German law issues and on their business activities in Germany and other European countries. He also regularly advises German and other European clients on their business activities in Japan, in particular mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and business co-operations with Japanese partners, but also on market entry requirements and matters of corporate housekeeping and labor law. Axel is co-head of Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu’s European Practice.

Axel graduated from the University of Passau, Germany, and holds a doctor’s degree (Dr. iur.) from the same university. Before joining Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, Axel worked for one of Germany’s leading business law firms as associated partner in the field of corporate and M&A and a member of the firm’s Japan advisory group.

Awards:

The Best Lawyers in Japan 2022 – Corporate and Mergers and Acquisitions Law

 

 

 

 

 

Jan D. Bonhage, Partner, Hengeler Mueller 

Jan is a partner of Hengeler Mueller, based in Berlin/Germany and Brussels/Belgium. With his experience from plenty foreign investment screenings in Germany and globally, he is one of the outstanding experts on FDI, acknowledged e.g. as a Global Leader for Foreign Investment Review in Who's Who Legal and recommended lawyer for Investment control in JUVE. Jan has also been called as legal expert on the most recent reforms of German FDI laws.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emi Takeda, Managing Director, Japan Legal Director, Accenture 

Emi is a senior international lawyer with over 20 year experience at top global law firms and as head of legal for Accenture Japan.  In her current role as Managing Director 每 Legal, and Board Member at Accenture Japan, she manages a team of more than 80 lawyers and contract professionals.  Emi received her LL.B. from the University of Tokyo and graduated from the Legal Training and Research Institute of Japan. Emi received her LL.M. from Columbia Law School. Emi is a Japanese bengoshi admitted to practice in Japan and she is also admitted in New York.

 

 

 

 

 

Takashi Kobayashi, Geographic Compliance & Corporate - Legal Lead - Japan, Accenture  

Takashi Kobayashi is the Legal Lead for Japan Geographic Compliance & Corporate of Accenture. He oversees compliance, regulatory and corporate governance issues in Japan. In addition to traditional compliance issues such as anti-corruption, data privacy and competition, he now focuses on ethical issues in new technologies such as AI.

Prior to joining Accenture in 2017, he was a senior associate of Freshfields＊ Tokyo office﹛where he supported domestic and international clients in investigation, dispute and other compliance matters. He is a co-author of ※Understanding to Global Arbitration§ (Shoji-homu), ※Understanding to Global Investigation§ (Shoji-homu), ※Legal and Risk Management for New Directors and Officers§ (Shoji-homu) and others..

 

 

 

 

 

Naofumi Hayakawa, Privacy Specialist, Mercari, Inc. 

Naofumi Hayakawa is a privacy Specialist belonging to Privacy Office of Mercari Inc. After graduating from Chiba University Law School, contract legal affairs, corporate legal affairs, security governance, personal information protection, etc. He experienced work such as system construction. In response to the revised Personal Information Protection Law, which will be enforced in April 2022, he took charge of the response to the revised law within about 10 group companies at the company where he was working at the time, organized the issues to be addressed by the revised law, and completed the response in cooperation with the in-house IT engineers. Juris Doctor, RISS（Registered Information Security Specialist, The Japan Business Law Examination, Grade 1. Here is an article from Mercari's owned media showcasing their commitment to work in the Privacy Office https://mercan.mercari.com/articles/37401/

 

 

 

 

 

Nat Ishida, Vice President, Executive Officer - Managing Director of the Legal and Intellectual Property Division, SEGA SAMMY Holdings Inc., Tokyo, Japan 

Ms. Ishida is a legal and compliance professional and U.S. licensed attorney who practices legal as enabler to create business value from the management perspective.

She provides legal guidance to the management and business divisions as well as advice to secure protection and active utilization of IP rights, covering all affiliate companies in and outside of Japan.

Ms. Ishida has over 20 years of experience serving as legal counsel, general counsel, chief compliance officer and privacy officer for global companies in various industries, including commercial vehicles, cosmetics, medical devices, electronics, and finance, and has overseas (U.S. and Europe) experience as a global data protection and transfer pricing advisor at the international headquarters of a major global accounting firm.

Areas of expertise: management and strategic legal, corporate law, corporate governance, M&A, intellectual property, international business, data protection, compliance, legal operations, legal risk management

Ms. Ishida is a member of the New York State Bar and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US).

 

 

 

 

 

Tommy Ou, Senior Lawyer, Colt Technology Services 

Tommy Ou has over ten years of experience practicing law in private practice and in-house.  He is currently a senior lawyer at Colt Technology Services, a multinational telecommunications company specialized in network and IT infrastructure for businesses, with a primary focus on commercial matters and compliance in Asia Pacific and the U.S.  An attorney admitted to the bars of California and Washington D.C., he received a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Yale University.

 

 

 

 

 

Sayo Kondo Takizawa, Managing Director - Legal & Compliance Group, The Blackstone Group 

Sayo Kondo Takizawa is a Managing Director in the Legal & Compliance Group and is based in Tokyo.    

Prior to joining Blackstone in 2016, Ms. Takizawa worked at the law firms of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Shearman & Sterling LLP in the Mergers & Acquisitions group in New York and Tokyo. 

Ms. Takizawa received a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated summa cum laude, and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center.

 

 

 

 

 

Steven Howard, Senior Legal Counsel - Asia Pacific, Fiskars Group 

Steven is Senior Regional Counsel, APAC, for Fiskars Group, Finland’s oldest company, with iconic interior product brands such as Wedgwood, Waterford, Royal Copenhagen, Iittala and Moomin by Arabia. Prior to joining Fiskars, he was with Sony and an IBM spinoff in Singapore and Tokyo. Originally from the US, he has lived and practiced law in APAC for over 20 years and is licensed in California and Hawaii.

 

 

 

 

 

Shuhei Fujimura, Senior Ethics and Compliance Manager - Group Ethics and Compliance, Oxford University Press 

Shuhei joined Oxford University Press (“OUP”) in October 2016 and has served in senior management with responsibilities including implementation of Corporate Compliance policies and anti-bribery, corruption, and counter-fraud programs such as Third Party Business Partner Due Diligence, Gift & Hospitality, Ethical Marketing, Charitable Donation, High Risk Business Activity, Conflict of Interests, Modern Slavery, Facilitation of Tax Evasion, Sanctions, and Anti-Money Laundering. His regional coverages are wide, encompassing North East and South East Asia. Shuhei has taken on responsibility for coordinating ethics and compliance work for OxfordAQA, a joint venture between OUP and AQA (qualifications provider). This involves engagement with senior stakeholders across the business and attending Senior Leadership Team meetings. Shuhei has also serves as a member of OUP Japan Coronavirus Response Team to tackle various issues and concerns locally arising from the global pandemic.

Prior to joining OUP, he worked as a Compliance and Forensic Specialist at Deloitte and EY (Ernst and Young) providing advisory services to multiple global institutions. He also has government regulatory experience from serving as a legal officer and immigration inspector at the Ministry of Justice in Japan for three and a half years following graduation from Keio University Law School.

For speaking enquiries, please contact Jon at Jonathan.mottram@thomsonreuters.com