Legal Alert | Japan is Primed for Increased Foreign Direct Investment
Patent Grace Period Considerations in Australia, Japan, South East Asia and the U.S.
Greater Speed and Efficiency: Steps IP Offices Around the World Are Taking to Streamline the Patent Process
Nota Bene Episode 109: Asia Q1 Check In: China’s Emergence as the Number One World Economy and New Hegemonic Role in Asia with Paul Kim
Nota Bene Episode 69: Asia Check In: The Coronavirus’s Impact on Business, the Trilateral Summit, and Japan’s Criminal Justice System with Paul Kim
Dr. Frederick Ch’en discusses generic drugs and the changing pharmaceutical landscape in Asia
Spencer Klein Talks M&A with Mergers & Acquisitions Magazine
President Joe Biden is reportedly poised to formally block the proposed $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel, a decision anticipated to have significant implications for the American steel industry...more
A Japanese supermarket chain is getting attention for implementing an AI tool called “Mr. Smile” that monitors workers for the quality and quantity of their smiles when interacting with customers, raising questions around the...more
Rising interest rates have challenged some markets, but in Japan, where rates have languished in negative territory for almost a decade, a rate increase is generally welcome news for investors - After waiting almost two...more
In this Alert, we review the impact of the recent acceptance by the Japan Diet of the 2009 Amendment to the London Protocol. Acceptance of the Amendment provides a critical enabler for the export of CO2 from Japan for...more
Morrison Foerster lawyers successfully helped a pro bono client secure refugee status in Japan. This outcome was the result of a partnership with SoftBank, which suggested in 2021 that the firm join its in-house lawyers in...more
As we move into the second half of 2024, the competition law landscape across the Asia-Pacific region continues to shift towards tighter regulation and increased enforcement. Faced with the intricate challenges of modern...more
By any metric, Japan should have great appeal for foreign investors. It is an advanced economy with a strong market, established industrial base, renowned tech sector, a reputation for quality, and a stable and secure...more
How unverified claims in advertising can be regulated is a developing legal issue in Japan. What makes this issue complicated is its bearing on the freedom of speech. Depending on how one feels about the degree to which the...more
The 2020 amendment to the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (“APPI”) stipulates that the APPI must be reviewed every three years — the time for a review has arrived. In the past, since its enactment in 2003, major...more
In World Law Group's Doing Business In Guide, member firms around the globe share how to successfully do business in their countries, key investment sectors, and what business opportunities are hot in the market right now. In...more
On 17 May 2024, the Japanese parliament approved two energy-related bills into law: - the Hydrogen Society Promotion Act1; and t - he CCS Business Act.2 These are Japan's first laws relating to the business of hydrogen...more
Following similar decisions in other countries, a Japanese court held for the first time on May 16, 2024, that an inventor in the Patent Act is limited to a natural person and does not include an artificial intelligence...more
Japan is considering whether to require all of its primary listed companies to publish an annual sustainability report which substantively conforms with the standards issued by the IFRS’ International Sustainability Standards...more
On April 19, 2024, the U.S. Department of State announced the United States and Japan have agreed to extend the maximum period of stay for Japanese exchange specialists to 36 months on a J-1 visa. Under the previous...more
The use of digital nomad visas is a new trend gaining momentum in East Asia. These visas give individuals the legal right to work remotely while residing away from their countries of permanent residence. ...more
Japan, similarly to many other countries, has had a long tradition of keeping non-lawyers out of legal practice for the protection of public interest and lawyers’ livelihood. This principal is laid out in Article 72 of the...more
Stronger stock market performance bodes well for exit conditions in Japan’s rapidly maturing PE space - Interested observers have long anticipated the “arrival” of Japan’s private equity market. As the world’s...more
Welcome to Holland & Knight's monthly defense news update. We are excited to bring you the latest in defense policy, regulatory updates and other significant developments....more
Japan adopts a soft law approach to AI governance but lawmakers advance proposal for a hard law approach to generative AI foundation models. Laws/Regulations directly regulating AI (“AI Regulations”) Japan currently...more
On May 16, 2024, the Tokyo District Court (the “Court”) found that an artificial intelligence (“AI”) that autonomously generated an invention cannot be recognized as the inventor of that invention. The Court also expressed...more
As the proposed $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel garners global attention, its implications extend far beyond mere corporate gains. This merger symbolizes a strengthening of the crucial U.S.-Japan...more
The Department of State announced that the United States and Japan have established a new J-1 Exchange Program – the Japanese Specialist Program. The new program specifically facilitates the exchange of Japanese language and...more
The Situation: The Japanese Cabinet has approved a draft bill to financially incentivize the supply and utilization of low-carbon hydrogen and its derivatives ("Hydrogen Bill") as part of its push to reach net zero by 2050....more
Although class actions have been common in the United States for decades, they have not been as widely used in the rest of the world. The situation and risks remain in flux, however, as more countries have renewed momentum to...more