Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners > Tokyo, Japan > Firm Profile

Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners
Kishimoto Building 2F
2-2-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 100-0005
Japan

Visit website 81-3-5224-5566 81-3-5224-5565

Japan > Antitrust and competition: Independent local firms Tier 2

Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners‘ antitrust group has particular strength in the area of government investigations, with experience negotiating with the JFTC, Public Prosecutors Office, and Consumer Affairs Agency, in addition to overseas competition authorities. The department also covers compeition and consumer litigation, as well as merger control. Co-leading the department are Tetsuya Nagasawa, Kagenori Sako, and Takashi Ishii, who previously worked as an official within the JFTC. Yuichi Oda is another key name within the department, and provides counsel on government investigations, follow-on litigations, and M&A.

Leading individuals: Bengoshi

Kagenori Sako – Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners

Practice head(s):

Takashi Ishii; Kagenori Sako; Tetsuya Nagasawa

Other key lawyers:

Yuichi Oda

Japan > Corporate and M&A: Independent local firms Tier 2

Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners is highly active in the domestic market, acting in diverse industries including electronics, private equity, real estate and pharmaceuticals. Norihiro Sekiguchi and Seigo Takehira jointly lead the team. Sekiguchi has particular expertise in the TMT and private equity sectors, while Takehira, who is based in Osaka, has a practice which includes corporate governance and cross-border M&A. Hajime Taniuchi, who has worked overseas in both the US and India, is a key name on the team.

Leading individuals: Bengoshi

Norihiro Sekiguchi - Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners

Practice head(s):

Norihiro Sekiguchi; Seigo Takehira

Other key lawyers:

Hajime Taniuchi

Key clients

Shin-Keisei Electric Railway Co Ltd

Sawai Group Holdings Co Ltd

Rengo Co., Ltd.

Narumiya International Co., Ltd.

Kaneka Corporation

Japan Growth Investments Alliance, Inc.

Shin-Etsu Polymer Co., Ltd.

J-STAR Co., Ltd

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited

Nishio Rent All Co., Ltd

Mitsui Matsushima Holdings Co., Ltd.

Anabuki Kosan, Inc.

Work highlights

Advised Shin-Keisei Electric Railway Co Ltd, the local railroad company, on acquisition by Keisei Electric Railway Co., Ltd.,the Japan based general transportation business by railroad and car.
Advised Sawai Group Holdings Co., Ltd. on acquisition through its newly formed subsidiary, Kobayashi Kako’s assets pertaining to production activities and personnel of related divisions.
Advised Rengo Co., Ltd. the Japan based manufacturer of corrugated board, jute liners and paperboard, on acquisition of the entire shareholding of Takigawa Corporation Japan and its affiliated companies.

Japan > Restructuring and insolvency: Independent local firms Tier 2

Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners is active on civil rehabilitation cases and corporte reorganisation proceedings across a range of sectors, with additional strengths in alternative dispute resolution and out-of-court turnaround procedures. The department is co-led by Takayuki Maruyama, Tomohiro Kitano, and Naoki Kondo. Also key are So Miyamoto, who has experience in both domestic and global insolvencies and reorganisations, and Takashi Matsunaga, who handles insolvencies and rehabilitations.

Practice head(s):

Takayuki Maruyama; Naoki Kondo; Tomohiro Kitano

Other key lawyers:

So Miyamoto; Takashi Matsunaga

Key clients

Japan Drilling Co., Ltd. and Japan Drilling (Netherlands) B.V.

WBF Hotels & Resorts Co., Ltd. , WBF Holdings Co., Ltd. and White Bear Family Co., Ltd.

Watabe Wedding Corporation

EuroTec Japan Co., Ltd.

Kyokuto Electric Co., Ltd

Cosmetic AIDA Co., Ltd

Mitake Country Club Co., Ltd.

Tsuchiyama Printing co., Ltd. and Okamura co., Ltd.

Meijo Gakuin Educational Corporation

AIproject Company Limited

Onkyo Marketing Corporation and Onkyo Sound Corporation

T&P Co., Ltd.

Kanagawa Management Welfare Foundation

MIC Corporation

TAGGY Inc.

Work highlights

Appointed as deputy trustees of Japan Drilling Co., Ltd. (JDC) and Japan Drilling (Netherlands) B.V. (JDN) in their corporate reorganisation proceedings.
Represented Elpida in its filing for the reorganisation petition, and appointed as deputy trustees by the Tokyo District Court when the commencement order was issued.

Japan > Risk management and investigations: Independent local firms Tier 2

Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners specialises in investigations on large scale accounting scandals and data falsifications. The department is co-led by Ko Matsui, who handles foreign direct investments and cross-border disputes, Norihiro Sekiguchi, whose focus is corporate governance and disputes, and Shingo Yamada, who has experience in a range of relevant matters, including product liability and corporate investigation.

Practice head(s):

Ko Matsui; Norihiro Sekiguchi; Shingo Yamada

Work highlights

Assisted in the outside investigation of Outsourcing Inc.

Japan > Banking and finance: Independent local firms Tier 3

Japan > Intellectual property: Independent local firms Tier 3

Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners‘ IP department operates as part of the firm’s full service offering, with expertise in transactions and licensing agreements, in addition to a significant IP dispute resolution practice. Takamitsu Shigetomi leads the team, and is active on both licensing and litigation in a broad range of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, mechanical engineering and computer software. Also key are Toshiya Furusho, who covers patent, trademark, design, copyright and unfair competition, and Takashi Hirose, who handles international IP transactions and litigations.

Practice head(s):

Takamitsu Shigetomi

Other key lawyers:

Toshiya Furusho; Takashi Hirose

Japan > Investment funds: Independent local firms Tier 3

Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners advises both domestic and international clients on the full range of investment management services, including documentation, contractual negotiations, registrations with authorities and regulatory advice. Takuyuki Sakurai is key to the team, and has experience across fund management, venture capital, and structured finance.

Other key lawyers:

Takuyuki Sakurai

Japan > Projects and energy: Independent local firms Tier 3

Japan > Dispute resolution: Independent local firms Tier 4

Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners act for clients facing litigation both domestically and overseas, with expertise in areas including commercial disputes, product liability actions, and tort claims. Pharmaceuticals is a key area for the department, with numerous high profile clients from this area. Teppei Mogi leads the team, and has experience in international arbitration matters.

Practice head(s):

Teppei Mogi

Other key lawyers:

Takamitsu Shigetomi

Japan > Labour and employment: Independent local firms Tier 4

Japan > Capital markets: Independent local firms

Firms to watch

Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners advise listed companies and institutional investors about capital market matters, and have experience supporting IPOs by Japanese and foreign companies domestically and overseas. Seigo Takehira leads the team.

Managing Partner: Mr. Shiro Kuniya

Firm overview: Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners (“Oh-Ebashi”) is a full service law firm with over 160 attorneys, and with its main offices in Tokyo and Osaka. It was originally established in Osaka in 1981, and now has an equivalently- sized operation in Tokyo. Oh-Ebashi was the first Japanese law firm to open an office in China. Together with its Nagoya Office, Oh-Ebashi currently has offices in four locations. Oh-Ebashi has been providing its clients with the best legal advice and solutions for decades, and is committed to consistently exceed the clients’ expectations and be their ideal legal partner.

Main areas of practice
Corporate/M&A: Oh-Ebashi is capable of handling M&As, joint ventures, corporate reorganisations and business alliances under any transaction structure, and is also capable of handling intra-group reorganisations, capital and business alliances, management buy- outs, acquisitions of publicly-traded companies through tender offers and going-private transactions. Oh-Ebashi has extensive experience in cross-border M&A projects including outbound investments conducted by Japanese companies and inbound deals brought by foreign entities. It offers comprehensive legal support, including advising on emergency strategies with respect to corporate control battles and defensive measures against hostile takeovers and counteroffers thereto, as well as handling M&A related lawsuits and other disputes.

Restructuring/insolvency: Oh-Ebashi’s team, consisting of lawyers with expertise in M&A and finance practice, as well as business restructuring, provides professional support to clients in various capacities, including debtors, sponsor candidates, lenders and business partners.

Finance/insurance: Oh-Ebashi offers general consultation and advice concerning banking, securities, insurance and other financial businesses, including new financial products. With its extensive experience in project finance, securitisation and derivatives, Oh-Ebashi is able to assist in financial planning and schemes.

Intellectual property: Oh-Ebashi strategically supports its clients from planning/executing contracts to filing or defending against lawsuits. It also assists in drafting and negotiating contracts relating to licensing of copyrights, trademarks, patents, know-how and other intellectual property rights. Oh-Ebashi has extensive experience in handling many types of transactions, both internationally and domestically, in various fields of business. It has extensive experience not only in handling large-scale disputes, but small to medium-scale disputes as well.

Life sciences: Oh-Ebashi has been providing legal services to Japanese and foreign pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, bio ventures, research institutions such as universities, hospitals and various other clients for many years. It has handled a number of domestic and cross-border transactions involving leading-edge technology such as iPS cells and antibody drugs. Oh-Ebashi also has attorneys who were members of research ethics review committees. It can therefore adequately address not only intellectual property issues but also the latest issues facing this industry, including issues concerning statutory regulations and ethical requirements of regenerative medicine, genetic medicine and bio technology, as well as the handling of data and personal information.

Dispute resolution: Oh-Ebashi is experienced in litigation and arbitration cases in both Japan and abroad, ranging from anti-trust, corporate, product liability, intellectual property, administrative and tax cases, to general civil, labour and commercial cases. It handles cross-border arbitration cases before various local and international organisations for alternative dispute resolution, such as the AAA, ICC, JCAA, CIETAC, HKIAC, SIAC and LCIA.

Competition and antitrust/consumer protection: To meet the increasingly active enforcement of antitrust law both in Japan and overseas, companies must be well prepared and equipped to comply with antitrust laws. Oh-Ebashi’s antitrust law practice group consists of members with experience working at the Japan Fair Trade Commission as well as studying law overseas, including the US and Europe, enabling it to provide highly-specialised and premium advice to its clients concerning a wide range of areas of antitrust law.

Tax: Oh-Ebashi provides highly specialized legal services on complex tax disputes, making use of its abundant expertise and experience in handling cases involving a broad range of areas under tax law for clients in various business fields in Japan and abroad.

China/Asian desk: Oh-Ebashi has always been very active in China-related transactions and dispute resolutions. Oh- Ebashi handles all types of matters such as trade, alliances/business ventures, disputes with Chinese companies, inbound/outbound investments, intellectual property protection, management or litigation, assessment/establishment of internal control systems and business restructuring or liquidation. In addition to China-related matters, Oh-Ebashi also has lawyers who are qualified to practice in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Thailand, and has several lawyers with substantial legal experience of practicing in various jurisdictions in Southeast Asia.

Department	Name	Email	Telephone
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION	Tetsuya Nagasawa
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION	Takashi Ishii
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION	Kagenori Sako
CORPORATE AND M&A, RISK MANAGEMENT AND INVESTIGATIONS	Norihiro Sekiguchi
CORPORATE AND M&A	Seigo Takehira
RESTRUCTURING AND INSOLVENCY	Takayuki Maruyama
RESTRUCTURING AND INSOLVENCY	Naoki Kondo
RESTRUCTURING AND INSOLVENCY	Tomohiro Kitano
RISK MANAGEMENT AND INVESTIGATIONS	Ko Matsui
RISK MANAGEMENT AND INVESTIGATIONS	Shingo Yamada
BANKING AND FINANCE, PROJECTS AND ENERGY	Tomohiro Murakami
INTELLECTUALROP PERTY	Takamitsu Shigetomi
INTELLECTUALROP PERTY	Toshiya Furusho
INTELLECTUALROP PERTY	Takashi Hirose
LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT	Daisuke Mure
DISPUTE RESOLUTION	Teppei Mogi
INVESTMENT FUNDS	Takuyuki Sakurai

Name	Position	Profile
Toshiya Furusho	Toshiya Furusho is a partner of Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners. His practice…	View Profile
Takashi Hirose	Takashi Hirose is a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice Group of…	View Profile
Takashi Ishii	Takashi Ishii is a partner in Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners. His practice…	View Profile
Tomohiro Kitano	Tomohiro Kitano is the firm’s partner in charge of Bankruptcy and Restructuring…	View Profile
Naoki Kondo	Naoki Kondo is the firm’s partner in charge of Bankruptcy and Restructuring…	View Profile
Shiro Kuniya	Shiro Kuniya is a managing partner of Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners. He…	View Profile
Takayuki Maruyama	Takayuki Maruyama is a partner in Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners. His practice…	View Profile
Ko Matsui	Ko Matsui is a partner at Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners with a…	View Profile
Mr Teppei Mogi	Teppei Mogi is the firm’s partner in charge of international business law…	View Profile
Tomohiro Murakami	Tomohiro Murakami is a partner who is in charge of both Banking…	View Profile
Daisuke Mure	Daisuke Mure has an expertise in complicated and wide-ranging employment laws and…	View Profile
Mr Tetsuya Nagasawa	Tetsuya Nagasawa has been highly acclaimed for his work by Who’s Who…	View Profile
Yuichi Oda	Yuichi Oda is a partner in the Competition and Antitrust/Consumer Protection practice…	View Profile
Kagenori Sako	Kagenori Sako is a partner in Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners. His practice…	View Profile
Takuyuki Sakurai	Takuyuki Sakurai is a partner in Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners. His practice…	View Profile
Mr Norihiro Sekiguchi	Norihiro Sekiguchi is highly active advising on cross-border and domestic matters. His recent…	View Profile
Mr Takamitsu Shigetomi	Takamitsu Shigetomi is a partner who is in charge of Intellectual Property…	View Profile
Seigo Takehira	Seigo Takehira is a leading partner in the Corporate and Mergers and…	View Profile
Shingo Yamada	Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners handles numerous corporate criminal cases, and Shingo Yamada…	View Profile
Kosuke Yoshimura	Kosuke Yoshimura is a partner in Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners. His practice…	View Profile

Number of lawyers : over 160

Japanese
English
Chinese
Filipino
Thai

Legal Protection of Big Data in Japan

8th July 2022

A. Introduction

Today, the importance of information as an asset is increasing due to the evolution of digital network technology and its widespread use in business. The increase in the number of work-from-home situations triggered by the pandemic has also made the value of information for individuals even greater. In particular, among the different types of information, the group of data known as “big data” is becoming a source of value for companies given the remarkable development of IoT, the means of collecting data, and AI, which analyzes and utilizes such data.

Merger Control Regulations in Japan

8th July 2022

A. Introduction

Over 130 countries across the world have merger control regulations. A majority of them have introduced the European Union’s model system where a filing is required if a change in the “control” of a target company will occur. However, the Japanese merger control regulations do not use the concept of “control” as the threshold for the filing requirement. Filing is mandatory in certain types of transactions if they meet certain thresholds. This article will provide an overview of the merger control regulations in Japan.

Practical Advice on Unilateral Change of Position and Salary by Employer in China

7th March 2023 After the execution of employment contract, employer may sometimes need to change an employee’s position and salary for various reasons. Such a change may be a “bilateral” one which means both the employer and the employee particularly agreed on the conditions of such an individual change, or it could be a “unilateral” one which means the employer made such a change without obtaining the agreement of the employee.

Wolf Pack Activism vs. Poison Pill in Japan

7th March 2023 On July 28, 2022, the Japan Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Tokyo High Court to halt the implementation of the shareholders’ rights plan (or poison pill) of Mitsuboshi[1] that was challenged by one of its shareholders, Adage Capital (“Adage”). It was the first court case in Japan where a listed company implemented a shareholders’ rights plan that targeted a group of activists who, without expressly agreeing to act together, were nonetheless acting in concert, and where one of them sought an injunctive remedy. Thereafter, on September 20, Mitsuboshi announced that all of its incumbent board members would step down and it would hold an extraordinary general shareholders’ meeting to elect the new board members nominated by Adage.

A Commentary on the System of Calling for Third-Party Comments (From the Perspective of a Drafter of the Bill)

7th March 2023 I joined Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners after serving as a Senior Specialist for Legislation at the Legislative Affairs Office of the Japan Patent Office (“JPO”) for three years. One of my accomplishments during my time at the JPO was being involved in drafting the bill to amend the Patent Act of Japan (the “Patent Act”). The bill was enacted in 2021.

Stablecoins Regulations in Japan

7th March 2023 The Financial Services Agency (“FSA”) established a Working Group on Payment Services, and the report of this working group (“Report”) was published on January 11, 2022. In response to the Report, amendments to the Payment Services Act (“PSA”),[1] the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds, Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (“FIEA”),[2] the Banking Act, and other statutes were enacted on June 3, 2022 (collectively, the “Amendments”). The Amendments will take effect within one year from the date of their promulgation on June 10, 2022.

Legal Compliance of Workplace Surveillance in China – From a Personal Information Protection Perspective

7th March 2023 A few months ago, a piece of rather interesting news in China raised debates about to what extent an employer can impose surveillance upon its employees in workplaces. The news reported that one major e-commerce company in China has internally announced sanctions upon some of its employees on the ground of excessive access to work-irrelevant mobile applications during work hours. The company was able to collect various data such like the length of access or quantity of data that has been exchanged by each particular employee’s use of his or her mobile phones to access certain applications (Tik Tok or online shopping applications) via the company’s internal wireless network. Those who support such an action argues that workplace surveillance is necessary to maintain the employment disciplines as well as the security. While others think such a surveillance scheme is only an undue intrusion to employees’ privacy.

China’s Life Sciences and Healthcare-No.2 – The Good Vigilance Practice rule in China

7th March 2023 This article will introduce the drug vigilance activities required by the new Good Vigilance Practice ("GVP"), enacted on May 7, 2021, and come into effect on December 1, 2021. The GVP will be applied to MAHs and NDA applicants conducting clinical trials.

How Foreign Insurers Can Sell Insurance Products in Japan

7th April 2022 Many countries regulate the sale of insurance products by foreign insurance companies to their residents and citizens. Japan has similar regulations. This article will provide an overview of the laws and regulations governing the sale of insurance products to residents and citizens in Japan by foreign insurance companies without an insurance business license.

Recent Developments in Court Decisions on Poison Pills in Japan

7th April 2022

A. Introduction

In recent years, the number of cases of hostile takeovers has increased in Japan, and more and more listed companies are trying to introduce, maintain or renew hostile takeover defense measures. Since the spring of 2021, important court decisions have been made on such hostile takeover defense measures, and this article discusses the latest trends in these court decisions.