TMI Associates

TMI Associates (Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Senior Managing Partner: Katsuro Tanaka) welcomed Ms. Reiga Shimizu, attorney-at-law, as a Regional Partner at its Paris Office as of October 1, 2025. She moved to France in 2005, and studied at the University of Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne and the University of Paris XII. Since 2012, she gained practical experience at DS Avocats law office and was admitted to the Paris Bar Association. With a focus on French and European law, she has extensive experience in various fields relating to corporate legal affairs, such as M&A, joint venture and business alliance, group restructuring, personal data, customs and taxation, transaction agreement, dispute resolution, real estate law, labor law and other regular legal services for European subsidiaries. On various occasions, she has also provided advice on international transactions and legal compliance to both Japanese and French companies. We strongly believe that her joining TMI Associates will further strengthen our presence and service system in Europe. With her international practical experience and professional insight, we will provide our clients with more comprehensive legal services. [Career of Ms. Reiga Shimizu] March 1997 Keisen Jogakuen Senior High School March 2001 Chuo University (LL.B.) June 2008 University of Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne (LL.M) March 2010 DS Avocats law office (in Paris, France) (Trainee) June 2010 University of Paris XII (Professional second Master’s Degree of Contracts and commercial Law) March 2012 DS Avocats law office (in Paris, France) September 2019 Paris Bar Association October 2025 TMI Avocats & Associés (Regional partner (France))   About TMI Associates Since its founding in 1990, TMI Associates has strived to create a law firm that is distinct from any other in Japan and that recasts the image of both attorneys and patent/trademark attorneys. During the past 35 years, the firm has experienced rapid organic growth, both numerically and geographically, while maintaining its progressive culture. From starting with 43 personnel, including ten attorneys and one patent attorney at its founding, as of March 3, 2025, TMI now has 632 attorneys and 101 patent/trademark attorneys among its 1,232 total personnel, and is one of the five largest law firms in Japan. TMI has numerous overseas branches and local desks in Shanghai, Beijing, Yangon, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Jakarta*, Kuala Lumpur*, Manila, Silicon Valley, São Paulo, Mexico City, London, Paris, Brussels, Nairobi and Sydney. TMI is also well positioned to provide a wide range of global legal services through its Chinese service group, French practice group, India desk, and Korean desk located in its Tokyo office, as well as its joint venture relationships in Japan with Simmons & Simmons LLP (UK), Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP (US), and ARQIS Foreign Law Office (Germany). TMI provides a comprehensive range of legal services regarding international corporate transactions and international investment and trade business transactions. The firm has an unrelenting focus on supporting the global business development needs of its clients – both Japanese and international companies – by providing legal services ranging from the acquisition and protection of patent and intellectual property rights to licensing, mergers and acquisitions, financing matters and even dispute resolution. *Affiliated Office HP: https://www.tmi.gr.jp/ Contact Information Jumpei Osada, attorney-at-law (Daiichi Tokyo Bar Association) in charge of PR, TMI Associates TEL: 03-6438-5356 (PR department) FAX: 03-6438-5522 E-mail: [email protected]

TMI Associates (Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Mr. Katsuro Tanaka, hereinafter, “TMI”) is pleased to announce the commencement of operations at its new office, “TMI Associates Europe S.R.L.,” located in Brussels, Belgium, in the heart of the European Union (“EU”). Brussels serves as the EU’s headquarters, being home to various key EU institutions, including the Council of the European Union and the European Commission. TMI’s Brussels office is strategically positioned to provide clients with timely updates on the latest EU legal developments, offering a comprehensive resource for navigating complex EU regulations. The new Brussels office will leverage TMI's extensive international network to support clients operating within the EU. The new Brussels office will provide a broad range of legal services, including compliance support for EU regulations, competition law, data protection law and other related matters. Furthermore, the new Brussels office will deliver up-to-date practical insights on compliance with recently enacted various EU regulations, such as those concerning AI and cybersecurity. The new Brussels office will also extend legal support to European companies, particularly in energy, environmental, and ESG-related fields, facilitating their entry into the Japanese market and promoting reciprocal cross-border transactions. The new Brussels office will be led by Mr. Mizuki Koshimoto, attorney-at-law (https://www.tmi.gr.jp/people/m-koshimoto.html), who will be based at the office. Mr. Koshimoto has significant expertise in energy and cross-border transactions and will assist Japanese companies with renewable energy deals, carbon credit trading, as well as environmental and ESG-related matters within the EU. He will also actively assist European companies considering entry into the Japanese market. Additionally, Mr. Akihiro Kudo, attorney-at-law (https://www.tmi.gr.jp/people/a-kudo.html), who specializes in EU competition law and is currently based at the London office, will also spend time at the Brussels office providing support regarding EU competition law and various EU regulations introduced in recent years. TMI’s team of experts will offer comprehensive support to Japanese companies navigating EU regulatory requirements essential to succeeding in business within the EU. Moreover, the new Brussels office will work closely with TMI’s London and Paris offices to establish a support network across the EU. Together, TMI’s three European offices will offer comprehensive legal solutions to assist clients with business development as well as promote Japanese sports and entertainment content to the European market. As a regional hub for the entire European region, the Brussels office will aim to facilitate optimal legal services tailored to the laws, regulations, and business environments of each EU country.  

TMI Associates, one of the leading law firms in Japan, has engaged Mr. Colin Passmore,a former senior partner of prestigious UK law firm Simmons & Simmons, to enhance TMI’s expansion throughout the European and African regions. TMI was set up in 1990 with ten attorneys and one patent attorney, and it has grown organically within the past 34 years to now encompass over 720 attorneys, patent/trademark attorneys and foreign attorneys. TMI now has six offices in Japan and 17 overseas bases around the globe, including those in London, Paris and Nairobi. In addition, TMI will be opening a new office in Brussels this autumn. TMI and Simmons & Simmons have had a long-standing collaborative arrangement since 2001, and Mr. Passmore’s guidance and support for TMI’s further expansion is truly a key element to ensure our further worldwide growth.