Profile and Expertise

After 7 years at the Mori Hamada Law Firm in Japan, Tetsuo furthered his studies overseas in
Switzerland and the USA, and went on to be a partner in one of Singapore’s top law firms,
Rajah & Tann. He then became the head of Asian operations for Baker & McKenzie. Now based in
Singapore, he specialises in all cross-border legal transactions, including M&A and international
trade disputes. In 2014, he became the first qualified Japanese lawyer to advise Singapore commercial law (Foreign Practitioner certificate for Foreign Lawyer to Practise both Singapore Law and Foreign Law in Singapore (Section 36B)).
He is also the first Japanese lawyer to be a case managing officer at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, dealing with many cross-border issues.

• Experience
• Publications
• Seminars
• Newsletter

• International arbitration
  ● Settling a dispute between a Japanese cosmetics company and a Korean company regarding a share transfer
  contract (ICC, Singapore, acting for the respondent)
  ● Settling a dispute between a major Japanese department store and an American company regarding an
  international licensing agreement (ICC, New York, acting for the respondent)
  ● Settling a dispute between a Japanese plant maker and a Chinese company regarding construction contract
  (ICC, Singapore, acting for the respondent)
  ● Settling a dispute between a major Japanese cosmetics company and a Singaporean company regarding
  an agency agreement (ICC, Japan, acting for the applicant)
  ● Settling a dispute between a major Japanese plant maker and an Indian company regarding construction of a power
  plant (ICC, Singapore, acting for the applicant)
  ● Settling a dispute between a Vietnamese company and a Malaysian company regarding a licensing agreement
  (SIAC, Singapore, acting as an arbitrator)
  ● Settling a dispute between a Japanese machine maker and a Malaysian company regarding an agency agreement (SIAC, Singapore, acting for the applicant)
  ● Settling a dispute between a Japanese pharmaceutical company and Singaporean company regarding a supply
  agreement (SIAC, Singapore, acting for the respondent)
  ● Settling a dispute between a major Japanese construction company and a Malaysian company regarding
  a construction agreement (SIAC, Singapore, acting for the respondent)
  ● Settling a dispute between a major Japanese construction company and a Malaysian company regarding
  a construction agreement (KLRCA, Malaysia, acting for the applicant.)
  ● Settling a dispute between a Japanese construction company and an Indonesian company regarding a construction agreement (BANI, Indonesia, acting for the applicant)
  ● Settling a dispute between a Japanese cosmetics company and an Indonesian company regarding an agency
  agreement (JCAA, Japan, acting for the respondent)
  ● Settling a dispute between a Japanese trading company and a Vietnamese company regarding a port building
  contract (Ad hoc arbitration, Vietnam, acting for the applicant)
  
  M&A
  ● Assisting the acquisition of a Singaporean construction machinery company by a major Japanese construction
  company
  ● Assisting the acquisition of a Singaporean aviation recruitment company by a major Japanese recruitment company
  ● Assisting the acquisition of a Singaporean and malaysian recruitment company by a major Japanese recruitment
  company
  ● Assisting the acquisition of a Singaporean car manufacturer by a major Japanese car manufacture
  ● Assisting the acquisition of a Singaporean materials manufacturer by a Japanese trade company
  ● Assisting the acquisition of a Singaporean and Malaysian IT company by a Japanese IT venture
  ● Assisting the (merger or investment) of a Vietnamese manufacturing company by a Japanese manufacturing
  company
  ● Assisting the acquisition of a Philippines factory by a Japanese electronics company
  ● Assisting the acquisition of a Philippines resource company by a Japanese resource company
  ● Assisting the acquisition of an Indonesian FX company by a Japanese IT company
  ● The acquisition of an Indian, Thai and Vietnamese recruitment company by a major Japanese recruitment company
  ● Assisting the acquisition of a Srilankan and Vietnamese medical company by a Japanese company
  
  Others
  ● Creating a manual for corporate management, setting up a business and compliance in Asia.

• International arbitration
  
  ● International commercial arbitration in Asia (Lexis Nexis, 2014)
  
  ● The evolving international arbitration in Asia (JCA Journal in Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia. Korea,
  
  Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore)
  
  ● International Research Conference: Resolving disputes in Asia (Ministry of Justice, ICD News,
  
  51st edition, June 2012)
  
  ● Enforcing foreign arbitral awards in Asia (Ministry of Justice, 2011)
  
  ● Approving and enforcing foreign arbitration in Asia (Ministry of Justice, 2011)
  
  ● Seminar: Approving and enforcing foreign arbitration in Asia (Panel discussion) (JCA Journal,
  
  June / July 2013)
  
  ● Indian Arbitration Law: law change affecting foreign arbitration (Business Journal, April 2013)
  
  ● Amendment to ICC Arbitration Regulations 2012 (International trade law bureau, December 2012)
  
  ● Singapore International Trade Arbitration (International trade law bureau, May / June 2012)
  
  ● International inter-business dispute resolution: Arbitration Centres and the potential Japanese market All areas of law
  
  ● Labour Laws and Practice in Asia Q&A (Shoji Houmu, November 2011)
  
  ● Company Law in Singapore (JETRO Singapore, March 2012)
  
  ● Law in Asia and its Development from a Commercial Lawyer’s Perspective (Ministry of Justice, 2012)
  
  ● Managing Subsidiary Companies in Southeast Asia (Labour Administration Times, October 2012)
  
  ● New Malaysian Competition Law and Limitations of Enforcement Mechanisms: A Competition Law
  
  Pattern in Southeast Asia (business houtei, July 2012)
  
  ● Establishing an Unified Asian Company (Monthly President, December 2012) 

• Seminars International commercial arbitration
  ● “Asia Business Laws (Investment related Laws)” (Special Professor; Hitotsubashi University, April 2017)
  ● Latest operations of SIAC Arbitration (JCCI Singapore, November 2015)
  ● Asia Focus Team Seminar: Resolving disputes in Asia (Baker & McKenzie. June 2015)
  ● Arbitration in Asia (Lexis Nexis, August 2014)
  ● How to resolve disputes in Asia (Singapore Trade Conference, October 2012)
  ● Latest updates on arbitration in Asia, 2013 (Japan Trade Association Arbitration Centre, Osaka Lawyer’s
  Association, March 2013)
  ● Importance of location when arbitrating in Asia (Lexis Nexis, October 2012)
  ● How Japanese companies can utilise arbitration in Asia (SIAC, May 2012)
  ● The development of arbitration in South East Asia (March 2012)

• 2024/01/19INTRODUCTION OF WORKPLACE FAIRNESS LEGISLATION AND OTHER LEGAL UPDATES IN 2024

  2023/11/30Building A Fairer and More Harmonious Workplace in Singapore

  2023/10/13Philippine’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) issues Five (5) Consumer Responsibilities

  2023/09/01A New Tenancy Framework for Retail Premises in Singapore

  2023/05/31Single Family Offices Should Make Use of Variable Capital Companies

  2023/05/25Temporal Scope of Restrictive Covenants in Singapore

  2023/03/13New Rules and Regulations on Trademarks, Service Marks, etc. in the Philippines

  2023/01/17Department of Justice Opined that 100% Foreign Ownership in Renewable Energy Projects Should Be Allowed in the Philippines

  2022/09/20Administrative Fines of PIC and PICs in the Philippines

  2022/09/15Philippines Issues New Foreign Investment Negative List

  2022/08/16Global Business and Human Rights: An Introduction for Japanese Businesses

  2022/08/16Changes to Singapore’s Gambling Laws Now in Effect – Effects on Businesses

  2022/01/17Overview of Family Offices in Singapore

  2021/11/24Introduction of Conditional Fee Agreements in Singapore

  2021/11/16Singapore: Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act

  2021/11/16Singapore: Retirement and Re-employment Amendment Bill

  2021/08/10Dispute Resolution and Arbitration System in the Philippines

  2021/07/30Our lawyer, Tetsuo Kurita, will give a lecture at Kobe University Summer Program “Dispute Resolution in all over the world” on 21 and 22 August 2021.