Notices

One Asia Lawyers recently added Mourant as a member firm to cooperate with respect to the furthering of commercial opportunities for both parties with Japanese clients.

The Mourant team in Asia provides BVI and Cayman Islands legal advice, with the wider Mourant group also advising in respect of the laws of Jersey, Guernsey and Luxembourg.

This alliance marks a significant milestone in collaborating on open-ended and close-ended funds work within BVI and the Cayman Islands specially catered to Japanese clients.

Mourant   https://www.mourant.com/

　We are pleased to announce that One Asia Law Firm has entered into a business alliance with SKY LAW (Kua Sy & Yeung Law Offices) based in Metro Manila, Republic of the Philippines, effective April 1, 2023. In the form of a business alliance, SKY LAW will join One Asia Lawyers Group as a Philippine member firm, and the entire One Asia Lawyers Group will respond to the cross-border transactional needs of international companies.

　SKY LAW is a full-service law firm that handles general corporate issues, Mergers and Acquisitions, dispute resolution, labor, intellectual property (including patents), and tax disputes for clients in Metro Manila and throughout the country. SKY LAW has been ranked by the Legal 500 and was a finalist in the Philippines Law Awards 2022, Philippines Client Choice Lawyers 2022, and Asia IP Rankings 2022, among others.

https://skylaw.com.ph/

　The One Asia Lawyers Philippines team is pleased to have a new partner and looks forward to continuing to provide our clients with the best legal services possible.

 Focus Law Asia LLC, a Singapore member firm of The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2023, received a high rating (Firms to Watch) in the areas of Dispute Resolution and Shipping (Local Firm) law. 

For more information, please check The Legal 500 website.

https://www.legal500.com/firms/237351-focus-law-asia/236563-singapore-singapore/#rankings

Introduction to Expatriates in Asia / Legal Practice Seminar for Business /OAL Webinar Series

As domestic demand shrinks and competition intensifies in Japan, many companies, regardless of their compensation, are expanding overseas in search of new markets. While the head office in Japan expect local subsidiaries to expand the market and speed up business growth in the local country, management resources to survive the competition tend to be concentrated on sales and marketing, and the establishment of back-office management systems for local subsidiaries tends to end up behind with everything. However, as business becomes more global in scale, the legal system to ensure the proper operation of a company is becoming stricter every year from a global perspective. In recent years, compliance, especially in Asian countries, has become even more stringent than that in Japan, and what is required of expatriates is sifting not only “business growth” but also “managing a local subsidiary with the flexible response in accordance with legal systems which is complex and frequently changes, while growing the business.”

This time, One Asia Lawyers Group /Bengoshi Hojin One Asia will hold a Legal Practice Seminar for Business for expatriates, directors, and contract managers who have been newly assigned to countries in Southeast Asia, South India, and Oceania, as well as for legal departments, compliance departments, and overseas business departments that support such people from Japan.

This webinar series is designed for expatriates, directors, and contract managers in Southeast Asia, South India, and Oceania to acquire knowledge of business practices and laws related to business in each country. The webinar will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the basic legal knowledge in each country. Especially, the webinar is not limited to the mere acquisition of legal knowledge but also provides practical information that is essential from a business perspective, such as how to negotiate with local companies, how to manage the labor of local personnel, and how to manage receivables in Asian countries.

In particular, due to the impact of Covid 19 and other factors, many companies are forced to work remotely, and we will focus on how the management of companies in each country must manage and supervise their workers while working remotely in this seminar series.

Date and Time
Date is depending on the country/region, but all are held from 3PM to 6PM in JST (10 minutes break)
Friday 21^st April 2023：Singapore　
Friday 28^th April 2023：Thailand
Friday 12^th May 2023：Malaysia
Friday 19^th May 2023：Vietnam
Friday 26^th May 2023：Indonesia
Friday 2^nd June 2023：Philippine
Friday 9^th June 2023：Cambodia
Friday 16^th June 2023：Laos
Friday 23^th June 2023：Myanmar
Friday 30^th June 2023：New Zealand/Australia
Friday 7^th July 2023：India/South Asia

Seminar Detail（※Contents may be different in each region/country.）

1. Business Customs（Commercial customs, legal system/history, negotiation method with local companies in each country, etc.）
2. Measure to Manage Local Companies（Summary of Company Act in each country, the latest amendment of Company Act, the difference with Company Act in Japan, director’s obligation, the obligation that the directors should be aware of under the COVID-19 pandemic, etc.）
3. Labor Management（Summary of Labor Law/the latest amendments of Labor law in each country, the management of labor contracts, the prevention method of harassment, the response to the relevant authorities and the management method of workers under COVID-19 pandemic, etc.）
4. Information Management（Personal Data Protection Act/the latest detected case in each country and the response to the relevant authorities, etc.）
5. Competition Law Management（Summary of Competition Law in each country, cases of violation and the method to build the prevention system and the response to the relevant authorities, etc.）
6. Compliance Management（The prevention system of bribery/the method to build the Whistle-Blowing system in each country, etc.）
7. Debt Management（Methods of ensuring debt collection/obtaining charge in each country, dispute resolution systems, etc.）
8. Intellectual Property Management（Management method of trademark/copyright in each country, etc.）

Speakers：Local lawyers of One Asia Lawyers Group
Language：Japanese
Access：Zoom Webinar
Fee：Free of charge

Registration：Please register from the link below. The Zoom link will be sent after your registration is completed.
Singapore:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_843ga7GCRI2EHTPz9PA2ng
Thailand:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8xsQ1xgvSGaTLm3WZfvTog
Malaysia:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tnOqpoobSVa_TlBPSMy2Jw
Vietnam:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qY5GxnhWT7y_dcN9C570fA<
Indonesia:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_z8I1u7z2Q9KPOyPJi7GCRA
Philippines:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ntuHs31ZT8GU-yl2TJIA3Q
Cambodia:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MMT5heQmSISD0BrS2g5HfA
Laos:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_loIrD__9S0asFHVUm6dl7g
Myanmar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_L3QiDmP4Rk2yEE2CR_ckUQ
New Zealand/Australia:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__9VG0lVNStW1Xn6KruH7rg
India/South Asia:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_E0PR7V74QomWwPE0XxB41w

※ The confirmation email will be sent automatically upon the completion of your prior registration.
※ The personal data in relation to this registration will be used only for the purpose of registration for this webinar and future webinar announcements but not for any other purposes.

■ One Asia Lawyers Group will be holding many seminars in 2023. We are also happy to customize a seminar/webinar for your request. Please feel free to contact us if you are interested.
seminar@oneasia.legal

PERSOL RESEARCH AND CONSULTING CO., LTD. has published “PERSOL HR DATA BANK in APAC” contributed by One Asia Lawyers Group members.

https://rc.persol-group.co.jp/thinktank/spe/hr-data/en/

We have now confirmed that we have been consulted about fraudulent cases in which the name of our firm or our lawyers have been used to deceive.
Please note that our firm is not involved in any such cases at all.

Please note that the following specific cases have occurred.
・The person has fraudulently claimed to be a lawyer or a staff member of our firm and has explained that he/she will refund a part of the damages related to the fraud case, and has asked for a deposit, registration on an app such as Viber, or the sending of personal information such as a driver’s license.
・The person is falsely claiming the names of our firm’s lawyers and a staff and inviting them to come to Singapore or other foreign countries for a visit. And for this purpose, ask them to register for an app, disclose their bank account/transaction history and other personal information.

If you receive any of the above communications, please do not immediately comply and thoroughly check the other party’s identity.
In addition, please consult with your local police or other authorities and inform us at the contact details below.

Bengoshi Houjin One Asia (One Asia Lawyers) Tokyo office
TEL:+81-3-6550-9000

The lawyers in One Asia Lawyers (Tetsuo Kurita, Tomoyoshi Ina, Kazutaka Mori, Hiroyuki Masuda, Yohei Shigihara, Yuki Hashimoto, Koji Umai, Yasuaki Nanba, Kazuki Sano, Masami Oba, Yuto Yabumoto, Kimiyoshi Shimura, Shigeki Yoshida, Ryo Matsutani and Masaki Fujiwara) are selected as a lecturer at the Kobe University of Top Lawyers Program(TLP), “Legal Affairs in Emerging Countries – Comparison of  Legal Affairs in Asia.”

Our lawyers will provide the lecture with our local lawyers in the area of dispute resolution/international arbitration, M&A, PDPA, compliance/anti-bribery, FinTech across the Asian region.

This program is the Ph.D. program for young and mid-career lawyers and is provided by Japan’s leading lawyers and professors in Kobe University Graduate School of Law. This is aimed at systematically training legal professionals for advanced legal practice and for achieving global influence for Japanese law.

Mr. Kurita will be a lecturer at the Kobe University School of Law’s winter program, “International Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Systems around the World”.

This lecture is open and public and anyone can join without charge.
If you are interested, please send email to the following email address and we will send you the Zoom link to join on the day.
seminar@oneasia.legal

Detailed information : https://oneasia.legal/en/wp-content/themes/standard_black_cmspro/img/2d2535005d3be8db91e3005a969370f0.pdf

2021 Autumn Program Kobe University Law School
Dispute Resolution in all over the world
20^th – 21^st November 2021

20^th Saturday November from 14:00-15:30 Japan Time
1 Dispute Resolution System and Arbitration System in Asia and Oceania
Lecturer and Coordinator: One Asia Lawyers Managing Partner: Tetsuo Kurita
Theme (1) Latest update of international arbitration in Asia from ICC International Court of Arbitration
　　　　Mr. Akhil C. Unnam
　　　　Deputy Counsel, ICC International Court of Arbitration
Theme (2) Dispute and arbitration in Australia
　　　　　Mr. Cameron Graf
　　　　　Legal Vision
                https://legalvision.com.au/meet-our-team/cameron-graf/                

20^th Saturday November from 15:40-17:10
2 Dispute Resolution System and Arbitration System in Africa
Lecturer and Coordinator: Survey Consultant for JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) Information Collection Survey for Improving the Access to Justice and Establishing Networks in African Countries, Advocate Ms Yuko Haraguchi
Theme (1) Dispute resolution and ICT application in South Africa
                  Mrs. Nicolene Schoeman-Louw
　　　　　Managing Director | M.Inst.D | LPP
　　　　　Attorney, Conveyancer, Notary Public and Mediator
　　　　　Schoeman-Louw Inc.
https://www.schoemanlaw.co.za/about-us/ Ms. Nicolene Schoeman-Louw,
Theme (2) Dispute resolution and ADR in Malawi
                  Mr. Dumisani G. Mlauzi
　　　　　LLM (Merc. Law); LLB (Hons) Mw
　　　　　Managing Consultant, Mlauzi Legal Solutions

21^st  Saturday November from 14:00-15:30
3 Dispute Resolution System and Arbitration System in South America
Lecturer and Coordinator: One Asia Lawyers Managing Partner: Tetsuo Kurita
Theme Dispute and arbitration system in Brazil
            Mr. Felipe Bastos
            Veirano Advogados
https://www.veirano.com.br/profissional/felipe-bastos

21^st  Saturday November from 15:40-17:10
4 Dispute Resolution System and Arbitration System in Middle East
Lecturer and Coordinator: Afridi & Angell Head of Japan Desk (seconded from Nishimura & Asahi), Masao Morishita
Theme (1) Dispute resolution in Turkey
                  Partner Mr. Oktay Sener   
                  Aksan Law Firm
Theme (2) Dispute resolution in Israel
                  Partner Mr. Eylam Weiss
     　　　　Weiss, Porat & Co Law Offices

In May 2021, One Asia Lawyers (Bengoshi Houjin One Asia) established its Fukuoka office with Tomonari Koshiji as its representative attorney.

One Asia’s Fukuoka office (affiliated with the Fukuoka Bar Association) is established for the purpose of handling business legal matters related to the economic activities, both domestic and international, of companies based in Kyushu and other areas of western Japan. In other words, as part of the further strengthening of the international practice areas handled by the firm, the Fukuoka office of One Asia will not only handle cross-border cases in cooperation with each of the Asian offices, but will also collaborate with the Tokyo and Osaka offices to provide high quality “one-stop services” in all areas of business law, both domestic and international. In addition to handling cross-border matters, we will also collaborate with our Tokyo and Osaka offices to provide high-quality “one-stop services” in all areas of domestic and international business law in Kyushu.

The Fukuoka office works closely with our overseas offices, the Tokyo office, and the Osaka office to provide cross-border services, including domestic cases, overseas expansion cases including acquisitions of overseas companies, corporate misconduct cases involving overseas subsidiaries, and overseas dispute cases. Our attorneys have a wealth of experience and a proven track record in providing legal services in a wide range of fields, including dispute resolution, litigation, M&A, corporate, real estate, expansion into Asia, finance, intellectual property, labor law, and IT.

In addition to these outbound projects, we will also respond to inbound projects from Asia, which are expected to increase in the future, to invest in Kyushu and other parts of western Japan.
In addition, the representative partner of the Fukuoka office, Mr. Tomonari Koshiji, has extensive experience and achievements in various fields such as financial transactions, real estate, competition law, intellectual property/IT law, labor law, crisis management, business succession/inheritance, and business start-up support.
In this way, the Fukuoka office is committed to providing the highest level of comprehensive legal services in Japan from Fukuoka, the gateway to Asia, in order to support the further development of companies based in Kyushu and other regions of western Japan.

One Asia Lawyers (Bengoshi Houjin One Asia) Fukuoka Office

Representative Attorney : Tomonari Koshiji Address : Sun Life No.3 Building 6F, 2-5-19, Hakataeki Higashi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City Tel : 092-600-0194 Mail : tomonari.koshiji@oneasia.legal 

＜Notice of Expansion in China/Great Bay Area＞

One Asia Lawyers is pleased to announce the opening of a representative office of OAL International Pte. Ltd. in Shenzhen, China, and the formation of a practice team in the Greater Bay Area. China, with a population of over 1.4 billion, is the world’s most populous country and has become the “world’s largest market” rather than the “world’s factory” as it used to be. It is the only country that has become the “sole winner” in the Corona disaster and is the only country that continues to grow its economy. As a result, the number of investment projects such as M&A and export-related projects to China has been increasing in recent years.

The Greater Bay Area, which includes Hong Kong, Macau, and nine cities in Guangdong Province (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan, Huizhou, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Zhuhai, and Zhaoqing), is being developed with the signing of the “Framework Agreement on the Promotion of Greater Bay Area Construction through Deepening Cooperation among Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangdong Province” in 2017 by the Chinese government, Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangdong Province. The Greater Bay Area initiative is making progress with the signing of the “Framework Agreement on the Promotion of Greater Bay Area Construction through Deepening Cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau” by the Chinese government, Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong Province in 2017, which will provide deregulation and investment benefits. In addition, as the Greater Bay Area is an extremely important starting point for the One Belt, One Road project, we will use the above representative office as a base to acquire and share the latest regulatory and legal information on the Greater Bay Area and the One Belt, One Road project. In addition, due to the recent problems in Hong Kong, there is a move to consolidate the functions of controlling investment and exports to Greater China in the Greater China Region, and there has been an increase in consultation on investment in Hainan Province, the southernmost province of China, and the Hainan Free Trade Zone. We will continue to gather information on the entire Greater China region, with a focus on the South China area, in cooperation with experts in each jurisdiction.

OAL International Pte. Ltd. has established a representative office in Shenzhen, China and formed a practice team in the Greater China region. Mr. Ina, who has lived in China for a long time and is fluent in Chinese, has been appointed as the practice leader, and will provide information on investment and export to Greater China, including legal perspectives, in cooperation with experts in each jurisdiction.