Life Sciences

Anderson Mori & Tomotsune (“AMT”) has a long history of advising international and Japanese health care, health food industry, pharmaceutical and life sciences clients on virtually all legal and regulatory aspects of their business in Japan, including intellectual property, pharmaceutical and medical device regulations, general corporate, M&As and joint ventures, corporate finance, employment, as well as dispute resolution.

IP-related Services

AMT is quite unique among major Japanese domestic law firms because we are able to offer complete coverage of IP-related services, from patent and trademark prosecution to technology transactions (e.g., license agreements, joint development agreements, and material transfer agreement), infringement and validity opinion works, and litigation/arbitration. We have attorneys-at-law (bengoshi) partners and special counsels who have a strong focus on this practice area. Additionally, we have patent attorneys (benrishi) who have the requisite technical background and are specialized in patent prosecution work in the life sciences area. We, therefore are able to provide one-stop legal services covering both legal and technology aspects through the collaborations between attorneys-at-laws and patent attorneys.

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M&A and Finance

AMT handles finance and corporate transactions, including due diligence investigations, both as part of standalone health care, pharmaceutical and life sciences transactions, and as part of larger M&A transactions. Our practice also covers licensing, sale and purchase of product lines and other transactions peculiar to a life science field. Our life sciences attorneys are engaged in proactively assisting clients in the drafting and negotiation of contracts, taking into consideration the uniqueness of the health care, pharmaceutical and life sciences industries and the nuances of Japanese practice.

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Digital Health, Regenerative Medicine

■ Digital Health AMT provides a wide variety of advice in the field of digital health, which utilities cutting edge technology. Examples of this field include medical devices that use artificial intelligence (AI), software as a medical device (SaMD) for smart phones, and on-line medical consultations at medical institutions. ■Deep Knowledge in the Field of Regenerative Medicine AMT provides advice on the laws relating to regenerative medicine, such as the Act on Securing Quality, Efficacy and Safety of Products Including Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices, as well as the Act on Securing Safety of Regenerative Medicine, etc. We have also drafted numerous contracts relating to cell processing agreements, and have deep knowledge in the field of regenerative medicine.

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Health Care, Pharmaceutical and Life Science

Anderson Mori & Tomotsune has a long history of advising international and Japanese health care and life sciences clients on IP acquisition and utilization. We also provide advice in other substantive legal areas, including pharmaceutical regulations (e.g., the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Act and the Chemical Substances Act). We also conduct due diligence investigations both as part of stand-alone health care and life sciences transactions and as part of larger M&A transactions. Our health care and life sciences attorneys are engaged in proactively assisting clients in the drafting and negotiation of contracts, taking into consideration the uniqueness of the health care and life sciences industries and the nuances of Japanese practice.

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Dealing with compliance issues and criminal investigations

■Ongoing Support in Complying with Various Regulations We have assisted our clients in connection with their various regulatory needs, including, without limitation, regulatory advice on pharmaceutical regulations, such as the Act on Securing Quality, Efficacy and Safety of Products Including Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices, as well as various regulations regarding advertising and labeling, such as the Fair Competition Code, the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations, the Health Promotion Act and the Food Labeling Act. ■ Responding to Compliance Violations and Investigations Our firm, whose members include former prosecutors, responds when compliance violations are discovered within our clients or when investigations are conducted by the authorities. Depending on the situation, such responses may include conducting internal investigations within the client, conducting independent investigations by third party committees, and dealing with the authorities.

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INSIGHTS

PROFESSIONALS

Junichi Kondo
JunichiKondo
Tokyo
Partner
Tokyo

Partner

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Junichi Kondo is a partner at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune and is engaged principally in the fields of general corporate matters with an emphasis on M&A, joint venture and other corporate transactions including M&A-related financing. His scope of experience also includes healthcare matters including pharmaceutical regulations and software licensing.
Hiroshi Ishihara
HiroshiIshihara
Tokyo
Partner
Tokyo

Partner

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Hiroshi Ishihara specializes in international and domestic corporate law matters including M&A, business reorganization, antitrust law, real estate and intellectual property transactions. In connection with M&A transactions, he has extensive experience in cross-border M&A, business integration between listed companies, joint ventures and intragroup reorganizations. Also, he advises on many international commercial transactions, such as negotiation for a license agreement, manufacturing agreement and other agreements between Japanese and overseas companies. For domestic corporate matters, he advises on corporate crisis management and operation of shareholders’ meetings. He also specializes in healthcare and life sciences industry and handles many transactions and regulatory issues, including regulations with respect to regenerative medicines. Prior to joining Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Hiroshi served as a lawyer at Nishimura & Asahi, Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Bingham Sakai Mimura Aizawa. Also, He has experience working for the Bank of Japan as well as one of the largest general trading companies in Japan. Hiroshi is a qualified Japanese lawyer (bengoshi) as well as a qualified lawyer in New York and California.
Masayuki Yamanouchi
MasayukiYamanouchi
Tokyo
Partner
Tokyo

Partner

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Masayuki holds a master's degree in science, and has been engaged in a number of patent infringement lawsuits and other IP related matters since he became a lawyer. His main focus is on the pharmaceutical industry, in patent infringement actions as well as licensing negotiations, joint development projects, and technology transfer projects. He also has expertise and experience in other forms of intellectual property, including trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. In addition, with his experience in the U.S. (both in law school and at a law firm focusing on patent matters), he also provides advice to clients involved in patent lawsuits in the U.S.
Akihito Ishii
AkihitoIshii
Tokyo
Special Counsel
Tokyo

Special Counsel

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Takashi Okamoto
TakashiOkamoto
Tokyo
Patent Attorney (benrishi)
Tokyo

Patent Attorney (benrishi)

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Mr. Okamoto is a registered and qualified patent attorney (benrishi). He has been involved with various patent matters and is well versed in international and domestic patent filing and prosecution. He is specialized in Mechanical devices, Life Science and Food Engineering.
Yohei Ogasawara
YoheiOgasawara
Tokyo
Patent Attorney (benrishi)
Tokyo

Patent Attorney (benrishi)

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Dr. Ogasawara is a registered and qualified patent attorney (benrishi). He has been involved with various patent matters and is well versed in international and domestic patent filing and prosecution. He is specialized in Genetic engineering, Pharmaceuticals, Food, Microbiology, Regenerative medicine, Distillation/Extraction, Batteries, Optical devices.
Kenichi Masuda
KenichiMasuda
Tokyo
Partner
Tokyo

Partner

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Kenichi Masuda has represented many local and foreign clients in a broad spectrum of businesses and industries. He has extensive experience in advising foreign clients and is familiar with cross-border issues. In particular, he regularly advises clients on mergers and acquisitions of listed and unlisted businesses (including, but not limited to, share acquisitions and divestments and business acquisitions and divestments for foreign clients where the target is a Japanese company or business), joint ventures and other cross-border investments, and corporate restructurings. His scope of experience also includes assisting and representing venture companies in various aspects including start-up, equity finance and initial public offerings, as well as establishing venture capital or other private equity funds, advising venture or other private equity funds on investments in Japanese businesses including high-tech businesses as well as distressed companies. He regularly provides legal services on employment and labor union relations (including representation of client companies at the court and other dispute resolution forum), real property transactions, intellectual property issues, general corporate matters (including corporate governance and compliance issues for listed companies) and commercial matters. Mr. Masuda served as a Committee Member for two committees organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for the purpose of stimulating venture business and investments into the venture business in Japan: the Committee for Improving the Business Environment for Private Equity Finance in Japan in 2000, which developed proposals for revisions to the Japanese corporate law, and the Committee for Examining Desirable Disclosure Systems of the Venture Business in Japan in 2001, which developed proposals for revisions to the Japanese Securities Exchange Law. Mr. Masuda also taught M&A as an adjunct lecturer at the Graduate School for Law and Politics of The University of Tokyo (2011-2013, 2014-2016).
Hirohito Akagami
HirohitoAkagami
Tokyo
Partner
Tokyo

Partner

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Hirohito Akagami is engaged principally in the fields of financial, corporate and commercial law, with an emphasis on M&A and securities work. Typically, these transactions involve Akagami representing the purchasers for a number of tender offers, which he has been doing for more than 20 years. He also advises clients in a number of domestic and cross-border syndicated loans, securities and other financial transactions, as well as on corporate governance-related matters and regulatory issues.
Akihito ("Aki") Nakamachi
Akihito ("Aki")Nakamachi
Tokyo
Partner
Tokyo

Partner

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Mr. Nakamachi is a fully bilingual and bicultural attorney and possesses over 30 years of solid experience as a practicing lawyer in the United States and Japan. He has the rare distinction among Japanese lawyers of having served as a partner at top-tier law firms in both of the two countries. He has special expertise in intellectual property/technology transactions for technology-driven clients, ranging from young start-ups to fully-matured global enterprises. Aki represents clients operating in a wide range of industries, including software, Internet, e-commerce, computer gaming, computer equipment, telecommunications, automobile, semiconductor, pharmaceuticals, biotech and medical devices. With over 10 years of work experience at first-tier national U.S. law firms across the United States, Aki has acquired exceptionally deep and practical knowledge of not only the laws but also the "business culture" of both the United States and Japan, and utilizes his expertise to assist clients in achieving successful outcomes in cross-border commercial transactions and dispute resolution matters.
Yasufumi Shiroyama
YasufumiShiroyama
Tokyo
Partner
Tokyo

Partner

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Yasufumi Shiroyama is a partner who heads all aspects of the firm's intellectual property group practice, including: ・Drafting and arguing complaints, motions, answers and other pleadings for patent, trademark, copyright and know-how infringement litigation in district and appellate courts in Japan, on behalf of both Japanese and foreign companies; ・Drafting and arguing complaints, motions, answers and other pleadings for litigation arising in relation to technology transfer agreements, compensation for employee's invention, and allegedly defective products, etc. in district and appellate courts in Japan, on behalf of both Japanese and foreign companies; ・Drafting and negotiating various technology transfer agreements on behalf of both Japanese and foreign companies; ・Managing written discovery in cooperation with U.S. counsel for a Japanese client in patent license related litigation in U.S. federal court; ・Managing appellate litigation matters seeking nullification of decisions of the Japanese Patent Office; ・Drafting and arguing complaints, motions, answers and other pleadings in invalidation trial and opposition procedures before the Japanese Patent Office; and ・Advising on regulatory matters for pharmaceutical products, medical devices, chemical products, and personal data etc.

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