Legal Alert | Japan is Primed for Increased Foreign Direct Investment
Patent Grace Period Considerations in Australia, Japan, South East Asia and the U.S.
Greater Speed and Efficiency: Steps IP Offices Around the World Are Taking to Streamline the Patent Process
Nota Bene Episode 109: Asia Q1 Check In: China’s Emergence as the Number One World Economy and New Hegemonic Role in Asia with Paul Kim
Nota Bene Episode 69: Asia Check In: The Coronavirus’s Impact on Business, the Trilateral Summit, and Japan’s Criminal Justice System with Paul Kim
Dr. Frederick Ch’en discusses generic drugs and the changing pharmaceutical landscape in Asia
Spencer Klein Talks M&A with Mergers & Acquisitions Magazine
A Japanese supermarket chain is getting attention for implementing an AI tool called “Mr. Smile” that monitors workers for the quality and quantity of their smiles when interacting with customers, raising questions around the...more
In June 2023, the ‘Act on the Promotion of Citizens’ Understanding of Diversity of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity’ was enacted by the Japanese legislature (the Diet)....more
Over the last decade, a patchwork of national and supranational “business and human rights laws” has emerged requiring employers to conduct due diligence of their global operations to address human rights risks such as forced...more
This summer many Japanese companies took their first legally required steps toward joining the growing global movement to address gender inequality and promote equal opportunities in the workforce. The Act on Promotion of...more
For Japanese corporate venture capital (CVC) investors, involvement with US startups comes with a host of labor and employment issues to consider. These include the variety of regulations relating to discrimination, working...more
To deter employees from leaving their jobs due to childbirth or childcare needs and to enable both men and women to balance work and childcare responsibilities as they deem suitable, Japan’s government passed an amendment to...more
At the end of last year, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) secured a guilty plea for wage fixing, resulting in its first criminal conviction with Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter saying: “[t]oday’s guilty plea...more
Expanded Japanese whistleblowing rules are among the latest to come into effect as part of a broad trend of increasing regulatory requirements for incident reporting across the globe. Previously in effect for large...more
As the COVID-19 landscape continues to evolve, multinational employers face many questions, challenges, and opportunities when considering how to resume global business travel. To help interested parties plan for Asia-Pacific...more
New Paternity Leave Law - New Legislation Enacted - The Child and Family Member Care Leave Act has been revised mainly to create more accessible leave for fathers. The revisions include: (i) a leave of four weeks that can...more
We asked our member firms around the globe to provide some insight on employer and employee rights when it comes to requiring the COVID-19 vaccine to return to work. Responses from Japan. Can an employer require compulsory...more
This note addresses some of the questions employers are asking about their obligations to employees in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The measures that businesses can take to manage their employees depends on several...more
CEP Magazine (March 2020) Starting April 2020, Japan’s Workstyle Reform Act will go into effect for small companies (i.e., generally, organizations with 50 or fewer employees). The law was implemented in April 2019 for...more
Does Japan have any travel restrictions? Yes. Starting on March 26, Japan will require all travelers arriving from the U.S. to self-quarantine for two weeks. Japan currently restricts the entry of the following groups...more
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Japanese government is considering a new law to enable the government to declare a state of emergency, cancel public events, and instruct people to stay indoors. The government is...more
As the coronavirus situation continues to evolve, so do companies’ and governments’ approaches to monitoring and helping avoid the spread of the virus. The intensity and anxiety over this issue is extremely high in Asia,...more
Despite political and economic uncertainties, markets and deal activity were resilient in 2019, and strong fundamentals remain in place heading into 2020. Companies continue to face a challenging litigation and enforcement...more
To tackle the karoshi (“death by overwork”) problem, Japan enacted the Workstyle Reform Act in June 2018. The Act requires employers to implement specific measures to limit employees’ working hours and create a healthier and...more
Australia - Wage Theft Investigations. The Australia Fair Work Ombudsman’s (FWO) 2018-2019 Annual Report, published by the government agency on October 20, 2019, found significant wage theft in the country over the past...more
In Japan, reforms over the years of its labor laws, which have been largely premised on a system of lifetime employment and time based wages, have remained minor and labor related issues such as low productivity, depressed...more
In response to increasing media reports of “karoshi” (employee death due to overwork), Japan has made some major changes to its Labor Standards Act of 1947. Under a recent amendment to the Act, which goes into effect for...more
Employees in Japan are generally paid a fixed monthly salary and may be eligible for overtime payments when working outside ordinary business hours or on public holidays. Overtime is usually calculated on an hourly basis....more