GLOBAL PRACTICE

ASEAN (Southeast Asia) Desk

Since 2015, our firm has continuously seconded lawyers to one of Singapore's leading law firms and has built close cooperative relationships with law firms across the ASEAN region, including Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.

We have also established an ASEAN (Southeast Asia) Desk within the firm, with attorneys stationed in Singapore, Indonesia (Jakarta), Thailand (Bangkok), and Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur).

To respond more flexibly to our clients' legal needs in each ASEAN jurisdiction, we operate a coordinated system under which matters are handled by designated attorneys-in-charge-including seconded attorneys in each country-enabling us to efficiently deliver high-quality, one-stop legal services.

Publications Related to

202102
Matsuda Akira contributed a commentary titled "ASEAN Practice - Singapore: Introduction to the latest case on the rule against the contractual penalties" (in Japanese only) to Lexology.
Author：
MATSUDA Akira　
- Lexology
202012
Uenishi Takuya contributed a commentary titled "Singapore's International Arbitration Act amended to accelerate the city state's "arbitration hub" status" (in Japanese only) to Lexology.
Author：
UENISHI Takuya　
- Lexology
201810

Matsuda Akira's commentary titled "Current Status of Personal Information Protection Laws in Asian Countries, Mainly Focusing on Singapore" which appears in October 2018 issue of JMC Journal, a newsletter issued by Japan Machinery Center for Trade and Investment.

Author：
MATSUDA Akira　
201505

An article introducing interview to Maruyama Shinji (currently seconded to Bangkok Office of Rajah & Tann LLP.) entitled "Heading for Not the West, but Asia - As One of the few Japanese Attorneys who are still Minority in South East Asia" appears in ABROADERS INTERVIEW and that entitled "As an Attorney, Protecting the Interests of Japanese Companies in Asia" appears in 'Abroaders who Move the World.'

：
MARUYAMA Shinji

Lectures, Seminars and Conferences Related to

202507

"ASIA DATA LAW EXCHANGE - Global Privacy Management: Perspectives Across Asia -"

Speaker： MATSUDA Akira　
202408

Matsuda Akira is a panelist at the Drew Network Asia conference AI, Data Use and Cybersecurity: Developments in Asia and Beyond

Speaker： MATSUDA Akira　
202402

IG hosts a webinar "Singapore Convention on Mediation: Update on Procedures and Contracts"

Speaker： TAGO Shinya　 MATSUDA Akira　 YAMADA Kohei　 OKAMURA Yu　
202305

Matsuda Akira and Yamada Kohei lecture on "Duties of Directors & Officers in Singapore and Other ASEAN Countries" at a seminar hosted by Willis Towers Watson

Speaker： MATSUDA Akira　 YAMADA Kohei　
201911

Matsuda Akira delivered a lecture titled "Current Issues in Cross-Border Transactions: Pointers & Pitfalls" with Mr. Mahesh Rai of Drew & Napier LLC at the seminar that was jointly organized with Drew & Napier LLC,a leading law firm in Singapore, at a conference room of Iwata Godo. We sincerely thank many people for their attendance.

Speaker： MATSUDA Akira　
201807

Matsuda Akira participated as a panelist at a lecture titled "The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence - Significance and Legal Implications" at Drew & Napier LLC in Singapore, inviting Professor Shimpo Fumio from Keio University as a guest speaker.

Speaker： MATSUDA Akira　
201806

Matsuda Akira delivered a lecture titled "Current Status of Personal Information Protection Laws in Asian Countries, Mainly Focusing on Singapore" at Japan Machinery Center for Trade and Investment.

Speaker： MATSUDA Akira　
201706

Matsuda Akira delivered a lecture entitled "Seminar on Investing in Myanmar" at the seminar jointly hosted by Iwata Godo and a prominent law firm in Myanmar, Kelvin Chia Yangon Ltd., with its director, Ms. Cheah Swee Gim invited as a guest speaker, at Marubiru Hall and Conference Square. We sincerely thank many people for their attendance.

Speaker： MATSUDA Akira　
201610

Matsuda Akira delivered a lecture entitled "Doing Business in ASEAN" at the seminar jointly organized with Drew & Napier LLC which is a leading law firm in Singapore and ZICO Law which is a leading law firm doing business across the ASEAN region, on October 21, 2016 at Station Conference Tokyo. We sincerely thank many people for their attendance.

Speaker： MATSUDA Akira　
201604

Matsuda Akira participated as a panelist and a speaker in the event entitled "ASEAN Insiders Roundtable Competition Law " co-hosted by ZICO Law and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on April 12, 2016.

Speaker： MATSUDA Akira　
201311

We held a seminar on international arbitration in Singapore, inviting Ms. Lim Seok Hui CEO of Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), and Ms. Julia Ji-Yeon Yu of SIAC, at our seminar room.

News Related to

202509
Attorney Fukatsu Haruno has completed her studies in the United States and will commence working at the Tilleke & Gibbins Bangkok Office in Thailand.
Iwata Godo will continue to strengthen its cooperative relationships with local law firms in ASEAN countries, including the Tilleke & Gibbins Bangkok Office, Drew & Napier LLP in Singapore, and Makarim & Taira S. in Jakarta, Indonesia, where its attorneys are based, and will provide Japanese clients with a comprehensive range of one-stop legal services.
- FUKATSU Haruno
202507
Kaneki Nobuyuki begins working at Makarim & Taira S. law firm in Jakarta, Indonesia from July.
Iwata Godo will continue to strengthen its collaborative relationships with local law firms in ASEAN countries, including Makarim & Taira S., and Drew & Napier LLC in Singapore, where our lawyers are based, to provide its Japanese clients with a comprehensive range of one-stop legal services.
- KANEKI Nobuyuki
202501
Effective January 1, our ASEAN Desk is open.
To respond actively to client needs, we newly opened this year an ASEAN Desk to provide more flexible and enriched legal services to our clients doing business in ASEAN countries.By having the case handled by the lawyer in charge, including lawyers seconded to each country, we will strengthen our system to be able to respond more flexibly to the legal needs of our clients in each ASEAN country.
ASEAN Desk Lawyers: Matsuda Akira, Beppu Fumiya
202404
Beppu Fumiya is on secondment at the Singapore law firm Drew & Napier.
IG continues to strengthen its collaboration with Drew & Napier, Drew Network Asia, and other local law firms in ASEAN countries. We provide our clients with a wide range of one-stop legal services.
- BEPPU Fumiya
202209
An interview with our special counsel Noguchi Motoo on the special court in Cambodia, "Atrocities Cannot Escape Justice: The Importance of Setting an Example" appeared in Asahi Shimbun Digital on September 22
- NOGUCHI Motoo
202112
The Nikkei morning edition of December 1 carried an article "ITOCHU Launches a Tire in England with Traceable Raw Materials".
The Nikkei published the article on the commercialization of "Project Tree" of ITOCHU Corporation (for which Landry Guesdon of IWATA GODO serves as an advisor) on page 14 of its morning edition of December 1. "Project Tree" is the first blockchain-based natural rubber traceability and sustainability project in the world and utilizes the value chain of ITOCHU's subsidiary PT. Aneka Bumi Pratama, a major Indonesian natural rubber processing company, and European Tyre Enterprise Limited, a major tire wholesaler and retailer.
- Landry GUESDON
201801
Matsuda Akira authored an article entitled "Latest Trend in Legal Practices for Antitrust and Competition Laws in ASEAN -Third Case of International Cartel Made Public in Singapore: Highest Penalty Ever," which is available on the website: Lexology.
- MATSUDA Akira

LAWYERS

ASEAN Desk Lawyers

MATSUDA Akira: +81-3-3214-6282
E-mail:amatsuda@iwatagodo.com

BEPPU Fumiya: +81-3-3214-6225 （Tokyo）／+65-6531-4112（Singapore）
E-mail:fbeppu@iwatagodo.com

PRACTICE AREAS

Cross-Border Transactions･M&A
Dispute Resolution
Other International Matters
Cross-Border Insolvency and Family Cases

Cross-Border Transactions･M&A

We advise on an extremely wide range of cross-border transactions, including M&A and other corporate transactions (e.g., acquisitions and equity investments in overseas companies, sales of overseas subsidiaries, incorporation and development of overseas business and establishment of joint ventures), financial transactions (e.g., overseas power generation, aircraft and ship leasing, real estate finance, formation of investment funds), IT-related transactions(in which cross-border transactions have recently been increasing in number, particularly in new businesses), regulatory matters (e.g., regulation of foreign investment, e-commerce regulation, consumer protection, competition law, financial regulation, environmental law), and matters related to employment law and IP law.

Dispute Resolution

Our international disputes resolution practice includes litigation in foreign courts, settlement negotiations in foreign countries, and international arbitration. In arbitration and settlement negotiations, we sometimes collaborate with a foreign law firm and sometimes handle the matter alone. For proceedings in foreign courts, we always collaborate with foreign law firms, and in such cases our role is coordination, management and supervision. In particular, we handle some complex cases in which there is litigation at the same time in Japan and a foreign country, and we coordinate with the foreign law firm to ensure that arguments and evidence are not contradictory. There are as well often situations of potential disputes, i.e. differences of interpretation concerning contracts, including their renewal, amendment and termination. In such cases, we advise on contractual interpretation and negotiation. We are particularly strong in disputes involving ASEAN countries and Asia generally, in which we leverage the experience of our lawyers who have worked for the Singapore International Arbitration Centre and our collaborative relationships with local law firms. For the resolution of international disputes without delays, we have the necessary experience and know-how.

Other International Matters

Our international work includes large M&A deals which require filings with foreign government agencies, investigations of international cartels, and information leaks across multiple countries that require notifications to foreign authorities. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of investigations of corruption and misconduct in the foreign subsidiaries of Japanese companies (Crisis Management). In employee misconduct cases, if assets related to white collar crime are concealed in many jurisdictions, it is necessary to collaborate with local police in each country and take procedures for litigation and provisional remedies in each country.

In international legal work, speedy and accurate translations are of the utmost importance for contracts, litigation materials and other legal documents in order to allow our clients to make appropriate decisions quickly and to protect their interests. Our firm has a professional translation team which collaborates with both Japanese and foreign lawyers to ensure quick and accurate translation from both linguistic and legal standpoints.

Cross-Border Insolvency and Family Cases

We generally handle cross-border insolvency in two types of situations: (1) when the bankrupt resides outside Japan but owns property in Japan, we advise clients on preserving and enforcing judgments against the property, and (2) when the bankrupt resides in Japan but owns property outside Japan, we collaborate with foreign law firms to preserve and enforce judgments against the property. Cross-border family cases are cases involving a citizen or resident of a foreign country, in which there may be procedures with government agencies or courts in other countries.