Kenichi Masuda
Partner
Tokyo
LEGAL AWARDS
The Best Lawyers in Japan™・Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Japan™ (2025 Edition)
Who's Who Legal: Japan 2023
asialaw 2023-24
IFLR1000 2023
Key Practice Areas
Corporate
M&A
Labor and Employment
Dispute Resolution
International Trade
TEL:81-3-6775-1026
/FAX:81-3-6775-2026
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).
SERVICES
Practice Areas
Corporate
M&A
Government Investigations and Crisis Management
Labor and Employment
Life Sciences
Dispute Resolution
Industries
Private Equity Fund
Transportation and Logistics
Medical, Pharmaceutical, Healthcare, Life Science and Biotechnology
Automotive, Ship and Machinery
Chemical
Food and Beverage
Brand and Apparel
Electronics and Equipment
Consumer Product and Retail
Trading
Government and Public Sector
RELATED INSIGHTS
SEMINARSSeminars
PUBLICATIONSPublications
CAREER
1986
The University of Tokyo (LL.B.)
1992
University of Chicago (LL.M.)
1992 - 1994
Trained at law firms in the United States
2019 - 2022
Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Law, The University of Tokyo
QUALIFICATIONS
Japan (1988) New York (1993)
PROFESSIONAL AND
ACADEMIC ASSOCIATION
ACADEMIC ASSOCIATION
Daini Tokyo Bar Association
LANGUAGES
Japanese (first language)
English
Kenichi Masuda
TEL:81-3-6775-1026
/FAX:81-3-6775-2026
Corporate
M&A
Labor and Employment
Dispute Resolution
International Trade