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Izumi Matsumoto

Counsel
Corporate / M&A, International Commercial & Trade

Professional Summary

Izumi Matsumoto is a member of the Corporate and M&A practice groups at the Firm’s Tokyo office. Prior to joining the Firm, he worked at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry from 2007 to 2020, mainly on the Japan-EU EPA negotiations, the Japan-US-EU trilateral subsidies agreement negotiations, several WTO dispute settlement cases and the Brexit issue.

Practice Focus

Izumi focuses his practice on international trade laws and regulations as well as legal issues concerning economic security, including export controls, economic sanctions, import restrictions (e.g., the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act), public procurement, investment screening, customs classification, customs valuation, customs audits and WTO dispute settlement. He also has extensive experience in trade remedy matters such as anti-dumping, countervailing duties and safeguard measures. He further advises on the standard essential patents (SEP) issue, Japanese crypto-asset transaction regulations, import-related domestic regulations (e.g., the Radio Act), the Telecommunications Business Act, the Food Sanitation Act and energy/environmental regulations (e.g., the Electricity Business Act, the Waste Disposal Act and the Basel Act).

Representative Clients, Cases or Matters

  • Advised major EU/US/Japanese banks on compliance with economic sanctions imposed on Russia by Japan, the US, the EU and the UK, as well as Russian countermeasures against these countries.
  • Advised a major Japanese construction machinery manufacturing company on compliance with strengthened Japanese export control regulations in the wake of the Ukraine crisis.
  • Advised a major US IT company on compliance with Japanese export control regulations under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act and assisted it with the classification of its products.
  • Advised a major US education company and a Thai telecom company on the investment screening system under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act and filed notifications with the Japanese government on their behalf.
  • Advised a major US patent pool on legal developments in Japan related to standard essential patents (SEPs).
  • Advised several Japanese companies on the legal framework for and tax treatment of crypto-asset transactions.
  • Advised a US company on the importation of meat substitutes into Japan under the Food Sanitation Act.
  • Advised a US e-commerce company on Japanese regulations relevant to the expansion of its e-commerce business to Japan.
  • Advised a UK company on compliance with Japanese waste disposal laws and regulations.

Publications, Presentations and Articles

  • Author, “The role of international standards in promoting environmental goods and services – a new approach to reconciling trade and climate change,” 19 INT’L TRADE & BUS. L. REV. 180, March 2016.

Admissions

  • Japan (2021)
  • New York – United States (2018)

Professional Association and Memberships

  • Tokyo Bar Association – Member
  • New York State Bar Association – Member

Education

  • Harvard Law School (LLM) (2015)
  • Harvard Kennedy School (MPA) (2014)
  • The University of Tokyo, School of Law (JD) (2007)
  • Keio University (BA) (2004)

Languages

Japanese, English

Related

Practice Areas