Ryuji Suzuki

Partner
Attorney at Law

Mr. Suzuki developed an interest in China when he was in high school, and throughout his studies of law at university and in graduate school, he aimed to work in a job that would involve China. To date, he has worked as an advisor and agent in Chinese legal affairs (such as by assisting Japanese companies to expand their business in China, drafting and reviewing contracts between Japanese and Chinese companies, advising in labor disputes in Chinese subsidiaries and providing services in relation to intellectual property management for Chinese subsidiaries), Japanese domestic litigation (including claims for sale price and for injunctions against unfair business practices) and disputes involving private clients, among others.

Mr. Suzuki worked in Beijing from 2013 to 2017, and is deeply interested in Chinese legal affairs in general, and the fields of personnel and labor management in China in particular.

Major matters handled

  • Claim for sale price
    Mr. Suzuki acted for the seller under a sales contract in a matter in which the seller claimed the sale price from the buyer, who argued that the sales contract was invalid due to its representative director’s abuse of representative authority.
  • Debt recovery from a Japanese company for a Hong Kong company
    As the representative of a Hong Kong company, Mr. Suzuki was involved in recovering debts from a Japanese company (such as by negotiating for payment, filing litigation and participating in bankruptcy procedures).
  • Injunction against unfair business practices
    Mr. Suzuki acted for the party whose rights were infringed in a motion for relief including an injunction against acts suspected of amounting to unfair business practices.
  • Acquisition of a Japanese electronic parts manufacturing subsidiary by a foreign electronic parts manufacturer
    Mr. Suzuki assisted in due diligence investigations in relation to the acquisition of a Japanese electronic parts manufacturing subsidiary by a foreign electronic parts manufacturer.
  • Other matters
    Mr. Suzuki has acted as an adviser or representative in a range of other matters, including assisting Japanese companies moving into China, drafting and reviewing contracts between Japanese and Chinese companies (such as joint venture contracts, outsourcing contracts and technology licensing contracts), labor disputes in Chinese subsidiaries, intellectual property administration in Chinese subsidiaries and disputes involving private clients.

Professional Career

  • Attorney at Law, Kuroda Law Offices, 2011–present
  • Partner since April 1, 2021

Education

  • Nihon University Faculty of Law, 2007
  • University of Tokyo Graduate School for Law, 2009
  • Legal Training and Research Institute of the Supreme Court, 2010

Qualifications

  • Passed the National Bar Examination of Japan, 2009
  • Registered with Japan Federation of Bar Associations and Tokyo Bar Association, 63rd term (law school graduate), 2010

Publications

  • “Regarding the Interpretation of the Supreme People’s Court on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in the Trial of Patent Infringement Dispute Cases (II) (Public Consultation Paper)” (co-author) in Patent (2015), vol. 68, no. 2

Seminar

  • “Commentary on Provisional Regulations on Labor Dispatch” (Beijing, Tianjin, 2014)
  • “Product Liability and Protection of Consumer Rights in China” (Beijing, 2014)
  • “Two Legal Amendments That Will Affect Chinese Business” (Tokyo, 2014)
  • “Examples of and Responses to Frequently Occurring Labor Problems” (Beijing, Tianjin, 2014—2015)
  • “Provisions that Labor Contracts and Employment Regulations Should Be Equipped with: Learning from Others’ Mistakes” (Beijing, Tianjin, 2015)
  • “Developing New Businesses in China and the Legal Restrictions Involved: The Examples of Medical and Aged-Care Enterprises” (Tokyo, 2015)
  • “Outline of the Amended Food Safety Law and Points to Particularly Beware of for Japanese Enterprises” (Dalian, 2016)
  • “Labor Risk Management in China―Reconfirming Management Structures” (Beijing, 2016)
  • “Compliance in Chinese Local Companies—What Compliance Structures Should Be” (Tokyo, Beijing, 2016)
  • “The current situation of China’s advertising regulations and things to keep in mind for Japanese companies expanding locally” (Tokyo, 2018)
  • “Measures against counterfeit goods in China ~Issues surrounding trademark infringement and usurped trademarks~” (Tokyo, 2018)
  • “Risks in Chinese Business from a Legal Perspective“ (Tokyo, 2021)
  • “Three laws related to data and personal information, and precautions therefor“ (Tokyo, 2022)
  • “Status of implementation of three laws on data in China and corporate responses” (Tokyo, 2022)
  • “No need to wait! Responding to Foreign Investment Law – Focusing on Sino-Foreign Joint Ventures –” (Tokyo, 2023)
  • [Co-authored] “Explaining mechanisms by which fraud occurs and key points for responding before and after the fact – with case studies!” (Shanghai, 2023)

Languages

  • Japanese, English and Chinese

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