Past Events

Developments in employment practices in Japan: a legal perspective

Ms. Akiko Yamakawa, Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

There have been a number of recent developments on labour market conditions both as part of government reform agenda and also in response to recent highly publicised events.

Akiko Yamakawa, Partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer will discuss how to manage working hours and overtime issues and provide practical tips. Topics will include:

· Statutory regulations on working hours

· Alternative working hours systems available under law

· Overtime regulations, including:

- court precedents;

- practice of the Labour Standards Office;

- recent discussions relating to “White Collar Exemption” and other overtime    regulations and practical ways to mitigate risks.  

She will also provide an update on recent discussions on labour market reforms including the introduction of equal pay for equal work, and payment of severance allowance in lieu of reinstatement.

2017 Japan Tax Reform Program and other developments

Mr. Jack Bird, Partner

Ms. Akemi Kito, Partner

Ms. Ryann Thomas, Partner

Mr. Shintaro Yamaguchi, Partner

PwC Tax Japan

On December 8th 2016  the LDP Tax Committee released its annual Tax Reform Program (for the year 2017).

The details of the tax reform will be unveiled when the bills are presented to the Diet, these proposals are likely to be implemented in the Japanese taxation system.

Experts from PwC will give IBA Japan members their insight on how these changes may have an impact on the financial services industry in Japan. The presentation will cover various topics including:

· Corporate Tax reform and the expected effects on both foreign and Japanese financial institutions.

· BEPS developments: upcoming transfer pricing requirements

· Explain and provide insight on  local tax inspections, common pitfalls and challenges, areas of complexity etc.

· The impact of possible US tax reforms.

APAC financial industry outlook: business strategies and market analysis

Drew Brick, Head of Market Structure Strategy, APAC Bloomberg L.P

Asia's competitive landscape continues to shift, driven by regulatory change, balance sheet constraints and business opportunities. Market players do observe changes to business models and the pursuit of non-traditional revenue streams 

In this seminar, Drew Brick from Bloomberg LP will present his views on key trends within the APAC region including:

Business strategies and the impact of e-trading and data management. Growing competition for financial industry players and information providers. Sell-side and buy-side strategies, and market shares across asset classes and currencies. New liquidity sources, data analysis and future trends in Asia.

Drew Brick is part of Bloomberg's Global Market Group and is responsible for assisting core product teams with identifying, planning for and managing market structure change. Drew has over 25 years of buy-side and sell-side experience. On the buy-side, Drew was a senior Portfolio Manager and Global Strategist for the fixed income asset manager, PIMCO. He was a member of PIMCO’s Global Investment Committee. He was on the Board of Directors for PIMCO Global Advisors Asia. He was also a partner and portfolio manager for the U.S. macro hedge fund GreenRidge Asset Management. On the sell-side, Drew served as Managing Director and Head of Markets Strategy at RBS and BNP Paribas. Drew has lectured on International Finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and on Asian Political Economy at Johns Hopkins University -- the latter of which where he earned and worked on his Masters and Ph.D., respectively. 

Japan Compliance Investigations : case studies from financial services and other industries

Mr. James Hough, Partner, Litigation Department, Morrison & Foerster

Businesses are facing increased scrutiny of their business practices from regulators and other authorities.  This often results in a need to put in place a system to conduct internal investigations.

Investigations can vary in their structure, from simple fact finding to more overarching and complex risk assessments.  To facilitate these processes, external firms are often brought in to  provide support.

In this seminar, James Hough from Morrison & Foerster will set out compliance-related lessons learned from conducting internal investigations in Japan over the past 4 years including for financial services firms. The presentation will cover:

Corruption/Fraud Risks Books and Records/Internal Control Risks Antitrust Compliance Data Protection Privilege Issues Best practices for internal investigations

The US economy and business environment outlook under a Trump presidency

Mr. Stuart Plesser, Senior Director, Financial Services Ratings 

Mr. David C. Tesher, Managing Director, US  Corporate Ratings

S&P Global

The election of Donald Trump is potentially a game changer. At this seminar, two experts from S&P will set out some post-election scenarios including:   

Bank credit outlook for 2017 and the implications of “Trumponomics” for US banks. Corporate credit outlook for 2017 (distribution, transitions and defaults, maturities, M&A, interest rate stress scenarios) Overview of possible post-election policies and strategies and how these will impact different sectors of the US economy including auto, healthcare/Pharma, energy and  IT.  US financial regulations, steepening yield curve, Brexit , energy prices and emerging credit risks