Shuichi Sugahisa, former head of Japan’s FTC, joins Baker McKenzie in Tokyo
12 October 2022
Sugahisa will serve as senior consultant in firm’s antitrust and competition group.
Shuichi Sugahisa, former secretary general of the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), has joined Baker McKenzie (Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise) in Tokyo, where he will serve as a senior consultant in the firm’s antitrust and competition group.
Sugahisa has been engaged in competition law practice and policy – with a focus on the Antimonopoly Act and other related laws – for approximately 40 years since joining the JFTC in 1983. During his tenure at the JFTC, he worked on important regulatory reforms, including the 2002 amendment of the Antimonopoly Act, the 2017 revision of the Guidelines for Distribution and Trade Practices and the 2019 amendment of the Antimonopoly Act (including the enactment of rules and regulations regarding newly established determination procedures (Japanese Attorney-Client Privilege)).
Sugahisa was also involved in major legislative efforts at the Consumer Affairs Agency,
including the enactment of the Food Labelling Law, the Act on Special Measures against Shifting of Consumption Tax in 2013 and two amendments to the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations in 2014. On the enforcement side, he handled a number of cases with significant socioeconomic impacts, such as large-scale cartel cases and merger control cases involving transactions between large companies.
During his JFTC tenure, he served as director general of the Trade Practices Department, Director General of the Economic Affairs Bureau and Secretary General of the JFTC. He was instrumental in strengthening the enforcement of the Antimonopoly Act and also worked vigorously on strengthening advocacy activities by the JFTC.
“Competition law enforcement is being strengthened and legal systems are being revised rapidly around the world,” says Akifusa Takada, co-managing partner of Baker McKenzie’s Tokyo office. “It is extremely important for Japanese companies operating global businesses to keep abreast of the latest information in a comprehensive and holistic manner. We’re confident that the addition of Shuichi – a leading expert in this field in Japan – will form a uniquely strong service offering for our clients.”
Mark Hamer, chair of the firm’s global antitrust and competition practice group, added: “We are delighted to be joined by Shuichi, whose extensive antitrust knowledge and regulatory experience with the JFTC will further bolster our leading practice in Japan and premier global offering for our clients. More than ever, multinational businesses require practical insight and guidance on antitrust risks across the globe and Shuichi’s expertise perfectly complements our strong bench of practitioners around the world.” Baker McKenzie’s antitrust and competition practice has more than 300 practitioners across 60 offices and 43 countries globally.
