Baker & McKenzie warmly welcomes Shuichi Sugahisa, former Secretary General of the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), who joins the firm as a senior consultant in the Antitrust and Competition Group on August 16, 2022.
For approximately 40 years since joining the JFTC in 1983, Shuichi has been engaged in competition law practice and policy, with a focus on the Antimonopoly Act and other related laws.
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.
He 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.
“Competition law enforcement is being strengthened and legal systems are being revised rapidly around the world. It is extremely important for Japanese companies operating global businesses to keep abreast of the latest information in a comprehensive and holistic manner,” said Akifusa Takada, co-Managing Partner of Baker McKenzie’s Tokyo office.
“We’re confident that the addition of Shuichi — a leading expert in this field in Japan — when combined with Baker McKenzie’s unparalleled global antitrust and competition law group, will form a uniquely strong service offering for our clients,” he added.
Mark Hamer, Chair of the firm’s Global Antitrust & Competition Practice Group, further commented, “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.”
