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Kenji Yamamoto

Partner / Attorney at Law

Osaka Office

Major Practice Areas
Employment and Labor / Risk Management and Compliance / Mergers & Acquisitions / Construction/Architecture / Manufacturing
Other Practice Areas
Restructuring and Insolvency / Corporate / Consumer Protection / Insurance / Dispute Resolution
Languages
Japanese

Overview

Kenji Yamamoto primarily handles corporate legal affairs and labor law issues. The central questions he seeks to answer in representing clients have always been, “How can corporations pursue justice?”, and, “What are the true interests of the client?” Mr. Yamamoto has a great deal of experience in representing corporate clients in claims for damages made by claimant groups, and in the course of the pursuit of justice, he has come to believe that corporations must fulfill their social responsibilities appropriately. Based thereon, he has been dealing with many cases and has been providing advice relating to corporate governance, including assisting outside directors in business judgment decisions, as well as implementation of compliance measures, etc. Moreover, he has been actively involved in legal professional training by serving as a specially appointed law school professor.

Work Highlights

  • Pneumoconiosis lawsuits (attorney for the defendant company)
  • Claims for damages by HIV infected persons (attorney for the defendant company)
  • Case of moral rights of inventor – Method of collecting rare-earth metals (Osaka District Court, May 23, 2002 Judgment / 100 Patent Cases (4th Edition), See p. 56, Case 27, attorney for the plaintiff)
  • Case involving wage claims – dispute as to the nature of management/supervisory positions (Osaka District Court, April 28, 2000 Judgment / Labor Cases No. 787, See p. 30)
  • Case of claiming reimbursement for overpayments – Duty of disclosure of transaction history to debtors of moneylender (Supreme Court, July 19, 2005 Judgment / Volume 59-6 of Supreme Court Civil Cases, See p. 1783)
  • Case of a death caused by negligence in the conduct of business – Intervention of third party act and the relation of cause and effect (Supreme Court Decision, December 17, 1992 / 100 Criminal Law Cases I – Overview (5th Edition), See p. 26, Case 12)

Education & Professional Career

Jan 1996 – PresentKitahama Partners, Partner
Apr 1991Admitted to practice in Japan; Joined Kitahama Partners
Mar 1991Graduated from the Legal Training and Research Institute of the Supreme Court of Japan
Mar 1989Osaka City University (LL.B.)
Mar 1985Acquired teacher’s license in social studies of junior high school (first degree) and high school (second degree)

Other Activities

2023Deputy Director, Article 23 Inquiries Assessment Office, Osaka Bar Association
Apr 2022 – PresentConflict of Interest Advisor, Conflict of Interest Management Committee, Osaka Metropolitan University
2021Chairperson, Disciplinary Committee, Osaka Bar Association
2021Chairperson, Public Relations Committee, Osaka Bar Association
2020Vice Chairperson, Disciplinary Committee, Osaka Bar Association
2019Member, Disciplinary Committee, Osaka Bar Association
2018 – 2019Chairperson, Law School Establishment and Management Support Center, Osaka Bar Association
Jun 2015 – Dec 2018Outside Director, Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.
2015Vice-President, Osaka Bar Association
2013 – 2014Vice-Chairperson, Committee on Legal Training for Judicial Apprentice, Osaka Bar Association
2010 – PresentSpecially Appointed Professor, Osaka Metropolitan University (formerly Osaka City University) Law School (Lectures on Preparation of Legal Documents, Foundation of Law Practice and Comprehensive Exercise of Civil Law)
Jun 2010 – Jun 2015Outside Auditor, Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.
2008 – 2017Vice Chairperson, Law School Establishment and Management Support Center, Osaka Bar Association
2005 – 2009Adjunct Professor, Osaka City University Law School (Lectures on Law Concerning Small and Medium Enterprises, Civil Mock Trial, etc.)
Oct 2000 – Sep 2002Member of Information Disclosure Screening Commission of Shigaraki-cho

Others

  • Acting Bankruptcy Trustee, Nova Corporation
  • Deputy Trustee, I-Food Corporation (formerly Ichifuji Food Serivice Corp.)
  • Deputy Trustee, JDC Corporation

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