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Morrison Foerster Hosts Seminar Exploring Life Sciences Market and Regulatory Trends

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Morrison Foerster recently hosted its “Life Sciences Update: Finding Opportunity Amidst Growing Complexity” seminar in Tokyo,...

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Morrison Foerster recently hosted its “Life Sciences Update: Finding Opportunity Amidst Growing Complexity” seminar in Tokyo, with the support of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan, and the Japan In-House Counsel Network. The event attracted industry professionals from across the life sciences industry and featured a broad program covering various issues that are shaping the sector in Japan and around the world.MoFo partners shared insights on life sciences M&A, private equity dynamics, dispute risks in long-term development partnerships, patent strategy for emerging technologies, licensing and supply chain issues, antitrust developments, and the rapidly evolving regulatory and compliance landscape. Together, the sessions underscored the importance of commercially grounded deal structuring, proactive risk management, and strategic IP planning across the global life sciences sector.The seminar concluded with a panel discussion featuring Alex Schweisgut, Head of APAC Healthcare Investment Banking at Bank of America, and Divya Murthy, Senior Director, Corporate Business Development HQs at Eisai, who discussed how shifting market conditions are reshaping cross-border life sciences dealmaking and driving a greater focus on partnerships and licensing. The panel stressed that regional stability, diversification, and disciplined structuring will be essential in the next phase of transactions.<h4>Topics discussed:</h4><ul><li>Regulatory enforcement trends impacting the life sciences sector</li><li>Cross-border M&A, strategic collaborations, and investment themes</li><li>Dispute resolution</li><li>Patent prosecution strategies for emerging technologies</li><li>Licensing, supply chain, and antitrust developments</li><li>Market perspectives from Bank of America and Eisai</li></ul><hr>

Morrison Foerster Hosts Seminar Exploring Life Sciences Market and Regulatory Trends

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Gary has 30 years of experience advising clients on cross-border M&A and financing transactions. He has particular experience in the life sciences, tech, and media industries, where he has led on numerous inbound and outbound buyouts, joint ventures, and minority investments. Gary has advised on acquisitions in India, China, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and other parts of Southeast Asia, as well as in Europe and the United States. He counsels a variety of clients, including Daiwa Securities Group, FUJIFILM, the Hitachi Group, Mizuho Securities, SMBC Nikko Securities, and Taisho Pharmaceutical.Gary was born in Japan and is fluent in Japanese. During his law studies at Columbia University, he was a Harlan Fiske Stone scholar and a recipient of the Recognition of Achievement in International Law, with Honors. Gary also attended the University of Tokyo Graduate School as a Japan Ministry of Education Scholar. He received his B.A. and B.B.A. summa cum laude from University of Washington, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.Gary is ranked as a Band 1 leading lawyer by Chambers Global and Chambers Asia-Pacific for his M&A and corporate law expertise. He has also been selected as a Stand-out Lawyer by Thomson Reuters in 2023, every year for the A-List Japan’s Top 100 Lawyers by Asia Business Law Journal since 2021 and by Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal) as a Thought Leader for M&A in Japan since 2023. He has been consistently selected as a leading lawyer in M&A and corporate law in Japan by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (Hall of Fame), IFLR1000, and Best Lawyers.

Gary Mitchel Smith

Partner

Shannon Reaney, Ph.D., is a seasoned patent attorney with over 20 years of experience specializing in life sciences intellectual property law. As chair of the firm’s 100+ person Patent Strategy + Prosecution practice and co-chair of the cross-disciplinary Intellectual Property Group, Shannon provides strategic patent counsel to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, cosmetics, and agricultural companies worldwide. She excels in patent portfolio development, prosecution, and management, helping innovators protect and maximize the value of their intellectual property assets.Shannon’s advanced scientific training and extensive legal experience enable her to deliver comprehensive patent strategy and prosecution services across a broad spectrum of life sciences technologies, including:<ul><li>Pre-clinical and clinical-stage therapeutics, including small molecules, siRNA, peptide therapeutics, conjugates, blood-based therapies, and related diagnostics, pharmaceutical formulations, and methods of use.</li><li>Nanotechnology.</li><li>Skin care technology and topical formulations.</li><li>Agricultural technologies.</li></ul>In addition to her extensive experience in patent strategy and prosecution, Shannon is highly regarded for her work in:<ul><li>Patent term extensions & lifecycle management for approved drugs and biologics.</li><li>IP risk mitigation, pre-litigation portfolio assessments, and competitor IP evaluation.</li><li>Due diligence and strategic counseling for business transactions including financings and M&A.</li></ul>Shannon received her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where her doctoral research concentrated on synthetic organic methodology and the use of lithium aminoborohydrides in novel hydride and amine transfer reactions. She received her B.A. in biochemistry from Occidental College, where she conducted undergraduate research investigating psoralen-DNA intercalation.Shannon has authored several first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals and presented her research at major conferences, including those sponsored by the American Chemical Society and the IUPAC World Chemistry Congress.

Shannon Reaney

Masato Hayakawa is a partner in the Technology Transactions Group of Morrison Foerster’s Tokyo Office. Prior to joining the firm’s Tokyo Office, he practiced in the San Francisco Office for several years. His practice is concentrated on transactions and counseling involving intellectual property, including structuring and negotiating license agreements, technology transfers, adversarial patent litigation settlements, outsourcing arrangements, joint development agreements and other intellectual property matters relevant to technology companies.Masato is also very experienced in the intellectual property aspects of mergers and acquisitions. He advises clients, both emerging and established companies, from a range of industries. For example, Masato has counseled companies in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, semiconductor technology companies, financial institutions, and multinational technology conglomerates. He has extensive experience in cross-border transactions, having worked on major transactions in the United States, Asia, and Europe, and he is fluent in Japanese.The 2021 edition of Chambers Asia-Pacific noted that “In addition to deep experience and unsurpassed knowledge as an IP practitioner, he brings a deal lawyer's approach to the negotiating table.”Masato has provided legal services on a pro bono basis to a number of non-profit organizations such as The Yale Law Journal, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) of Japan, Lutheran Social Services of Northern California, and HAND (Helping After Neonatal Death). Masato also serves on the Alumni Advisory Board of The Yale Law Journal.Masato received his A.B. degree from the University of California, Berkeley, graduating with highest honors. He earned his J.D. degree from the Yale Law School, where he served as an articles editor of the Yale Journal of International Law and later as managing editor of The Yale Law Journal. Masato is admitted to practice in California and as Gaikokuho-Jimu-Bengoshi in Japan.

Masato Hayakawa

Randy Laxer is the Global Co-Chair of the Private Equity Practice. His experience includes over 20 years in Japan representing clients on numerous Japan private equity buyouts and investments, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, international joint ventures, and minority investments in various industries, including high technology, life sciences, and media.Randy has been selected as one of “Asia’s Top 15 M&A Lawyers” by Asian Legal Business and also is recommended for his M&A and corporate law expertise by Chambers Global (2025), Chambers Asia-Pacific (2025), IFLR1000 (2024), and The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2025). Client comments about Randy include the following:“Randy Laxer is the lawyer I personally trust most in cross-border M&A.” (The Legal 500 Asia Pacific)“When conducting cross-border M&A transactions with a high degree of difficulty, consider using [Randy].” (The Legal 500 Asia Pacific)“Randy has always shown commitment [to this client]” and “is on-top not just of the theme but also of details of any deliverables, oral presentation, negotiation or side-chat seamlessly” (The Legal 500 Asia Pacific).Randy received his J.D cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School and attended Konan University in Kobe, Japan and Stanford University’s Inter-University Center for Japanese Studies. He is fluent in Japanese and is also a registered Gaikokuho-Jimu-Bengoshi and a member of the Daini Tokyo Bar Association.

Randy Laxer

Global Co-Chair of Private Equity Practice

Takahiro Nonaka is a partner of Morrison Foerster Law Offices. He focuses his practice on government and internal investigations, including anti-corruption, antitrust, employee misconduct, and data privacy issues. He also works on both cross-border dispute resolution and domestic general commercial litigation.He has represented multinational companies in their negotiations with government officials, mass media, and other associated investigative agencies. His work also includes conducting internal investigations and training, researching relevant regulations and guidelines, and drafting internal codes and policies.He has worked with many multinational companies on U.S. antitrust law and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters, data privacy issues in the EU and other jurisdictions, and cross-border disputes, particularly related to tort claims and product liability in Japan and the United States, collaborating with counsel in each jurisdiction. His practice also focuses on domestic general commercial litigation, including system development contracts, real estate lease agreements, and various types of labor disputes. In addition, he regularly advises clients on employment, trade and export control compliance issues, and business criminal defense matters.Taka began his career as a judge, serving in district courts in Japan for almost 10 years. He was seconded to a multinational auto company, where he handled labor matters and trained factory workers. He also held a two-year diplomatic secondment role at the Japan Embassy in Washington, D.C., where he served as an advisor on issues relating to export controls, competition laws, and FCPA enforcement affecting Japanese companies.Taka was recommended by Who’s Who Legal Japan for Business Crime Defense & Investigations, by Best Lawyers in Japan for Privacy and Data Security Law since 2021, and by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific for Japan: Antitrust and Competition in 2023.He has often been invited to speak at seminars held by outside organizations and internally with MoFo partners from other offices. Recently, he participated in a presentation on topics relating to anti-corruption and overseas bribery at a seminar sponsored by the Global Compact Network Japan Anti-Corruption Subcommittee in November 2022. He also provided presentations on information security issues at the Association of Niigata Information Security and at an Asian Investigation Seminar held with KL Discovery.Taka has been an adjunct professor of International Dispute Resolution at the Graduate School of Law at the Hitotsubashi University since September 2018. He is a bengoshi registered with the Daini Tokyo Bar Association. He is a native speaker of Japanese and is fluent in English.

Takahiro Nonaka

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe class="sticky-video" title="Meet Louise Stoupe, Commercial Litigation and Trial Group Co-Chair" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Oj7F_tmcPb0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="1" title="iframe"></iframe></div>Louise Stoupe is co-head of the Tokyo Litigation department. Her practice focuses on high-tech disputes in international arbitration and litigation. She is an experienced trial lawyer, known for representing some of the largest technology companies in the world, in their multijurisdictional and complex commercial litigation cases.Louise has been recognized for her cutting-edge work for Japanese clients and was recognized as the Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year and the Woman Lawyer of the Year by Asian Legal Business in 2018. Louise is ranked in the current editions of Chambers Global (2023) and Chambers Asia Pacific (2023) for Dispute Resolution. She is also ranked as a Leading Individual in Dispute Resolution by the 2023 edition of The Legal 500 Asia Pacific. Louise has been recognized by the Japan edition of Best Lawyers for Intellectual Property since 2010; Litigation since 2014; International Arbitration since 2020; Criminal Defense since 2023. She was also recognized by the 2017 Client Choice Awards in the litigation category. Louise has long been identified as a leader in her field, exhibited by the fact that in 2008 she was the second youngest person on the “Top 50 Under 45” list published by IP Law & Business.

Louise Stoupe

Co-Head of Tokyo Litigation

Yuki is a partner of Morrison Foerster Law Offices. He has more than 25 years of experience in litigation and dispute resolution, including disputes relating to commercial transactions, product liability, real estate, and computer system development, as well as intellectual property, including patents, trademarks and copyrights.Yuki primarily focuses on representing international clients in Japanese litigation and technology transactions. He also handles IP licensing work and regulatory matters involving complex compliance issues, including security and personal information breaches, pharma and medical device regulation, and violations of product safety standards issued by the Japanese government.Yuki frequently lectures on intellectual property rights, e-commerce, privacy (protection of personal information), and entertainment law at the Daini Tokyo Bar Association, Keio Law School, and specialized training colleges. He serves as a deputy chairman of the Daini Tokyo Bar Association’s Study Group of Intellectual Properties.In 2018, Yuki drafted the “Data Contract Guidelines for Agricultural Sectors” for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan, which was published in December 2018. In July 2019, he was appointed as a committee member to establish “Contract Guidelines in Using Artificial Intelligence for Agricultural Sectors” for the MAFF. Yuki was also appointed a special member (mediator) of the “Dispute Resolution Board for Telecommunication Business Entities” at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication (MIAC) of Japan.Yuki is ranked in Japan: TMT and Japan: Intellectual Property in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2024, and has also been recognized for Intellectual Property Law and International Business Transactions in The Best Lawyers in Japan since the 2013 edition.

Yukihiro Terazawa

Seth Graham is a partner in Morrison & Foerster’s Technology Transactions Group and advises clients on a wide range of transactional matters involving technology and intellectual property, including licensing arrangements, technology transfers, outsourcing transactions, development agreements, and other commercial and services arrangements.Seth has over 15 years of experience in the U.S. and Asia advising clients on cross-border IP matters, with a focus on the IT, pharmaceutical, semiconductor and telecommunication industries. Seth regularly counsels clients with respect to software and content licensing arrangements, trademark licenses and branding strategies, outsourcing and cloud computing transactions, and joint development arrangements, as well as on issues regarding open source software, artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain applications. Seth also assists clients with complex patent licensing arrangements and on intellectual property issues relevant to emerging company investments and project finance and development activities. He has represented client such as SoftBank, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Otsuka and Yahoo! Japan, amongst others.Seth also has extensive experience advising on adversarial litigation negotiations and settlements, in- and out-bound licensing arrangements across Asia, and mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, joint ventures and other corporate transactions. Seth provides pro bono legal services to Médecins Sans Frontières and other not-for-profit organizations in connection with establishing and enforcing their intellectual property rights.Seth has been consistently recognized for his work in the technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) space by Chambers Asia-Pacific and The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, and was named as an “Asia Super 50 TMT Lawyer” by Asian Legal Business. Clients comment that Seth has “great negotiation skills” and is their “go to lawyer for IP and cross-border matters” (Legal 500 2024) and that his “service and understanding of our business remains one of main reasons we use Morrison Foerster” (Chambers 2023).  Seth is admitted to practice in New York and California, and is a Gaikokuho-Jimu-Bengoshi in Japan.

Morrison Foerster Hosts Seminar Exploring Life Sciences Market and Regulatory Trends

05 Dec 2025

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